Kittie, Killswitch Engage, Hotwire & Oddman

As I made my way inside The Brick Works, I peered over the edge of the balcony to see a packed floor, which seems to be an unfortunate rarity for opening bands at shows here in Chico. Shortly after our arrival, Oddman took the stage to a warm reception from the hometown crowd. Frontman Scott Wallace pumped his fist, mic in hand, and drove the audience into a raging fit as he rumbled his deep, guttural vocals with unspeakable power. The band behind him stampeded through their set with an eruptive force of thick, crushing riffs and pounding rhythms. The amount of energy Oddman creates on stage is astounding, and to see them play before such a large, receptive audience magnified the impact tenfold.
Hailing from the suburbs of Los Angeles, Hotwire took the stage next. Wiry frontman, Rus Martin flailed around the stage, throwing himself into traditional rock postures and poses, his voice running the tried and true hard rock range of occasional whiny rapping, hushed bouts of singing and explosive over-emotive screaming. Martin also added appropriate grandstanding when he strapped on his Fender Telecaster, which he appeared to dance with more than play, and dedicated every song to someone or something. Perhaps it was just a bad night for Hotwire, but I thought they sounded a bit sloppy - guitarist Gabe Garcia and drummer Brian Borg seemed to be on two separate pages. Regardless, the band's charisma kept the anxious crowd in the palm of their hand.
Playing music that buff dudes with shaved heads fuck shit up to, Killswitch Engage confronted the crowd with a set of adrenaline-soaked hardcore metal. In addition to having a definite article in his name, frontman, the Howard Jones, commanded the stage with the authority of a drill sergeant, telling the people in the pit that he wanted to see blood on the floor. I got the feeling that if Jones and Oddman's Scott Wallace were in charge of things, this war on terrorism thing would be a done deal. The frenetic interplay of guitarists Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel filled out the high-energy of Killswitch's front line, and the drumming of Tom Gomes was precise and emphatic, featuring clean bell hits, stops and breaks.
Without much of a lapse in the action, The Brick went dark and Kittie took the stage amidst avid applause and a wash of eerie purple lights. The already enthusiastic crowd became ecstatic as the band began the black metal strains of their opening song - a mass of bodies climbing over one another and pushing toward the stage as flashing multi-colored lights illuminated the club created quite a sight from the balcony above. Morgan Lander's echoing voice ranged from panther-like growl to a fallen angel's croon, accenting intense renditions of "Mouthful of Poison" and especially "Charlotte." Fluid double-bass work by Mercedes Lander on drums and the low end thumping of bass player Jennifer Arroyo rounded out Kittie's full, potent sound.
As with all the bands who took the stage, the rabid crowd bestowed oodles of love upon Kittie, who ate it up with genuine appreciation. Good performances, big turnout and a charged house made this one hell of a show.
- James Barone
- Photos by Jeff Shaner

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