Destroyer Of Light, Redwitch Johnny and more at Blue Note Lounge (2018)

Blue Note Lounge (Oklahoma City, OK, USA)

Destroyer Of Light, Redwitch Johnny, Turbo Wizard

TURBO WIZARD Local Metal ensemble TURBO WIZARD opened this night's festivities, with a brief yet […]

By Dave Nowels

• September 2, 2018

TURBO WIZARD
Local Metal ensemble TURBO WIZARD opened this night's festivities, with a brief yet entertaining set.

Playing material from their self titled independent release, the four piece band showed a lot of promise. Relying on a foundation of good stoner riffs, as well as some tasty fretboard work, "Shitty Wizard" and "Battle Dragons" were both highlights.
This was my first time catching them, but I will be happy to see them again.

REDWITCH JOHNNY

For all intents and purposes, REDWITCH JOHNNY is a local band, but they actually hail from nearby Stillwell, Oklahoma. These guys were the second band of the night and a really nice discovery for me. A three piece, the band is composed of Kevin Kimble on guitar and vocals, Michael Kimble on guitar, keys and vocals and David Hale on drums. Described many ways, I found the description of Psychedelic Garage Rock to be the most accurate for me. The band are apparently working on a new release, and if the songs put on display this night are any indication, this upcoming album could be something special.

They opened up with "Cosmic Rain" and "Devil Rides Out", and featured a half dozen other songs that were intriguing and really impressive. "Wasteland Warriors", "Burn It Down" as well as "Garden Of Eden" all really stood out to me. There's a maturity and stage presence here, that puts these songs and these guys on another level above the average bar band. I'm really looking forward to catching them again, and luckily it seems that I will. They'll be supporting GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST'S OKC stop next month.

DESTROYER OF LIGHT
There is nothing fake or assuming about DESTROYER OF LIGHT. What you hear on their albums is what you get live. It's a full force, balls to the wall, sonic assault. What you find on their Instagram or Facebook page is them. No false pretense, no rock & roll egos. Whether it's hanging at the bar for a beer with fans before the show, slinging merch, or talking equipment and music post show. They're real, they're down to earth and they're simply nice guys. They really seem to enjoy what they do, and it really comes across in everything. Hailing from Austin, TX the band formed in 2012 and have released three excellent albums and most recently an incredible EP.

Destroyer Of Light brought their blitzkrieg tour through OKC's Blue Note Lounge on a Sunday night of the Memorial Day weekend. And when I say blitzkrieg, I'm being 100% serious. These guys are playing some 34 dates with only a couple days off. Rock & Roll!! Taking the stage at 10pm, the cue that things were about to get serious seemed to be guitarist Steve Colca's cap being removed and place upon the Orange stack behind his stage position. Just like that, the bombardment began. Colca is everything Metal frontman should be and more. Wailing away on his Flying V, hitting the lip of the stage to encourage the crowd and simply enjoying himself immensely. Playing tracks from each of their three albums, this band was on fire. The two songs from their fantastic EP "Hopeless" were played in its entirety and back to back. For me that was my highlight, as I was fortunate to have written the review for this release. But with that said, songs from "Chamber of Horrors" were just as engaging, and perfectly represented in the power house set. In fact, I was so impressed with some of these, I had to make sure and buy a copy from the boys after the show.

Colca handled the majority of the vocals, with guitarist Keegan Kjeldsen taking the vocals on the last song of the night. Holding down the steady low end, bassist Nick Coffman anchored the stage just center of Kjeldsen's stage right. Solidifying the rhythm section was the inimitable Penny Turner on drums. Bathed in an eerie green light glow, Turner looked the part of evil wizard mastermind behind the kit.

It was quite the memorable evening in Oklahoma City, and I can't recommend catching DESTROYER OF LIGHT enough. If they are in your town anytime soon, do everything you can to make the show. You won't regret it.

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