The first band to take the stage was a local one that's sponsored by Jagermeister called Epoxy.  Umm... I didn't like them much.  They have two vocalists, but only one of them moves at all.  The music was less than good, with a lot of odd time changes that made sense, but sucked where they did.  The two vocalists could have easily been one, and made it a better show.  The only redeeming qualities are the bassist and drummer.  They were really good at what they did.  I'd have to say that if you combined Candiria with Clutch, and made the good parts go away, you'd have Epoxy.  Waste of a stage, if you ask me.  Why do local metal bands suck, I have to ask.  But... oh well.

          The Step Kings were on next.  I'd seen them before, but it's been over a year and a half, and a whole CD has passed since then, as well as them being dropped from Roadrunner Records.  With that, a whole new attitude has come with it.  They were much heavier, harder, faster, and better than that last time.  Opening with a duo of new songs, they prepped the crowd for the rest of the night.   Then, they blasted into "Right Is Wrong" from their Roadrunner debut, [i]Let's Get It On[/i], which was well received.  Going from there to a few more new ones, to "Kalifornia" and then finishing it out with "Vibes", The Step Kings are back and in full rock mode!  To see the energy of their bassist/vocalist is just amazing.  The guitarist/vocalist is really good, and also full of energy.  But, the best part was their drummer.  Two crash cymbals, a ride, a hi-hat, a snare, a kick, and a floor tom.  That was all he had.  VERY small set, but goddamn, he knew how to use it!  Simply smashing band.

         After them was another band that was ready to kick some ass, the much-heralded Sw1tched.  They had a personal recommendation from Drew Simollardes of Reveille, saying "those guys are fuckin blow up big".  I think he might be right.  They came out and they had the trendy look... but the sound that they have is more akin to bands like Chimaira mixed with Tool and maybe a hint of Spineshank and Fear Factory.  Very heavy, that's for sure.  Energetic, pounding, and able to kill just with the emotion the singer can pump into the songs.  I was skeptical, but they converted me.  Sw1tched ruled.

         Now... the main event.  ILL NIÑO!  I was surprised to see so many people... I guess the single and street teams are doing a good enough job getting the word out about them, because there was about a thousand people there.  Then again, tickets for $5 can do that.  Anyways... charging right out of the gates with "If You Still Hate Me" and following it up with "God Save Us", they showed the people what Ill Niño was all about: fucking tearing shit up.  Seeing Mark Rizzo (lead guitar for Ill Niño) doing flying roundhouse kicks while playing guitar was something of an event in and of itself.  Cristian Machado's vocals cut through everything and seeing him whip around was awesome.  The bassist and guitarist were insane, but slightly less so.  Roger on the percussion was as crazy as a percussionist can get... and Dave "The Giant" Chavarri was wailing on those drums like it was nobodys business.  He's living proof that even the poorest of bands can still eat a whole lot of food and stay big on the road.  The only weird thing about their entire set was their single, "What Comes Around".  For some odd reason, Cristian sang the chorus in a higher key.  I would suppose it's so that he can be heard better... but I don't know.  It was cool to hear a change like that though.  It is worth noting that Ill Niño had a great sound... every note of every song could be heard, even the stuff that was done on the acoustic that was brought to the stage by a roadie when needed (ala Boy Hits Car, tape included to hold the guitar in place).  Following with a few more songs, Cristian took time to introduce the whole band before going into the final song, the song that is becoming their classic show ending song: Soulfly's "Eye For An Eye", with backing vocals from the bassist for the Step Kings.  Very cool... and in the last chorus, Mark Rizzo and Dave Chavarri catapulted themselves into the crowd... Mark still wearing his guitar!  Needless to say it got unplugged, but no one cared.  It was a damn good time, and showed that Mark Rizzo is a crazy bastard.  With that done, it was time to end the show.

         After the show, I met up with The Step Kings and talked to them.  New CD will be called 3 The Hard Way and it's out April 23rd, and I snagged a picture of myself with the guitarist/vocalist, known only as Fern.  Sw1tched also was around, and were the coolest guys to talk to.  They stuck around until their tour manager told them to get moving.  Subject To Change is their CD, and it's just out as of last week.  Very cool... great pictures of them.  Of course, members of Ill Niño were around, so I got pics of them.  Their CD is HIGHLY recommended by me, if that means anything.  GO GET IT, NOW!  Revolution, Revolucion is the title.  Fucking heavy music... it's awesomeness, personified.  All in all, I can put Epoxy aside and remember this as a great metal show, never to be forgotten!