Live Review  Nine Volt Invasion, Divergence, A Beautiful Demise, Voice, and Tragic Misfire @ Tomcats Deep Ellum- Friday, April 15

CRITIQUES:

NINE VOLT INVASION: Although they look like emo kids, they were a growl band playing what can barely be described as music. In the words of one of the other musicians, they were "talent-less." I think they have potential (they have great stage presence and a ton of energy), but I think they need to take their music back to the drawing board. Emo very well may work better for them. The problem is this- bands with this style of music are a dime a dozen. They growl and hammer away at their instruments, without any melody or real composition to their work. Slayer already did it- this type of music has been done to death, but bands are still doing it (and wonder why the music scene is in such dire straits).

DIVERGENCE: From Tyler, TX, they played very melodic, guitar-driven (but very harmonized) alternative. I enjoyed it immensely (as did the crowd)- my only complaint was the singer's voice. It seemed too high pitched at times. I think if he toned it down a little, and used both a deep voice and a high voice, the harmony of the band would be complete. All-in-all, it was a great show- like most alternative bands, they did not have a very big stage show, but the music was good, which is all that really matters. They rocked out, and you could tell they were feeling the music as much as the crowd- sometimes that's all you need to do. A few of their songs were "Lori," "Fallen Angel," "Sandman," and Windows."

A BEAUTIFUL DEMISE: Another growl band, but they actually played good music. REAL music. I was reminded mildly of our local boys, Hope Has Failed Us, in the aspect that they took a style everyone was doing and did it THEIR way, making it THEIR style, rather than just being another growl band. Though both guitars were good, the drums were obviously the center of the band- the drummer wailed away faster than lightning on his enormous kit. Quite a show.

VOICE: Seemed a little out-of-place. They reminded me of the old days of rock (Zeppelin and before), when the music wasn't excessively hard and heavy, but rather a very danceable, bluesy kind of music. Their was a major emphasis on guitar riffs- some of the best bands are led by a talented guitarist just showing off. I recognized a touch of Malmsteen, and some alternative influences.

TRAGIC MISFIRE: A lighter, softer "metal." To give you a clue, they started with a cover of Disturbed's "Break," and followed in that style of music. Don't get me wrong- Disturbed is one of my favorite bands- but that's because they do it right. These guys could be really good, but they didn't seem to have all of the energy and agression you find in any Disturbed album. You could hear it in the lyrics, and the music was good too- you just couldn't feel it. And with this type of music, feeling it is the most important aspect of your performance. Disturbed is like having an emotional breakdown every time they play- you get caught up in the music, and find ways to relate to it, until it has you hooked. However, if you do not do it with enough energy, you just come off depressing and lame.

-Grady Smith, Ftworthmusic.com Editor