ABSOLUTION, ETHEREAL COLLAPSE, JANE EVIL (fronting ZADOC & NIGHTMARE), and BEYOND FALLEN
Saturday, March 22, 2008 @ Dingbatz - Clifton, NJ

The newly rennovated Dingbatz has been sound-proofed. Add in their amazing sound guy, "Sarge", and one can only imagine how great a live show must sound in this club. With that in mind, such great sound was a great first impression for each band playing tonight. Three bands hailing from the "Pennsylvania Metal Malitia" (guess which state they're from), and one from Upstate New York. Let's get right into it......

Absolution was the first band of the evening, and I am sad to say that I missed a lot of their set. From what I caught, this PA metal band blends elements of old Alice In Chains meets Nine Inch Nails with more metal elements. Add in an aggressive, powerful vocal execution and you've got Absolution. Their stage presence indicated just how tight this band is, and they seemed to really enjoy themselves in their element. I'd like to catch this band again, with the hopes of being present for more than two songs.

Ethereal Collapse really stuck out in my mind!! Each and every song of theirs is "Their favorite song", and is about "Dead hookers". All jokes aside, this bands heartful sense of humor really kept things interesting. Musically, this bad has all the elements needed to be the next big thing. Imagine combining Death with hints of Testament and Kreator and you've got Ethereal Collapse. LOADED with amazing guitar riffs, blistering solos, and Death influenced vocals, Ethereal both awed and floored the interested cluster of fans up at the fron of the stage. I noticed during one of their songs, the riff for Pantera's "Domination" was hinted at, which led into a song from Death (I cannot remember the riff). It was interesting, and I don't think anyone caught onto it. A cover of slayer's "Reign in Blood" closed their set. I would LOVE to see this band again!

After MANY years of being a Haunted By Angels fan, I never thought I would actually get to see them live. Well, I didn't, but I did get a piece of the pie, with HBA's vocalist Jane Evil fronting Zadoc & Nightmare. As if seeing Jane live wasn't great enough, I've got Zadoc & Nightmare on stage too. In the land of obscure underground metal bands, one can say I am king. This night, I was in all my glory! Zadoc is a band that fuses the likes of Alice Cooper (both musically and with their stage show) and adds in some Guns N' Roses. Add some soaring and powerful vocals to the mix and you've got Zodac & Nightmare. Songs thatreally stood out for me included "Bathory's Web" (song about Elizabeth Bathory), "Off With Her Head", and an older song that was both fast and powerful called "Twisted". Jane Evil would add in both solo vocals and duet. Her stage presence is both powerful and amazing! The guitarist of Zadoc was wearing an Irish kilt, a type of tight gothic shirt, and face paint (all white with his right eye & surrounding area red). He sang through a wireless kit while Jane sang at her custom mic stand, which looked like all metal wires and nails. The top of this stand was a skeleton hand grasping the mic. It looked like something from straight out of hell, which added to this band's theme and atmosphere. If the chance arises to catch this band live, do NOT pass it up!!!!!!

Closing out the show was Beyond Fallen. Have seen this band a few times, I had already known what to expect from their live show. This band's music is both powerful and heavy, and the band itself is a very tight unit. Performing songs off their Mindfire and Lost in the Shadows albums, Beyond fallen had a group of headbanging fans enjoy each and every song.

I wish to personally thank Jane Evil and Zadoc & Nightmare for driving SO FAR to play at Dingbatz. It was truely an honor to see them both live. Catch Jane at the TOTAL METAL TV METALFEST this July!

Review by: Anthony