CEREBRAL BORE, DEMILITIA, DEMIZED, OMINOUS, LEGIONARY, OPEN DENILE

Open Denile, death metal band failing from the Bronx, went on first, and man, they were a hell of an opener. It was very easy to tell that all the band members were really enjoying themselves. Stephen Kain, lead vocalist and keyboardist, even joined the audience in a circlepit on a few occasions. The band's tremendous energy more than made up for a few forgivable but nonetheless glaring flaws. For one, background (clean) vocalist and lead guitarist Craig Storer can not carry a tune. I cringed a little every time he sang, to be honest. I've seen Open Denile a couple of times and he sounds better each time I hear him, but I look forward to the day he finally gains control over his pipes. At times, the keys could be a little too loud as well. Overall though, I have a hard time giving Open Denile a poor review, as their set was one of the more fun ones of the night.

Death/thrash metallers Legionary were up next, and there is very little that can be said about them. Tim Rocheny's vocals were decent, though uninspired and a little same-y, and the band did a good job of keeping up the energy levels. Lead guitarist Tony Barhoum had some nice interaction with the crowd and the rest of the band, but it wasn't enough to keep the show from being just okay. I found myself thinking about the next band about 3/4 of the way through their set.

Next was Ominous, another middling New Jersey band. The levels of energy on stage were slowly declining, to the point that it seemed like the promoters knew everyone needed a bathroom/beer break, and I could see the crowd getting a little restless. Unfortunately, Demized, the next band, did nothing to bring them back up. Lead singer Mel “B.D.C.” O'Reilly wore his voice completely out about halfway through the first song, and frankly the rest of the set was almost embarrassing. When you attend a local metal show, you generally don't expect the world but you don't expect utter crap either. Demized's musicians are competent, but they were completely overshadowed by O'Reilly's awful vocals.

Thankfully, Demilitia came to save the night! I had never seen them live before, and they certainly did not disappoint. Granted, they didn't exactly have a tough act to follow, but they really rocked the house. Bassist Jennifer “JennCity” Arroyo was born for the stage, and she got the crowd more excited than I'd seen it all night. Many circlepits ensued, hair went flying, and we all caught our collective second wind as Demilitia played their electrifying tunes.

Last but not least was headlining Scottish/Dutch grindcore band Cerebral Bore. While grindcore isn't necessarily my genre of choice, Cerebral Bore kept the mood sufficiently brutal. Som Pluijmers's growl was intense and heavy, which kept the crowd's attention even though the show itself wasn't all that flashy. Cerebral Bore managed to play a captivating set without resorting to gimmicks (Pluijmers, despite being the frontwoman of a metal band, is far from the all too common half-naked goth stereotype).

All in all, through the ups and downs (Demized, yikes), the show was a great time. As is usually the case with local shows, the very first and very last bands were the most enjoyable acts of the night, even though most of the other bands were not without their charm.

Check out all the bands that performed at their respective websites:
Cerebral Bore – http://www.reverbnation.com/demilitia
Demized – http://www.reverbnation.com/demized
Ominous – http://www.myspace.com/ominous
Legionary Band – http://www.facebook.com/legionaryband
Open Denile – http://myspace.com/opendenile