Pre-Party
Theocracy - I was drinking/talking with friends and didn't see/hear a second of their set.
Circus Maximus - the mix was off, but that wasn't their fault. I thought the guitar player sounded sloppy. However, since I couldn't find anyone who actually knows how to play guitar agree with my assessment, it's probably safe to assume I have no clue what I'm talking about (what else is new?). As always, Mike's voice was godly. Can't wait for the new CD.
Leatherwolf - I was drinking/talking with friends and didn't see/hear a second of their set.
Circle II Circle - I was drinking/talking with friends and didn't see/hear a second of their set.
Day 1
Pyramaze - awesome. Perhaps the best opening band in the history of ProgPower (it's between them and Zero Hour at PPIII). Lance sounded phenomenal. The band was very energetic and clearly pumped to be there and the crowd responded in kind. I thought it was quite cool that they requested to go on 15 minutes early so that they could play extra material.
Savage Circus - very tight. Their music works quite well live. If I had one complaint, it would be that the singer kept a lyric sheet on the stage floor in front of his mic. He didnt spend every second of every song doing this. However, between verses, he would glance down and make sure he knew what he had to sing next. This aside, theyre a very good live band.
Freak Kitchen musically, theyre tight. However, what separates them from the pack is, Mattias has the coolest, funniest stage persona ever. Its hard to top playing a guitar solo with a vibrator. As far as post-show buzz goes, they stole the show.
Mercenary - I was drinking/talking with friends and didn't see/hear a second of their set. This was the one band I missed, that I would have liked to have seen. I got a chance to talk to the guys from the band at one of the after-parties (all of which were very cool). Hopefully theyll tour NYC sometime soon and Ill get to see them.
Evergrey two songs and then back to the bar to socialize. These guys just dont do it for me anymore. First off, their recent change in musical direction doesnt interest me. More importantly, the last time I went to see them (Jaxx in VA) they decided to get drunk and not pay all that much attention to their musical performance. This time around, I figured Id return the favor. So, I got drunk and didnt pay much attention to their musical performance.
Day 2
Zero Hour first off, if you think theres a better technical bass player on the planet than Troy Tipton, youre simply wrong. Given that Jasun is a guitar god and Mike Guy is an absolute machine, it's almost redundant to point out that their performance was flawless. The new vocalist (Chris) is excellent. He's really honed his style since his Power of Omens days. The only thing that detracted from their perfomance was that I hadnt had a chance to get familiar with their new material. That said, these guys continue to be, hands down, the best pure Prog Metal band on the planet.
Vision Divine checked out the first song. As chance would have it, its the only song I like by them. They are exceptionally tight and polished sounding. That said, theyre music just doesnt do it for me, so off to the bar.
Thunderstone - I was drinking/talking with friends and didn't see/hear a second of their set.
Epica - I was drinking/talking with friends and didn't see/hear a second of their set.
Jorn I popped in and out during this set. Basically, the only reason I even bothered was, I wanted to see the special performance Glenn had promised. For the finale, the lead singers of Circle II Circle, Circus Maximus, Zero Hour, Pyramaze, Mercenary, and the guitar players from Circus Maximus and Freak Kitchen all joined Jorn on stage and performed the Hearing Aid song Stars (from the Dio-led Heavy Metal project for African hunger relief). This was totally awesome. The rest of Jorns set was boring and contained far too many cover songs for a headlining act.
Overall, I had a great time. Great people, great venue and even some great music.
Zod
Theocracy - I was drinking/talking with friends and didn't see/hear a second of their set.
Circus Maximus - the mix was off, but that wasn't their fault. I thought the guitar player sounded sloppy. However, since I couldn't find anyone who actually knows how to play guitar agree with my assessment, it's probably safe to assume I have no clue what I'm talking about (what else is new?). As always, Mike's voice was godly. Can't wait for the new CD.
Leatherwolf - I was drinking/talking with friends and didn't see/hear a second of their set.
Circle II Circle - I was drinking/talking with friends and didn't see/hear a second of their set.
Day 1
Pyramaze - awesome. Perhaps the best opening band in the history of ProgPower (it's between them and Zero Hour at PPIII). Lance sounded phenomenal. The band was very energetic and clearly pumped to be there and the crowd responded in kind. I thought it was quite cool that they requested to go on 15 minutes early so that they could play extra material.
Savage Circus - very tight. Their music works quite well live. If I had one complaint, it would be that the singer kept a lyric sheet on the stage floor in front of his mic. He didnt spend every second of every song doing this. However, between verses, he would glance down and make sure he knew what he had to sing next. This aside, theyre a very good live band.
Freak Kitchen musically, theyre tight. However, what separates them from the pack is, Mattias has the coolest, funniest stage persona ever. Its hard to top playing a guitar solo with a vibrator. As far as post-show buzz goes, they stole the show.
Mercenary - I was drinking/talking with friends and didn't see/hear a second of their set. This was the one band I missed, that I would have liked to have seen. I got a chance to talk to the guys from the band at one of the after-parties (all of which were very cool). Hopefully theyll tour NYC sometime soon and Ill get to see them.
Evergrey two songs and then back to the bar to socialize. These guys just dont do it for me anymore. First off, their recent change in musical direction doesnt interest me. More importantly, the last time I went to see them (Jaxx in VA) they decided to get drunk and not pay all that much attention to their musical performance. This time around, I figured Id return the favor. So, I got drunk and didnt pay much attention to their musical performance.
Day 2
Zero Hour first off, if you think theres a better technical bass player on the planet than Troy Tipton, youre simply wrong. Given that Jasun is a guitar god and Mike Guy is an absolute machine, it's almost redundant to point out that their performance was flawless. The new vocalist (Chris) is excellent. He's really honed his style since his Power of Omens days. The only thing that detracted from their perfomance was that I hadnt had a chance to get familiar with their new material. That said, these guys continue to be, hands down, the best pure Prog Metal band on the planet.
Vision Divine checked out the first song. As chance would have it, its the only song I like by them. They are exceptionally tight and polished sounding. That said, theyre music just doesnt do it for me, so off to the bar.
Thunderstone - I was drinking/talking with friends and didn't see/hear a second of their set.
Epica - I was drinking/talking with friends and didn't see/hear a second of their set.
Jorn I popped in and out during this set. Basically, the only reason I even bothered was, I wanted to see the special performance Glenn had promised. For the finale, the lead singers of Circle II Circle, Circus Maximus, Zero Hour, Pyramaze, Mercenary, and the guitar players from Circus Maximus and Freak Kitchen all joined Jorn on stage and performed the Hearing Aid song Stars (from the Dio-led Heavy Metal project for African hunger relief). This was totally awesome. The rest of Jorns set was boring and contained far too many cover songs for a headlining act.
Overall, I had a great time. Great people, great venue and even some great music.
Zod
