Lost, Necrogazm, Diecast Villain, Daimonion, Rivethead, Plague of Ages, Urizen, Diesel, Driven Below- Friday, March 18 @ Tomcats Deep Ellum

The boys from Necrogazm rockin out!

    A very bad-ass lineup, the whole night long! My head (and neck) was hurting from headbanging before the first band, LOST, even got off of the stage! Featuring a hot, new chick drummer, they had a heavy, pounding beat, that was steady, but hard.
    Meanwhile, in the back, PLAGUE OF AGES was breaking the speed limit on stage! Heavy, driving, Slayer-style thrash metal, these guys just seemed to go as fast as humanly possible!
   DIECAST VILLAIN, a personal favorite of mine, can brag about their mosh pits- they are intense! And not just the guys- one of them made a comment, "Watch out, guys- any one of these girls can kick your ass!" And it was true- a violent fucking moshpit, that you couldn't help but be a part of- people were stumbling into you, or grabbing you and dragging you into the pit with them. It was awesome!
    In the back, URIZEN, a Fort Worth band that seems to have become a regular at Tomcats, is just plain metal. I did not get to see enough of their performance to tell you much more, but I do know they are bad-ass!
    DAIMONION (who put this show together) is the epitomy of goth-metal. Complete with black-garbed, seductive-looking back-up dancers that did slow, eerie movements, they are well-known for the drummer, Gerad (who also organizes Sluggfest), who is both blind and deaf, but can rock your socks off! And of course, we can't forget the vivacious (and talented) keyboardist, Robyn... the band would not be complete without her!
    DIESEL stuck out like a sore thumb in this extremely METAL show- they are a regular, straight-ahead, no-holds-barred, rock band. This was their world premeire, and they are expected to become a regular fixture at Tomcats. With a combination of charisma, talent, and energy, they were a real crowd-pleaser.
Though I did not get to see much of DRIVEN BELOW's set, I can tell you that they are fast, heavy, ear-splitting metal.   
    RIVETHEAD, from merry, old England, was very entertaining. I had never seen a British metal band before- it was quite a treat. They seemed to spend more time developing their sound and increasing their talent than most bands from this side of the pond, but they don't lose any of the aggresiveness that makes metal... well, metal.

-Grady Smith, Ftworthmusic.com Editor