A nice, late spring Friday night in Frederick spent listening to some fine live Metal. Could it have gotten any better? I got to chat with the guys from
HATCHET,
HEJIRA,
THREAT SIGNAL, and
BLACK TIDE.
The Café 611 is a cozy little club. It doesn't hold a very large crowd, but that can be a good thing as far crowd intimacy goes. In clubs like this the bands can hang out right in the crowd and enjoy the show with the fans.
HEJIRA was the local opening act. They plowed the show into a Metal frenzy featuring a guest drummer, because their drummer had other obligations, but they just did a fantastic job. Cameron, the lead vocalist informed me that they have a brand new album that they are ready release. You can check it out for free at their bandcamp page. The guys had some great energy. All of them are really cool guys, very down to earth. Their brand of Melodic Metal will definitely have you head banging at the perfect times. They had some rather nice breakdowns. They also dedicated the show to a friend of theirs who had just turned 21. Happy Birthday dude!!!
HATCHET took the stage in the 2nd spot in the line-up. I got to interview Julz, Vocalist and Lead Guitar player. I got the chance a little later to chat with the rest of the guys, of course, and they're some awesome fellows as well. They really got everybody hyped up, with their Thrash Metal ways. Thrash Metal is great for getting the blood flowing. All of them are great musicians. I'm really starting to like thrash metal, and they help the cause! I have to add, as well, that the bass player has one seriously awesome bass. Lots of energy radiated from them during their performance, and they interacted wonderfully with the crowd.
3rd in the line-up was THREAT SIGNAL. These Canadian Metallers knew what they were doing. They were spot on, smooth the whole performance and they had wonderful energy. They're crowd interaction was equally impressive. I had the chance to chat with these guys a little bit as well. Yes, I can say that the guys were awesome. They had no problem mingling with the crowd after their set. I had never heard of any of the bands prior to the show, but these guys are a perfect example of the genres they have mastered.
BLACK TIDE took the final slot for the night, and they just threw down. They had amazing energy, and just put on one hell of a performance. By this point pretty much everybody had left the bar area and made their way to the front. These guys were tight. They had their shit together. As a drummer, I can and will say that
CODY is phukin on fire! The whole crowd really got into their set, and it was easy to see why. It was a great show right from the start, and
BLACK TIDE, were definitely the perfect act to finish the night. I know you've waiting for this next sentence, but yes I got to chat with the boys, and they (just like the rest) are just awesome people.
When I talk to bands and explain who I am, and (if they don't know about Metal Temple) explain what we are, they always say "thank you" to me. Well I say thank you guys for the music. Music is one of the greatest things in existence. Taking the time to talk to me, and other fans, is thanks enough. Being a musician is hard work. It takes a lot to do what they do.
So even though the crowd was on the small side, because of limited space, the night was a wonderful night of great music, and awesome people. That intimate experience, in my opinion, equals things out. I would see all four bands again.
*A special Thanks to Michele Hopkins, for the photography!
