LIVE IN CONCERT!

COAL CHAMBER

And

LIFE OF AGONY

Reviewed By Trey Parks House Of Blues New Orleans, LA 4/2/98

April 2, 1998 was a great night at House of Blues for fans of heavy metal and just plain kick-ass rock and roll. That night, HOB welcomed headliners "Megadeth," along with two other strong acts, "Life of Agony" and "Coal Chamber." Both opening acts faced an interesting challenge: trying to win over "Megadeth" fans in the short time allotted, while featuring totally different styles of music. "Life of Agony's" challenge was compounded somewhat because lead singer Keith Caputo quit the band a month before the "Megadeth" tour was slated to begin. They managed to find a seeminly perfect replacement though - Whitfield Crane, former lead singer of "Ugly Kid Joe."

"Life of Agony" may be the best band that you've never heard of, and they proved that in their short time on stage. Their sweat-drenched bodies were a testament to the fact that they would have poured their hearts completely into a one song set or a hundred song set. The band is composed of Whitfield Crane (vocalist), Joey Z (guitarist), Alan Roberts (bassist), Dan Richardson (drums), and they played like a band that had spent years touring together. Whitfield Crane's soaring vocals make every song something special, and he has an energy and a love of showmanship that can get even the most sedated crowd up and moving. He spent every moment of the set attempting to whip the crowd into a frenzy, and fellow band members fed off this energy. Highlights of the set included two tracks off their latest album ("Soul Searching Sun") "Weeds" and "Tangerine," along with a cover of the "Black Sabbath" classic "Symptom of the Universe." Though the new album is surprisingly accessible, inviting comparisons to "Stone Temple Pilots" among others on certain songs, their take on "Symptoms of the Universe" proved that they can rock with the heaviest bands out there. This was a clear crowd favorite and guitarit Joey Z and bassist Alan Roberts traded sonic fireworks during the song. "Tangerine" is slated to be the second single released from the album, and their live treatment improved upon the album version. Though the singing is melodic on the song, there is a heaviness in the sound of the song that shines through more in the live rendition. One line from the song, repeated several times throughout, defined the next day for many of the audience members: "Still hung over from the night before." Whitfield Crane emphasized this line when he sang it, and the audience roared in approval. (This reviewer abstained for the evening, however, due to both a lack of funds and a lack of unattached females looking to buy me drinks.) They closed the show with "Weeds," a very hard rocker, and a song that has been receiving enough radio airplay to possibly take LOA to the next level of success. The band cranked it up a notch with their set drawing to a close. Joey Z and Alan Roberts were all over the stage, sending out licks that could be heard down the street. Whitfield Crane was bouncing up and down onstage, exhorting fans to follow his lead. Dan Richardson was almost to the point of leaping over his drumset in his frenzied pace. In short, they were a perfect warm-up band, and really seem to do their best work in a live environment. "Coal Chamber," they of the short names, played next. "Coal Chamber" features Dez (rhymes with Pez or Fez, take your pick) as vocalist, Bug on drums, Meegs on guitar, and Ranya on bass. They come from the same L.A. rock scene that spawned "Korn" and the "Deftones," and this has invited possibly unfair comparison to both bands. Their music contains elements of goth, hip hop, punk, and grinding heavy metal, and among other things this provides for an interesting live sound.

Their live set features songs from their debut album, "Coal Chamber," and they opened the show with a searing version of audience favorite "Sway." This led into "Bradley" and "Big Truck" before even the first pause. "Coal Chamber's" music is custom-made for the body-surfing crowd, and quite a few audience members took advantage of this opportunity. Lead singer Dez can best be described as manic, and his frantic bounding and leaping on stage almost dared the audience to keep up. He incorporated stage dives into a couple of the numbers, singing large chunks of the song while riding atop the audience. He had the added luxury of being backed by the double punch of Meegs' screeching guitar and Ranya's scorching bass. On guitar, Meegs moved like an automaton. He rarely if ever made eye contact wtih the audience, and seemed focused not on his guitar, but on some point just beyond it. However, you come to concerts to hear guitar players, not see them pull bizarre stunts, and on that note he didn't disappoint. Ranya also was rather marionette-like in her movements. Apart from occasional loops towards the drummer and back, she made little more than jerky (albeit choreographed) movements. However, like Meegs, she chose to let her playing ability work her magic. She is a very competent bassist, and her driving bass lines on the album serve to really enhance songs such as "Big Truck." In concert, they serve to shake tiles loose from the ceiling. On drums, Bug was competent and rather enthusiastic. Though his drumset prevented him somewhat from matching Dez's acrobatics, there was no lack of trying on his part. Fans of the band were treated to most of the songs from the album. They were also treated to a new song, "Not Living," which is probably the closest "Coal Chamber" will ever come to a ballad. Imagine (insert your favorite quirky love song here) thrown into a blender. Audience members enjoyed this song, and they enjoyed Dez's antics in this song, which included one of his stage dives> It also included him taking a beer from an audience member, taking a gulp, and then giving those of us near the stage a nice alcohol shower. The band closed with "Loco," and the crowd went loco to match. The band extended the song somewhat from the album version, and Dez took advantage of it to do yet another stage dive. Meegs also did a stage dive at the end of the song, after having Jimmy Paged his guitar first on the amp, then on the microphone. It's very unusual to see three bands of this caliber ("Megadeth" included) on the same night, so if you have a chance to check this show out, do so. All three bands will also be appearing at "Ozz Fest" (the hottest tour going this Summer, bar none...) so buy, acquire, obtain, steal, etc. your tickets now!! Hopefully I will see some of you at the Atlanta "Ozz Fest date." Hopefully my hearing will have returned by then, and hopefully I'll be a bit closer to Ranya this time. (Okay. I admit it. I'd die in her arms.) END

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