#Adakain Review

[themusicenthusiast]

Saturday, October 7th, 2017 – Adakain and Anova Set the Stage for Jibe with some Thorough and Hard-hitting Performances

All photos by Jordan Buford Photography This was set to be a big night at The Curtain Club as Jibe made their return to one of their old haunts. They had assembled a solid bill as well, a couple topnotch acts supporting them, the lineup certain to pump up all of the fans that turned out and build upon the immense initial excitement. In what would be a bit of a trend for this show, each band was showing off a new lineup (sort of), beginning with Anova. Joseph Kuban may have made his debut as the band’s bassist a few months prior, though that was for their unplugged show, and this marked their first electric show since expanding from a trio.

On one hand, their former variation as a three-piece was undoubtedly part of their charm. Not just because trios aren’t too hot a commodity, but because the way they went about it, James Meldrum and Bric Chaney playing roughly half their set in one setup – one on the guitar, the other using a bass – before swapping out instruments for the remainder of their performance. It was definitely unique, unlike anything you see from fellow acts in the region. (And even major touring ones.) The advantages of evolving into a four-piece come in the form of the stability it provides, everyone having a singular role to put their full dedication in; and now with two guitars in the mix, there were more layers to be heard in the music. Plus, there’s the fact that the new addition is Joseph Kuban (most recently of Serosia), one of the more compelling members of the D-FW music community, who even in theory sounds like an excellent fit with Anova.

And indeed, he is, as was seen right off the bat, a lengthy instrumental piece demonstrating their cohesiveness, the band already having tapped into a great chemistry as they dished out the thick and heavy intro that added to the anticipation of what was to come. They only intensified it from there, their opening number being rather thrash-y and extremely heavy; Joe Maurer holding nothing back as he pummeled away on the drum kit. “This is ‘Will We Fall?’,” Meldrum informed everyone after their first couple of numbers, the single from their debut EP further upping the energy in the room. He let loose a brutal and guttural scream in the final moments, further ensuring the song came to a fantastic finish; and on the subject of vocals, the harmony vocals that Chaney struck up with Meldrum throughout the show were topnotch, providing a bit of counterbalance to their heavy nature. They breezed through their set, squeezing as much as they could into the 35-minutes they had, the lone break allowing Chaney time to point out what a “special” night this was for him, his daughter being in attendance, getting to see what I believe he said was her first Anova show.

As they wound it down, “Give In” and “My Darkest Hour” were woven together in a splendid manner, maximizing the dynamics of those two cuts, ultimately leaving them with enough time for one final song. Anova is arguably one of the most promising acts currently in North Texas. In a region where there are plenty of hard rock and metal bands, they manage to be distinct, blending together both genres to make something that is powerful and commanding but also fresh. Perhaps it’s in the pristine voice that Meldrum possesses that is also capable of some vicious screams, or maybe it’s the slight melodic tendencies that their music has, allowing it to be appealing while also invigorating. Either way, once you add that with the superb musicianship and energetic performance – both of which have only grown bolder with the addition of Kuban – you have a winning combination. Check out their EP in iTUNES or GOOGLE PLAY.

The other act Jibe had selected to open for them was Adakain, something singer and guitarist Ryan Ray pointed out was significant to him, as he had wanted to share the stage with the band for a long time. Though it was still early, they had a strong showing of fans out by the time they hit the stage at 9:47, their intro, snippets of speeches from various past presidents, setting up the political tones their performance would be tinged with. That was most evident when Ray stressed that those in charge don’t care about the people they govern over or are supposed to represent, being up to the people to take care of one another. Another comment between songs had him stating how divisive some stories are, saying the time he has spent when they have been on the road over the past year or so showing him, that people are, in fact, more connected than ever.

Fully capturing that disgust with those in control was “We Crawl”, most everyone there shouting along with the chorus, “We can’t just start the fire, we have to burn it all!” It felt like a rallying cry, pumping up the spectators. Adakain was also showcasing a bit of a new lineup, a new(ish) drummer having been brought in, and he fit right in with his aggressive style, further escalating the high-energy they work to achieve. And there was certainly nothing held back this night, Ray, lead guitarist Corey Goodwin and bassist KC Jenkins doing some synchronized jumps on occasion, and on the few songs where Ray put his guitar down and focused just on being a frontman, he was all about interacting with the audience and making sure they were enjoying what they were watching. They tried out a new song this night among their fan favorites (“Exposed” I believe it was titled, and it sounded great), their 44-minute long set concluding with “Hey Girl”, the gritty song supplying everyone one last chance to sing along as Adakain brought their show to a killer finish.

Admittedly, I haven’t seen them much, though this was easily the best show that I have seen Adakain deliver. The energy was off the charts, the fan participation providing further reason for the quartet to give it everything they had and then some… just in case the excitement of opening for Jibe wasn’t enough. They cultivated an atmosphere, the at times dark lighting and use of strobe lighting going a long way to creating it, and while their music covers a variety of topics, the central message of rebelling came across as the core one, and any more, as a band having a primary message to act as a sort of foundation for yourself is paramount. The guys of Adakain know that, wielding that sort of anti-establishment mindset well.