We return to the Replay Lounge, where every Thursday you can find three bands queued up to strut their best stuff for the fine people in attendance. On October 19th, the performers were Mystery Blood, CHEW, and Riala.
First up, Mystery Blood. The Wichita-based band kicked off the night loudly and emphatically. All three band members were intermittently on vocals, impressive especially for the drummer, who exerted so much force through his sticks onto the drums that you would think he wouldn’t be able to spare any for singing. The vocals were echoey and modified, almost background to the rage of instrumental noise, a sound that was reminiscent of Alopecia.
CHEW from Georgia was up next. This group is all instrumental, no vocals. As if to make up for this they played with fierce intensity, slamming into the set with a violent energy, so much so I was worried the two guitarists would smash into each other. One guitarist was jumping so high, I thought he would rip into the ceiling. Electric keyboard and synthesizer were mixed into the songs creating a futuristic vibe that seemed to matched the outer-space stage background. The crowd was feeling CHEW, especially those with long hair that emphasized the head-banging. As their sound crashed through the room, people were drawn in from outside and up to the stage.
Riala came on at 12:35 to finish out the night. Despite the late hour, the crowd was pumped. Compared to the first two acts, Riala was the calmest and the vocals made them the most accessible. Their songs started off mellow and built into a fervor that made it seem like a different song, giving the set an almost incongruous feel. The mellow vocals and tonality of the songs made them a solid closing act for the show.
Photo Credit: Andrew Conroy