Full Value REVIEW - Madlins 12-12-04 concert review

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MADLINS SUNDAY SHOW 12/12/04

On a rare Sunday show at Madlins folks were treated to good music, hot coffee, and creamy cocoa as December turned cold in So Cali. The line-up went as such:

SET 1 – MATT CAPPIELO

Back in town for Christmas break from college, UCSB, the first solo act to be spun off from DARK HAVEN, was their old keyboardist, MATT CAPPIELO. Laying aside the keyboard and the metal mayhem of the past, Matt pulled up a chair and pulled out the Ovation, an acoustic guitar first seen back in the 80’s with the unique rounded body and rich sound. Fitting the troubadour styling of Matt’s adult coffeehouse ballads perfectly, the two soon had Matt’s former band members (DH was set to play third on this show’s schedule and showed up early to see Matt) clapping to songs about being a college student and how ‘love and romance are things detrimental to your health’. No simple lyrics here, these are songs from a thinking man, aka, freshman college student, laid on some good commercial hooks. You can keep up with Matt and his college angst at, yep, his space on myspace.com.

SET 2 – FROM AGONY WITHIN

This 1 ½ year old metal band with its relatively new drummer of 4 months packed the crowd from the first set to overflowing with headbanging rhythm and hardcore percussion from their frontman, bass/additional vocals, two guitars, and drums. With Matt headbanging on the sidelines, you can see hear why FROM AGONY WITHIN’s song ‘Deliverance Of Punishment’ has been placed on the upcoming compilation CD Bad Taste 2 which will showcase some of the hottest local and semi local up and coming metal groups of the Inland Empire. As FAW’s music set steamed up Madlins’ front window, shouts of “Dime bag Darrell”, a reference to the former PANTERA band member who was recently gunned down on stage by a whacked ‘fan’ filled the air along with applause.

SET 3 – DARK HAVEN

The local band with the most ‘snap, crackle, and metal pop’ is currently DARK HAVEN. This band came into Madlins blowing the doors off several months ago. After losing a member to college (MATT in SET 1) and another to attrition (Kyle, now half of the duo called THE AMERICAN HERITAGE), DH made their debut with their new guitar player, a fine So Cali lass named Amy Zion. The dark haired axe slinger of Polish/Latino descent hung right with the boys on every lick through songs like ‘Nightmare’, ‘Your Darkest Hour’, and ‘My Brother Of War’, keeping the IRON MAIDEN front row headbanging as if in a Radio City Music Hall syncopated routine. The boys even slowed things down a bit, as if to give a tip of the hat to their first female member, with ‘Black Heart ’, a song a little bit rock, a little slower and as country as a badass metal band can get. This band is interesting to keep tabs on because Brennan, Brandon, Nate, and Kent are adept are finding the best talent available for the band. And of course they are on myspace.com. For the lucky locals check the Full Value Entertainment website for the next Madlins show and get your ticket early. These guys, and girl rock!

set 4 – undermined

Closing out the evening was the band UNDERMINED, up from San Diego. The band has been together for four years and ranges in age from 17-22. With two guitars, a bass, and drums, everyone does vocal chores except the drummer, who has his hands full banging an array of toms and large cymbals, as the boys tear into their brand of speed hardcore. There was plenty of stage movement to the stiletto buzz saw beat put forth by the band, a fitting end to good night at Madlins.

- PT Rothschild