Regina’s own The League of One played at The Gaslight Saloon two weekends ago. It’s been a while since I’ve seen these guys in action so I was excited to see Will Maeder and company dish out their pulverizing, high impact metal.
Another local band, Lest We Fail, opened for The League. Now I’ll be the first to admit that I am not an expert in the metal genre. I love loud, crunching guitars but I still like to hear some melody. Lest We Fail classify themselves as hardcore/thrash/metal, and they certainly sound hardcore. Easy listening music it ain’t! The musicianship displayed by the band members is phenomenal, with complex time structures, blazing riffs and thunderous drumming.
My only complaint comes with the vocals. Again, this comes from an outsider to the metal scene, but I just don’t understand the whole screaming/growling style that seems to be so rampant in metal nowadays. I can appreciate the vocal power it takes to sustain that vocal style, but for me it just sounds like a cross between Cookie Monster horking up a pork chop and Linda Blair from The Exorcist. I don’t expect to hear every lyric at a live show, but for all I know the band’s lyrics could be a diatribe about the genocide in Rwanda or else an ode to a butterfly. I just don’t get it. But I’ll plead ignorance to this subgenre of metal, so you can take my review for what it’s worth.
The League of One, on the other hand, are a metal band in the classic tradition of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. Will Maeder, the singer and guitarist, absolutely shreds on the guitar and has searing vocals. It’s hard to believe that so much raw power can come from a three piece band. These guys are a force to be reckoned with.
Make sure to check out The League of One, along with JJ Voss, Melissa Mannett and Casey Stone Wednesday, August 26 at the Riddell Centre.
http://www.myspace.com/lestwefailmusic
http://www.myspace.com/theleagueofone
... submitted by JJ
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