I can definitely say it; the Key Club has the best shows during the week. If you don’t have anything to do, try to check out what’s going on down there because they showcase some of the best bands to come from L.A., the rest of the States and even over-seas. This night it was all about the fusion of hardcore and classic heavy metal.
Starting it off was Echoes of Eternity. They had a very melodic and epic sound to them. You could say they were a cross between Cradle of Filth and Lacuna Coil- COF in terms of the music and LC in terms of the vocals. The only thing that seemed to be missing was the keyboard. Francine, the lead singer, kind of reminded me of Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy, but her voice didn’t growl like hers. Their first song, Voices in A Dream sounded a bit like something Power Symphony would put out. The bass and the double-kicks sounded awesome. I think if they had a male lead-vocalist they would sound like a heavier version of Judas Priest. Next up is the title song from their debut album called “The Forgotten Goddess”. I like the faster drums, but it seemed like it was missing an extra guitar and stronger vocals. Sadly, those were the only songs I caught because some dumb ass decided to park in my driveway. I wish I had gotten there sooner because I really liked what I heard of them and I would love to hear more. Remember, 
Echoes of Eternity’s debut album “The Forgotten Goddess” comes out February 20th on Nuclear Blast Records.
On to the next band which is, In This Moment. I’ve had prior experience with this band. I saw them open for My Ruin a while back and while I wasn’t impressed, they are a hell of a lot better than many bands out there these days. Just a note to the lead singer; watch your family members when they’re drinking. Apparently your mom mumbled something to me on the night of the My Ruin show and I didn’t hear her. Next thing I know she’s coming up to me after the set and telling me to fuck off. Umm…okay. Aggressive vocals are no problem at all here folks. Good god they’re roaring. Though the only thing I didn’t like was instead of sounded like screams, there seemed to be a bit of shrieking going on. “Beautiful Tragedy” seemed to be the crowd-pleaser and radio friendly song. I think the kids would love to do those karate-mosh moves to that one. The last song was “something Riot”. I wish I had gotten the whole title to that song because it was my favorite of their set. It had an old school intro a la Exodus. A lot of their songs sound the same, or they have the same time signatures or something, but all in all, they’re a really strong band that can really do good in metal music; especially for women in 
metal. I would love it though if there were more bass and growl in the vocals instead of shrieking. They’ve got an album coming out on March 20th so that’s something to look out for from In This Moment.
Now for Bleed The Sky. Again with all the My Ruin connections to the bands I’ve been hearing. I’ve heard them open for them twice and vice-versa once. I think this time around I was more aesthetically pleased with them because I was there specifically to hear what they had to offer. Though I enjoyed them before, I wasn’t really going for them so my ears were open more. This is the no-mistaken, testosterone-driven metal to the max. There are fast drums, thundering bass lines, and really good guitar sounds out of them. The only things I didn’t particularly care for were the harmonies. Also, the fact that I don’t know what that names of most of the songs are is really irritating. I hate not knowing a song’s name. They kind of remind me of Black Dahlia Murder, but with deeper sounding vocals. Their third song reminded me of Pantera because it was slower, but definitely head-bang worthy. The fifth song, which is new, called “Bastian”, was also a slower song. If it had a bit more groove to it, it could be a Rob Zombie song. I really liked the classic metal pulls on the guitar coupled with the rumbling bass and double-kicks. Very well done that night boys! Look fo
r a new album from Bleed The Sky due some time in late spring or early summer.
It’s time for my favorite band of the evening, Himsa. I really enjoyed them so much. I don’t know how else to describe them, but fast, loud and flat-out metal! I’m going to keep this short and sweet, which I don’t really do often. My Favorite song was definitely “Dominion”. All I can really say is they have a small punk element, late 80’s/ early 90’s metal sound, the kicks were pedaling away, the bass was thumping in my chest, the vocals sounded dangerous and angry, and those dueling Deans! Himsa damnit. That’s all.
Last, but not definitely least of the bands tonight was Dream Evil. Let me just say that I didn’t think anyone really made metal like that anymore. Talk about a throwback to Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. Rob and Bruce better watch out because someone might be dethroning their operatic vocals in this generation. The first song, “Change the World” was classic metal to the heart. 
The second song, “Prime Evil” was a bit harder and darker, but the vocals still gave it the classic fare. The third song was filled with high energy; I just didn’t catch the title of it. The fourth song had a modern hardcore sound to it with the thundering bass and the double kicks. The guitar solos were just amazing. I thought the fret board was going to catch on fire. I know that might sound melodramatic, but great fingering none-the-less. The fifth song had a bit of southern metal influence, it sounded, but the band is from Sweden. It sounded like it was telling a story and had great harmonies that really worked with the music. My favorite song of the night would have to be “Prophecy” because it was fast and loud. That’s the way I like my metal. It was reminiscent of early 90’s speed metal with the operatic vocals. Other really note-worthy songs included “Maid of Metal”, “Heavy Metal in the Night” and “Chasing the Dragon”. Their last song of the night was the most requested from the audience called “Read All About It”. I can definitely see why they would love that song. Like most of their songs, it had the classic metal element, the vocals in tact with no of tone notes. It was perfect in its own right. It just wasn’t their most standout song of the night. Like I said, I left that honor to “Prophecy”.
I really enjoyed the evening. It was a perfect blend of modern hardcore heavy metal, early-mid 90’s speed metal and classic metal from the good ‘ol days. Thank you all at Dream Evil for keeping the classic stuff alive and kicking ass. Bravo. To Echoes of Eternity, I really want to hear more of you. In This Moment…not too shabby at all. And as for Bleed the Sky and Himsa, I loved you, I really loved you! I had a great night and I really hope to see all the bands again.
Visit the bands’ sites:
www.myspace.com/eoemetal
www.myspace.com/inthismoment
www.bleedthesky.com
www.himsa.org
www.dreamevil.se
