RAGINPIT MAGAZINE

I have been a journalist for Raginpit Magazine for over a year now. On the night of August 4th, Raginpit sponsored their first show since I have been a part of the crew. As I arrived for this show at the Kennel Club early, it seemed it was going to be a somewhat somber night because not many people had yet arrived. After getting my I.D. checked at the front door by a big man in a “security” t-shirt, I scanned the room to see several familiar faces and a few people playing pool by the jukebox.

After about an hour of hanging out listening to classic rock music and throwing back a couple beers, I decided to move into the back area where there is another bar and the stage. The first time I ever walked into the Kennel Club I remember being surprised of how big it is and I thought it was cool that the entire bar is lit with black lights. The stage, which looks like it was originally set up for strippers because of the railing that surrounds the edge, has an impressive lighting set up as well. There is also a giant projector screen on the wall next to the stage that shows instant footage of the concerts and usually has live music videos, like Ozzfest for instance, showing before and after each band plays.

The first group to enter the stage was a brand new 4-peice band called The Abysmal. There was around 30 people at the show at this time. As the band began playing I had learned to my surprise that this was only their second performance, their first one being the night before. These young musicians had a lot of courage to get on stage before some of the heavy acts that followed. This band had a bit of an old school metal sound with a few guitar effects that made the music sound almost 3-dimensional. They played a short set, 5 songs. I was informed after the set that The Abysmal will be recording this month. They have a Myspace page. So keep your eyes peeled for more to come from this band.

Next on stage was a band called Omnidemic. I would describe them as a heavy, in your face, modern-hardcore band. Instantly with their first song titled, D.O.S., their intensity drew me into the show. I recognized the vocalist, Tyler, as he also does vocals for another local Sacramento band called Awaiting the Apocalypse. From the few times I have run into him, he seems to be enthusiastic about what he does musically. Omnidemic is a five piece band and each member displayed a great amount of energy on stage. The bassist especially was bouncing around with a lot of movement. The strobe lights were utilized and the volume was louder than it was for the previous band. These guys seemed to be comfortable displaying their passion in front of the approximately 60 people that were now watching the show. The audience was apparently getting more into the music by this time, as there were a few people playfully nudging each other in front of the stage. They ended their set doing a fairly accurate cover of the Pantera song, “Mouth for War”.

Third to play was The Venting Machine, on tour now from the bay area. I had heard a lot about this band as I was preparing to go to this show, so I had checked them out on the internet before I saw them live. The Venting Machine’s music instantly caught my ear. You could probably say their name describes their sound well. The crowd had slightly dwindled for this band and my assumption is that most local fans just haven’t heard of this band before. There were still quite a few people lazily standing in the pit area, with their eyes focused on the band. The singer, Josh, was like a giant to me from below the stage. Throughout most of the set it looked as if his eyes were closed and his head was slowly jerking back and forth to the rhythm of the band backing him. Their music is heavy and clear with a lot of unique grooves and melodies. Their fast fret board work is done by their only guitarist, Jeremy, who played many solos on his Dean V guitar. “Mr. Shaker” was a song that stood out to me because the guitar riffs were catchy, but the notes were uncommonly placed. Later they played a song titled “The Big Nothing” which has parts in the song that have an almost hypnotizing rhythm and tone. These guys seemed like they have been making music and playing shows for quite a while.

The final band on this night was a 5-piece band with three guitarists, called Drop Seven. I've caught their shows more times than I have seen most other bands. It was around midnight and it was obvious a lot of the people still in attendance were way past the point of being buzzed. I saw their front man, Angel, mention with a smile that he was having a good time. He also spoke of the previous bands and got the audience cheering for each of them. Their music has a crushing heavy tone due to their 3 guitarists, as well as a bass player. Their drummer, Mike, who is fairly new to the band, is amazingly fast and precise for as young as he is. Drop Seven’s songs always seem to flow together to me, with a nice even beat for one to nod their head throughout their entire set. Angel announced that their last song was a new one, and I concur I had never heard it before. This currently untitled song seeming slightly heavier than the rest, shows Drop Seven is sticking to their roots and “keeping it metal“. Before they left the stage, they gave the crowd one more song, ending the night with one titled “Vengeance”.

Those who didn’t make it to this show, missed out on seeing some great bands perform. The Kennel Club provided great sound for all of the bands, and always does a fine job at contributing to the Sacramento heavy metal community’s drinking habits. Although it was a somewhat mellow night, it can be good to see shows that aren’t saturated with hundreds of loud drunk people. But it was a decent turnout and I don’t think anyone went home disappointed.

For more information about the bands mentioned in this review, check out the links below:
http://www.myspace.com/theabysmalmusic
http://www.myspace.com/omnidemic
http://myspace.com/theventingmachineband
http://www.myspace.com/dropsevenmusic