That they aren’t perhaps
says more about the way the music business is these days than anything else,
however it has seen Voodoo Six become almost the perfect support act. The band
have some fantastic songs, “Take Aim” and “Something For You” not least among
them and moreover they aren’t fazed in any way whoever the main band is, rather
they are just free enough of flash and ego to get their heads down and get on
with it – rather like a journeyman boxer they turn up anywhere and give their
all.
Which is just what they do
here. Even the temporary loss of main man Tony Newton (the bassist is in the US
doing his day job as Iron Maiden’s live sound man) can’t spoil the show. New
song “Stop” from last year’s EP is a stomping affair and front man Luke Purdie
is confident enough to split the crowd in two for a sing-a-long by the end. Job
done, as always.
Russell Allen and Mike
Portnoy. We may as well get it out of the way first. Yes the Symphony X man and
former Dream Theater legend are half of Adrenaline Mob, but no the Mob aren’t
Prog Metal. Instead AM are a very American sounding hard rock band. And boy has
this upset the critics.
The same critics who loved
the awful new Shinedown album and refuse to acknowledge Black Stone Cherry haven’t
been any good for years have had their knives out. As such The Mob’s “Omerta”
album has received a kicking in the magazines, reviewers making mention of the
fact that this is a rather brainless brand of music compared to their usual
work. This might be true to a point, but it rather neglects the point that if
they had called themselves Symphony Theater and trotted out some Prog then that
would have little point. “Omerta” is instead about fun, and for RTM’s money it
is a largely fabulous affair.
As might be expected the whole album is played during the course
of the main set. Things are initially hampered by Disturbed man John Moyer’s
bass (he is the third man to make this group the prefix “Super”) being way to
high in the mix during opener “Psychosane.” Happily this is fixed and the rest
of the hour or so is a tasty run through the rest of thne debut. Yes there are bits we could
do without - as a hater of the power
ballad RTM was never going to like a live version of “All On The Line” – but
really we defy anyone who likes hard rock to not enjoy “Hit The Wall” and set
closer “Undaunted.”
When they return Allen
(who produced the album with his friend, guitarist Mike Orlando) is anxious to tell
us that this is no mere side project, but a bona fide band. This hardly needs
pointing out, as anyone who had seen Orlando play his blistering solo at the
end of “Angel Sky” knows that he means it.
Actually, it was the largely unheralded Orlando, with his fine fretwork,
who perhaps emerged as the star of the show, which when you consider the
genuine stars he was onstage with is no mean feat.
The show closes with a
couple of Sabbath classics in the shape of “Mob Rules” and “War Pigs,” – the
most metal songs of the evening – before the played off, perhaps inevitably
given the Mob moniker, by The Godfather theme.
AD are always going to be up against it in the
eyes of many, who refuse to accept that musicians can play different styles.
The rest of us can just enjoy what was a fine gig from a fine band.
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