NOTE:
When I review a show, a CD, or anything else for that matter, the opinion I express is my own.  I do not intend to hurt anyone's feelings, step on anyone's toes, or upset anyone, these are just my thoughts and opinions and are meant to be as such.  I always try to stick to the facts and interject my opinions where relevant. With that said, let's talk about the Hollo / Rest Among Ruins show that took place on Friday, April 13th, 2007.

Rest Among Ruins / Höllõ
Friday the 13th, 2007
House Of Rock
White Marsh, MD

The House of Rock in White Marsh is possibly the cleanest rock club I've ever been to. Clean clubs are rare — and it's even rarer to find rock clubs with clean bathrooms, but the House of Rock is definitely a class act. The first thing that you notice when walking into the club is the abundance of black lights, and the resulting abundance of glowing patrons.  A mural/tribute painting of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" tops the concert stage. The club has a great sound system for live music. And, an added amenity is that there is plenty of free parking, and it's in a safe area in Baltimore County.

I braved the night on Friday the 13th for a showcase that featured local bands Höllõ and Rest Among Ruins. Both bands are hard rock acts that pack a lot of punch, share the same manager, and have interesting singers with distinct voices.

The Rest Among Ruins set was about an hour long and included an interesting — and damn cool — hard rock cover of "Dust in the Wind." The lead singer, Mike, does both aggro vocals and clean vocals. The band's bass player, Jason, wears flip flops onstage...the only other rock star that I know who did that was Scott Reeder from Kyuss. (FYI., Scott Reeder was also in the Metallica "Some Kind of Monster" Movie and he auditioned for the bass player position in Metallica)  One of the guitarists, Jeff, had a wireless guitar and that guy was all over the club, onstage and offstage during their set, jammin' away, head-banging, jumping around, and pouring out every last drop of energy he had to the small but attentive crowd. The rhythm guitarist/back vocalist, Sean, did a great job of keeping everything together, anchoring the band's sound with steady rhythms and driving force.

Höllõ was next on the bill. When I was introduced to the bands lead singer, he said out of nowhere, "It's NOT reggae, it's poetry!" I was baffled by this comment, until he reminded me that it was a statement that I had made before about the band's demo. That's when it occurred to me that people listen to what I say…and I insulted him! What I had said was that the band's demo reminds me of Korn at times, and I just got a reggae feel…I can't explain why.

When you see the band live, they play balls out hard rock/metal and it is difficult to compare the band to ANY rock band right now. The vocals range from screaming to actual, good singing. The music is tuned down, heavy, chunky stuff, but the vibe, from a vocal and lyrical standpoint, is really unique and fresh and unlike anything out there right now. Russ had a HUGE drum kit that really gives the band a chunk of power, and guitarists Fish and Mike keep the riffing tight. The band's bass player Ethan is the clear party animal of the band and that guy goes off live!  Höllõ played an hour-long set of all originals. If you get the chance to see these guys live, definitely do it. Höllõ will not disappoint.

A special thanks to the manager of both bands, Mr. Jeremiah Oresky for helping me out with this piece...it's really interesting to watch Jeremiah do his job, because he knows everyone in the area and takes care of his business, whether it's collecting money, booking shows, or taking care of his bands...he lives for the music!
 
For more info on either band, check out their websites at:
www.myspace.com/hollo1
www.myspace.com/restamongruins