Blackmore at the House of Blues
Photo taken by Dan Adler
Los Angeles based metal outfit Blackmore celebrated the release of their first studio EP “Law of Time” by blowing the roof off the House of Blues on Sunset last Saturday night. Their August 30th EP release party was probably their best show ever, and the joy and excitement that shined on the faces and through the hearts of the band members was only surpassed by the growing enthusiasm of their fan base. As a long time fan of Blackmore, it was fantastic to watch the audience members there for the other bands caught up with the infectiousness of the Blackmore sound. They, too, were soon dancing and moshing along with the Blackmore fans and wishing they knew the words and could sing along.
Blackmore mixed up their show Saturday night with a very creative introduction. Playing first the mellow-starting “Downfall,” with quiet instrumental and soothing singing by backup vocalists Varsenik Aslanyan and Anna Gevorkian. It was a great way to entice the crowd, especially those new to Blackmore’s driving metal sound. Soon, vocalist Adrian Barrios took over and got his marathon-like workout over the next 35 minutes of their set.
The third song of the night, “Backdraft,” is my favorite Blackmore song because it accentuates the incredible talent shared by guitarists Shaunt Sulahian and Vahan Aslanyan. I was at a show a week before watching a band with four guitarists who all played together. Sure it was loud and powerful, but it lacked creativity. What Sulahian and Aslanyan do so extremely well is play off of each other, creating a powerful sound that goes between playing together, backing each other up, and mixing solos in such a creative and intelligent way that it is clear this is a band with a bright and promising future.
Blackmore mixed up their show Saturday night with a very creative introduction. Playing first the mellow-starting “Downfall,” with quiet instrumental and soothing singing by backup vocalists Varsenik Aslanyan and Anna Gevorkian. It was a great way to entice the crowd, especially those new to Blackmore’s driving metal sound. Soon, vocalist Adrian Barrios took over and got his marathon-like workout over the next 35 minutes of their set.
The third song of the night, “Backdraft,” is my favorite Blackmore song because it accentuates the incredible talent shared by guitarists Shaunt Sulahian and Vahan Aslanyan. I was at a show a week before watching a band with four guitarists who all played together. Sure it was loud and powerful, but it lacked creativity. What Sulahian and Aslanyan do so extremely well is play off of each other, creating a powerful sound that goes between playing together, backing each other up, and mixing solos in such a creative and intelligent way that it is clear this is a band with a bright and promising future.
Photo taken by Dan Adler
Blackmore continued with the songs “Battlefield” and “Beautiful Hurricane,” which were the two songs they had on the demo EP originally hooking me into their sound 18 months ago. The quality of the performance of these two songs improves with each show, and the comfort the band has with playing together is evidence for just how far they can go over time. Along with the powerful vocals and intelligent guitar riffs is drummer Vinny Mezian, whose driving metal beat mixed with metalcore influences are not far from the surface. Finally, David Dadoyan is a bassist who drives the band. He is certainly not a “hide in the back” bassist, but rather is pushing the band with an outstanding bass line that is backed up by a stage presence that has you headbanging and air guitaring…to the bass line.
The final song of the evening, “Animalistic,” was incredible. By this time everyone in the house was a convert and the whole place was rocking. I thought the venue was going to come down long before its scheduled closing later this year. But no, the venue survived another Blackmore onslaught and the audience was well rewarded.
The final song of the evening, “Animalistic,” was incredible. By this time everyone in the house was a convert and the whole place was rocking. I thought the venue was going to come down long before its scheduled closing later this year. But no, the venue survived another Blackmore onslaught and the audience was well rewarded.
Photo taken by Dan Adler
In just a few days, Blackmore will perform again, opening for the incomparable Nothing More. Rrom San Antonio, Texas, they are the purveyors of what I consider to be the absolute #1 CD of 2014, the self-titled album Nothing More. Combined with Sleepwave and Opus Dai, the Nothing More and Blackmore show at the Troubadour on September 3rd has enough talent in one night to qualify as a festival of heavy metal. September 3rd is the first day back at school for us Long Beach natives. I know that is something a lot of people aren’t looking forward to, but the Nothing More show, featuring LA band Blackmore should make the pain of the first week fade into a minor annoyance. Don’t miss it.
Thank you Blackmore musicians for a fantastic night of brilliant music. I am sure there will be many more all over the world in your future.
Thank you Blackmore musicians for a fantastic night of brilliant music. I am sure there will be many more all over the world in your future.
 | Dan Adler was raised in Southern California to a mom and dad, one of whom appreciated Creedence and left wing anti-war politics. By the teenage years, Dan became obsessed with Black Sabbath, listening to the same seven albums repeatedly for 5 years. During this time, his favorite concert experience was seeing Metallica open for a bunch of bands that no longer exist and winning the 1st ever Santa Cruz Air Guitar contest. After several years in Africa listening and dancing to Chimurenga music, Dan returned to have the two best children in the world, one of whom spends a lot of time at concerts with him. What a lucky dad! |
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