One of the last shows I attended this year was at Main Drag Music in Brooklyn on Dec. 14. Located in a music store in Williamsburg, you walk through the sales floor, past an assortment of guitars and amps, to an iron staircase that leads to the venue below—a fitting entrance for a night of underground metal.
Opening the night was NYC locals Suaka. Led by Rully "Roots" Rochmat on guitar and vocals and joined by longtime drummer Dee Riyanto and bassist Dave Kramer (who also plays for Blood Feast), the trio has about two decades under their belt, playing their style of groove metal with heavy thrash undertones. Elements of later-era Sepultura are present, but with cleaner singing and vocal melodies. The power trio brought up a friend at one point to sing a couple of Paul Di’Anno-era Iron Maiden songs, and the crowd loved it. An excellent opening for this Saturday banger.
Next up was Philadelphia's BREAKKER. I have to admit, this was one of the main reasons for my attendance. After seeing them perform several months ago in Queens for the first time, I knew they would deliver, and deliver they did. BREAKKER is a four-piece band with an old-school hard rock/heavy metal style that is growing in popularity thanks to the NWOTHM movement, of which I am a fan. The band mostly performed songs from their self-titled EP, released this summer, but announced they would soon take a brief hiatus to record a full-length album for the coming year. I was thrilled to hear them play "Fever" live, one of my favorites and a live staple of theirs. I highly recommend starting with this track. Judas Priest also has a song called "Fever," but I assure you, BREAKKER's is just as good! With the tight rhythm section of Stevie Lang on bass and Ben Brower on drums, the circuit-breaking riffs of Teagan Edsell on guitar, and the heavy metal Pat Benatar-meets-Dio-ish vocal prowess of lead vocalist Clare Mairead, Philly’s BREAKKER is sure to become a heavyweight of the Northeast live music scene and beyond.
Following them was Another Demon, a band whose non-pretentious form of thrash metal was straight to the point. Also from NYC, the band is composed of several former members of New York power metal band Lost Legacy. I had seen these guys live once before at Lucky 13 Saloon in Park Slope, Brooklyn, so I knew what to expect. These guys delivered a scorching, vicious set. If you like no-bullshit thrash, these guys are for you—not just another band, but Another Demon.
Closing the night was a New Jersey death metal band called Sapremia. I was not familiar with them before this night, and unfortunately, by this time, some of the crowd had thinned out. However, those who remained were in for a treat, as this band garnered some of the best crowd reactions of the night. They unleashed a pummeling set of old-school death metal, sparking moshing and headbanging. As the event drew to a close, I looked around and saw many satisfied faces. It was, in my opinion, a very successful night for the underground scene.
On a side and final note, a big thanks to Main Drag Music and everyone else involved in setting up this show and pricing admission at $10! More local shows should be priced this way—my wallet certainly appreciated it. \,,/
Keep on defending!
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