Chimaira, Oddman, 36 Crazyfists & Five Pointe O

What better way to mete out your Monday anger than a metal show at The Brick Works?
Five Pointe O, a six-piece band from Chicago, set the tone for the evening. I thought they had an interesting sound, meshing old-school metal moodiness with new school thrash and hardcore. Casey Mejia on keyboards added a subtle industrial / gothic layer behind the heavy guitar riffing of Eric Wood and Sharon Grzelinski giving songs like “Freedom” a haunting, melodic feel. Rhythms pounded out by Sean Pavey (bass) and Tony Starcevich (drums) were intense, especially on songs “Double X Minus,” featuring a thundering break and their closer, “Untitled,” highlighted by a relentless double bass attack. Daniel Struble played the capable frontman, rapping, singing and screaming his way through the set and overcoming some early sound problems.
The second band, 36 Crazyfists came all the way from Anchorage, Alaska. They brought with them a primal, emotional sound and a maniacal energy. Guitarist Steve Holt commanded a big sound, most notable on “Slit Wrist Theory,” that compensated for the lack of a second guitar player, and drummer Thomas Noonan and bassist Mick Whitney tore out viscous rhythms. Lead vocalist Brock Lindow dominated the stage, stalking back and forth and pushing out an often melodic, impassioned growl. All these elements came together in “Turns To Ashes,” which blew the fucking doors off the place.
Oddman followed with a riotous fervor. There’s a powerful low end to their sound that can punch a hole right through you thanks in part to bass player, Adam Daley, and Cayle Hunter on drums. Scott Wallace’s guttural, rumbling vocals reached an almost frightening ferocity in “Paid the Price” and “Mike Hogan,” but “It All Starts Here” actually shook the building. I’ve never been in one of your Californian earthquakes before, but it must feel something like that. Oddman puts on a sick live show, and the best part about them is they’re from Chico, so go check them out.
Rounding out the bill was Chimaira, who combined ear-shattering metal with spiffy technology. A large metallic suitcase manned by Chris Spicuzza pumped out super low bass and lightning fast drumbeats in hypnotic loops at extreme decibel levels. Honestly, by the fourth song I began having an adverse physical reaction to the music. Maybe it was that contraption or too much of a good thing, but Chimaira didn’t have what I look for in a headliner. They didn’t provide anything different from the first three acts, who I thought had much better sets.
The four bands (a fifth, Diecast, was forced to cancel) who stormed the stage at The Brick Works this past Monday night are a different breed of animal compared to the flamboyantly epic heavy metal that I grew up on. Good thing too. I wasn’t in the mood to see guys in tight leather pants.

– James Barone
– Photo By Alyssa Starkey

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