So here it is, the morning (or in this case, evening) after. Time once again to put pen to paper. Yes, even in this technological day and age, I still write my reviews out by hand first. They'll be collectors items some day, I'm sure of it.


I realized from the get-go that this would be a difficult review to write, simply for the fact that the bands I'd been anticipating seeing, Brand New Sin and Biohazard, were no longer on the bill, having been replaced with Sworn Enemy and E-Town Concrete. But when you do this for a living, you can't always pick and choose. Braving the absolutely frigid weather, refusing the $10 parking, and suffering through a thorough frisking at the door, we made it inside minutes before the show started. We ran into a familiar face from home, J-Man of the Fox (96.9 FM), who kept my cohort Megyn busy while I went up front to check out the first band.

E-Town Concrete. I'd come across the name before, but was as-yet unfamiliar with this four-piece from New Jersey. They were unfamiliar with the area as well, letting us know that this was their first time playing in Milwaukee. Certainly not their last, as they'll be returning in February to play the Rave again, with 40 Below Summer, and Unloco. With their hats turned to the side, appparently to show that they're 'homeboys,' they performed to the hundred or so patrons at the club. Supporting their upcoming album The Renaissance, due out April 15th, they did have a bit of a rap-core element to their music.

Recent tours paid off in songs such as "Battle Lines," which in the album features Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed) and Cristian Machado (Ill Nino). Unfortunately, those two weren't here for the show. The song states "If you're not with us, you're against us," which seems to be a prevalent theme to hardcore music. One thing I can say about this band - they put their all into their performance. In retrospect, they were probably the most enjoyable band of the evening. That effort seemed somewhat lost on the crowd, which opted against basketball jersies in favor of black, gothic, and shiny vinyl clothing.

I espied Ken from 18v sidestage during E.TC, and when I went to their merch stand after their set to pick up a demo, there he sat. After talking to him for a few minutes, I prepared for the next band, Sworn Enemy. If you take the gymnastics of Ill Nino (kicking and synchronized jumping), the rage of Hatebreed, and raise it an octave...you have Sworn Enemy. Heavy on bass and drums, they definitely have a speed metal sound, headbanger style. Their new album, As Real As It Gets, comes out March 25th, and they won over fans by flinging out demos from the stage. I hope they had liability insurance! The most entertaining thing about this band, to me at least, was watching bassist Mike Couls do his roundhouses. Each time he did, his actions were reciprocated by pinwheelers in the pit. Other than that, most notable was the fact that Jennifer Arroyo of Kittie stood sidestage jamming out to these guys. Unfortunately, I wasn't as impressed.

The most amusing event of the evening came at this midpoint, when some metal-mouthed kid (braces, not piercings) decided to come up to Megyn and I and try out some lame-ass pick up line. After we got done laughing at him, we gave him some friendly advice (which included the offer of a boot up his ass) and sent him on his way. I'm afraid we may have scared him away from hitting on women for a long while. You all can thank us later.

When Eighteen Visions came on, I was struck by a few things. First off, Ken was on guitar rather than drums because their drummer is currently busy with his other band (Throwdown). Secondly, vocalist James came out, posturing and posing, and spitting out plumes of water. This could only have been cool had it a) been really hot out, or b) been fire. It was neither, and it was lame. Lastly, and most importantly, they had lights set low on the stage that shone into the crowd. The lights were so bright that it made my eyes water. Maybe I was prejudiced because I wasn't into the music, but the lights thing just seemed exceedingly inconsiderate to their fans. They might want to reconsider that.

18v have now earned the 'triple crown' at Score! - album review, live review, and interview - which is pretty cool. Their music, well, it wasn't my bag. There was something about the vocals. But the crowd seemed pretty into it. Especially so when James started unbuttoning his shirt while waiting for Ken to tune his guitar, which illicited some wild screams from the female fans. Perhaps I wasn't paying close enough attention, but it appeared to me that their songs were so long, they only had time to play three of them. That can hardly seem right. The only two I caught were "I Don't Mind," which lead off the show, and "Vanity" the title track to thier latest album. Between poses, James jumped down between the stage and barricade to interact more closely with the crowd, which I'm sure they appreciated. Megyn, however, was offering to "give these bands (all of them) all my money so they can buy some talent!"

From what I understood, there was an 11:30pm noise ordinance, which did not leave Kittie as much time to perform, at this point, than they probably anticipated. In the 'pit' in front of the stage, sleeves pushed up in anticipation of some chaos, the intro music took me by surprise. I found myself shaking my rump to Adina Howard's "Freak Like Me."

This particular show was much different than the last time I saw them, NYE '01. In that instance, the crowd was much bigger, but not very enthusiastic. On this particular eve, however, they were there to rock out to Kittie. Founding members Mercedes and Morgan Lander are staples of the band, which has seen some changes over the years. They're still touring with Jeff Phillips on guitar, and have added Jennifer Arroyo (formerly of Spine) on bass. Unfortunately, though Phillips has been with the band over a year now, he still gets about as much props as Bon Jovi's Hugh McDonald (read: none). He appears to be having a good time, though, as does Arroyo. Black and red dreads swinging, hips swaying, she made sure she was noticed on that stage. Mercedes perched on her throne, which was adorned with giant Kittie police badges, and Morgan's brand of cacophany drowned the ballroom. While mostly distracted during their set by taking pictures (kind-of defeats the purpose, eh?) I did find myself attempting to sing along to "What I Always Wanted." Playing singles from their previous albums, Kittie also have a new EP out on Artemis Records, called Safe.

By the time their set came to a close, however, it was "safe" to say that Megyn and I had had enough noise and smoke to last us a while. I can't say either of us left that venue calling ourselves fans. We donned our coats, waved goodbye to the cute merch guy, and got our frozen selves out of there. If any of these bands light a match under your ass, use it as an excuse to defrost by going to see a metal show. It's winter, what the hell else is there to do??

For more Kittie photos, go here.

www.kittie.net
www.eighteenvisions.com
www.swornenemynyc.com
www.etownconcrete.net
www.therave.com

Photos by Jaimie