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| Iris Divine |
Club Orpheus is a goth/fetish/alternative club up in Baltimore that recently added rock shows to their repertoire. This was the first time I was there, and I was not sure what to expect of the sound, size, or otherwise. There was a huge wooden rack to strap people up, and chains in the balcony. None of these were being used this evening, but it was interesting to see. There was a small stage about 10 feet from the bar, and stairs to the left that lead to a balcony. Up there the space was occupied by an empty bar, the sound guy, and a small balcony that you could look down and see the drummer.
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| For a different type of event |
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| MerchMaze |
Merchandise was in abundance- Iris Divine had shirts and CDs, Mindmaze had their CDs (including new Dreamwalker EP), shirts. I snagged a Dreamwalker EP, as I hadn't had a chance to grab it.
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| Their veteran drummer is certainly preserved in whiskey, he was totally on point! |
Dogs and Day Drinkers, folky metal, were on first, and sounded even tighter that the last time way back in 2014..They had a new female singer who sounded similar to the previous one. Dan, their lead guitarist, was solid on guitar, and full of emotion- almost falling over during a couple solos! That did not affect his playing at all- I know I would have screwed up more than a few notes! The Dogs were outfitted in leather and tatters- which brought to mind a very Mad Max/Road Warrior vibe- loved it! I recognized a few songs, but my setlist is a little incomplete.
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| Miss Sarah Teets w/ her Winger shirt |
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| Moment of Shred |
MindMaze from Pennsylvania, who was the main draw for me, was up next. Last time (also in 2014), I recall them being pretty fabulous. This time was even better, as I somehow forgot how great Jeff Teets was on guitar. He nearly effortlessly threw down arpeggios from hell (a la a more conservative Yngwie Malmsteen), pinches, and classic metal sounding solos. Nearly effortless, as there was a LOT of sweat involved! Sister Sarah Teets was on point with her classic metal vocals, but the guitar did seem a little too high in the mix and did overpower it a lot. There was one song that Miss Teets pulled out a flute for the outro (unfortunately it wasn't very audible). I have to say that for me Mr. Teets stole the show with his excellent playing.
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| Flutewalker |
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| SitMaze |
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| Jeff and Sarah Teets |
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| Never Look |
Bassist and the new drummer (who reminded me of a guy I've seen play for Quiet Riot or Bang Tango) were nothing to complain about at all. They subbed in drummer Kris Combs from Iris Divine for "Dreamwalker." Their new drummer was apparently a very quick learner, but even then I believe they had spread out some drumming duties to Kris. They also threw in the W.A.S.P. cover from their EP- which went over great!
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| In Spirals |
Progressive darlings Iris Divine were headlining, and I was pretty excited to see them as well. This three piece started out with an instrumental and really didn't let up until the all star jam at the end (more on that later)! Despite their songs being longer progressive affairs, their set whizzed by and it seemed like they only played half of what they actually did. They played some pretty great new songs in addition to some stuff I'd heard before from their latest Karma Sown.
I'm amazed every time I see Iris Divine- they seem to get better in strides! Not to mention how they get that wall of sound out of just three people! However they do it, progressive fans are in for a treat at an Iris Divine show (that they are allowed a full set, unlike their getting screwed over at the last Empire show). I dunno if people would complain about some of the backing tracks, but the guitar/bass/drums/vocals were spot on. Frontman Navid was bursting with energy!
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| Sarah's Back, w/ an All Star Jam |
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| Sarah thinking that Jeff should come back from the edge of drumming |
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| There was some insanity for the "Cowboys From Hell" |
After the last Iris song, we noticed MindMaze members messing around. Various combinations of the two bands led to a mini "all star jam" of covers- Styx, Kansas, and Pantera! The crowd went particularly ape for "Cowboys From Hell," but there were great reactions for all songs.
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| WHAAAAAAAATEVER |
Overall, it was a fun show, but did go on a wee bit late. In any event you certainly got your money's worth from 3 very talented bands. MindMaze is opening for Saxon on a few dates, so we'll see where that takes them. Iris Divine has another album in the works, an D&DD is maturing steadily!
Next show: Slipknot
Photos
Setlists
Dogs & Day Drinkers (9:40- 10:14)
- ? maybe we'll see then
- ?win and rain no turning back
- Requiem for the Fallen
- Gladiator (instrumental)
- Preserved in Whiskey
- ? no one no !
- Night Rider
MindMaze (10:35- 11ish?)
- Back From the Edge
- Consequence of Choice
- Breaking the Chains
- This Holy War
- Destiny Calls
- Through The Open Door
- Moment of Flight
- Dreamwalker (w/ Kris from Iris Divine on Drums)
- The Machine Stops
- Arena of Pleasure (WASP Cover)
- Never Look Back
Iris Divine (11:44- 1:11)
- In Spirals
- The Everlasting Sea
- Prisms
- Mother's Prayer
- Taking Back the Fall (new)
- Apathy Rains
- Catalyst (new)
- In the Wake of Martyrs
- - (encore into an all star jam)
- Blue Collar Man (Styx)
- Carry On Wayward Son (Kansas)
- Cowboys From Hell (Pantera)
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