It was a sleepy Wednesday night on June 6, 2022. Most of the city was curled up at home in their beds but a select and crazy group were out about, waiting for the doors to the Rebel Lounge to open. This night was going to be an epic night with bands from Moldova, Canada and Arizona coming together to perform. The two main bands were fronted by strong leading women.
The first band to take to the stage were Apex Nemesis, this local Arizona band was a fun way to open the night. Their sound was energetic and fun. The lead singer connected and talked to the crowd, at one point made fun of himself and his age by mentioning how a little girl was front row wondering why he was screaming and singing about things she couldn’t relate to. Towards the end he described what his last two songs were about and he said they were about buttholes. These jokes got the crowd dying in laughter.
The second band to take to the stage was another Arizona based band, Forsaken Skum. Forsaken Scum is based in Casa Grande, an hour south of phoenix. Their drummer, Corey Matayabas, is also in another local band called Dead Echo. What makes Forsaken Scum so unique is their diversity. Each member has a different style from boy next door to metal and everything in between. Their metal also has many different influences mixed in creating a sound that stands out. The band’s lineup is Corey Matayabas-drums, Ryker Gillespie-bass, Eddie Lopez-vocals, and Jacob Bishop-guitar. If you’re looking for a fun and new sound to metal Forsaken Scum is the band for you.
The third act to take to the stage is the Canadian band Gone in April. They became internationally recognized in 2011. Although in the metal genre they stand out because they are a symphonic/melodic metal band. Their sound combines the normal wear and tear of screaming vocals with a duet of melodic, almost opera type vocals. This combination is very complimentary, creating and unusual combination that works extremely well. The band is made up by Marc-Andre Gingras-guitar, Aaron Rodgers- vocals, Yanic Bercier- drums, Julie Belanger- vocals/violin/viola, and Steve DiGiorgio-bass. The best part is this band demonstrates how a violin really could meld into and hold its own against other string instruments. The violin added such an amazing sound to the rest of the band, hands down a 10 out of 10.
It was finally the time of the night, the moment the audience was waiting for all night. They began to push forward, trying to make their way to the front but the people in the front held their ground, not wanting to lose their amazing spots. The final band of the night was none other than the Moldovan based band, Infected Rain. This band brought the energy, the moment they started playing the audience went wild; jumping up and down and creating small mosh pits. Infected Rain is made up by Elena “Lena Scissorhands” Cataraga- vocals, Vadim “Vidick” Ojog, Vladimir Babici-bass, Serghei Babici-guiar, and Eugen Voluta- drums. Elena is one of the few women who can hold her own when it comes to scream singing. She is just as good, string and powerful as any male scream vocalist. She is constantly communicating and engaging with the audience. It is as off she feeds off their energy. While she is doing that the guitarists are running around, jumping all over the stage. This band is one of those bands you have to see at least once.
Infected Rain
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Gone in April
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Forsaken Skum
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