Battle Of The Bands Review!!!!

DISCLAIMER: The pictures I took at the concert suck. My awesome new camera's batteries were completely drained, so I couldn't bring it to the battle. I had to retrieve my horrible old camera for the show. So yes, there are plenty of pictures, but the camera doesn't work well in dark lighting, and it really shows (especially for Operation: Killdozer.) So yeah, this camera is awful, but I promise to god that at the next show I attend (possibly the Stillbroke concert on April 1st), I WILL HAVE MY GOOD CAMERA!

Now that I have that out of the way, let's get to the review of the Battle of the Bands! It started off with the rock opera, "Nothing To Do In Sault Ste. Marie", and it was different! Not horrible, but it suffered from mic issues. The actors had singing talent, and they did a good job with the material. Not Broadway grade stuff, but it worked out well enough, and it had some funny moments too!

After that, the Battle kicked off with Train Junky, who had kind of an indie rock sound, I detected some southern influence too. Good for their genre, but not really my kind of music. Following them were The Glass Statues, and I must admit, I was suprised! Though not metal, they had a good classic rock sound, playing songs by bands like The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Cream! The singer did a great job, he had a unique look (He was shirtless and had a huge afro), a good voice, and had a great onstage presence, doing backflips and the splits and all sorts of stuff!

But after them was the first metal band of the evening, as Dirty Virgin took the stage, playing three songs! They sounded really good, probably the best I've heard from them yet! The band were tight, they seemed to enjoy performing at the show, and their originals sounded awesome! I can't wait to see them the next time they play a full set, if it's anything like this show, it will definitely be one to remember!

Next up was Waterslide! (The Outside Lights dropped out.) I gotta say, these guys definitely were...different! The band members wore blinking red lights, the drummer wasn't directly facing the crowd, there was no singing, and the music was just non stop indie rock. I wasn't feeling it, but for that genre of music, they did a good job!

The battle ended with a trifecta of metal mayhem, starting with the live debut of Operation: Killdozer! They performed two originals, followed by a cover of Dethklok's "Duncan Hills Coffee Jingle"! They were very impressive, I haven't heard too many local bands with the sheer metal ferocity that these guys displayed! The band meshed well, they had lots of enthusiasm, and the first real pits started popping up around here too! I see big things for Operation: Killdozer in the near future!

The next band to take the stage were Sue Inside, and they also did good! Just like the last time I saw them, they only had two members, but really, they don't need any more, their sound works well enough to not need anyone else! Their performance was unquestionably metal, but it wasn't your typical "verse chorus verse" metal, it was unique and engaging! They might have gotten more points from the judges with a full band, but I enjoyed them still! Now, let's see if their next concert will be sooner to happen than this one!

Ending the battle were The Undead Warri....no, I'm sorry, The Undead Brown Pelican Warriors!!! Their normal frontman had to take the drums for this show, but even with the temporary lineup shift, they still tore it up out there! The crowd got really involved too, and the band displayed some really awesome originals for the world to see! The music was great, and the vocals, despite not being performed by their usual lead singer, still held up well!

Finally, the awards were handed out! There was a change to the awards, instead of three categories, they just gave out prizes to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place bands. Here's the order of the winners!

1. The Undead Warriors
2. Dirty Virgin
3. The Glass Statues
4. Operation: Killdozer

Congratulations to The Undead Warriors on winning the Battle of the Bands! Among their prizes, they get 8 hours of recording time at Stereo Soul Studios! I'm happy the metal bands got most of the awards, and The Glass Statues were my favorite of the other bands, so I can't complain too much about the results!

Overall, it was a good night of music! I would have corrected some of the lighting and sound issues, the chairs dotting the floor took away from the "concert" atmosphere, and the lack of alcohol likely affected the turnout, but those are minor complaints! Here's hoping this battle is a springboard for all the bands involved to get even more recognition in the local scene! I again apologize for the bad camera I had to use, but if you want to see more pictures I took at the show, head on over to The Sault Metal Scene's official Photobucket account to see more! And if any more pics, reviews, or videos appear online, I'll let you guys know!

Also, if you went to see Jager this weekend in Sault Michigan, let us know! That's all for tonight, more metal news will be on the horizon shortly, cause I got some big stuff to talk about!