Rocket From The Crypt, The (International) Noise Conspiracy & The Explosion

I seriously thought about bailing on this show because of my allergies, but it came down to professionalism (which is what I'm all about) and as the show had to go on, so did I. It all started a little bit later than advertised due to a low turnout, but when the lights finally dimmed, Boston's The Explosion was unleashed. This five-piece East Coast powerhouse rocked The Brick Works with some straight-ahead East Coast hardcore. Simple, "boom-tap" beats with three and four chords, plus some high-energy vocals, made The Explosion a fun band to listen to. "No Revolution Anymore" stood out as easily the best song I heard all day. They blasted through a ten- or twelve-song set before handing the stage over to The (International) Noise Conspiracy.

This was the first time I had seen or even really heard The (International) Noise Conspiracy, but it most certainly won't be the last. They are from Sweden, automatically making them cool and they are true performers. This band takes society's bullshit and rams it right back down the status quo's throat with a distinctive hard rock style. Here's the skinny about reviewing this band: there isn't any particular sound that they have. They mix up their songs' tempos, rhythms and messages. They perform each song, instead of just playing it, and every song has a message about something that they want you to think about. You just have to see or hear this band to know what I'm saying. If you're interested in finding out more on The (International) Noise Conspiracy, we have a lot of shit archived on our Web site (www.synthesis.net).

Rocket From The Crypt rounded out this show as the headliners. Unfortunately, a lot of the crowd took off when the bands were changing sets, so they didn't get to see one of the tightest punk rock bands around. R.F.T.C. have been around for as long as I can remember, and sound nothing like I remember them sounding. They have a trumpet player and a saxophone player that I thought was pretty cool, but overall I guess I was tired of listening to experimental hard rock for the evening because their set didn't really keep me focused on them. I wasn't drunk (first time for everything) and their rock just didn't keep me rolling. I would go and see them in San Diego (their hometown) though, I bet the crowd is better down there for that kind of music. I got to meet Mario Rubalcaba, who is their drummer. I could give a shit about the drums, but he's an old pro from Alva skateboards back in the early '90s. I got him to sign a Poweredge magazine with him on the cover, thanks Mario! The night ended shortly after that and I went home. You should have gone to that show. I bet if more people came to the show, the whole place would've gone off. All the bands were good enough for that to happen.

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