Rockford, IL was suddenly and deliberatly attacked by the empire of Sevendust. There's where the WWII similarities end. It seems we've been invaded (sorry!) by idiotic club owners and promoters, because to put a metal/hard rock show in a place with SEATS...is a damn shame! Needless to say, the Midway Theater is missing a few seats now...that'll teach 'em.

Flaw is a band I'm very familiar with, since seeing them open for Mudvayne back in September '01. They fill the music with blistering down-tuned riffs, hard, hard, HARD grooves, and pure, raw emotion, this band could be the nu-Staind. Vocalist Chris Volz is the epitome of the ultimate nu-metal singer. He's got the balls-out hard screaming for the choruses and whatnot, but damn should you hear him SING! He's got more emotion than a funeral, and his delivery of expression is simply flawless. Heed my words, this band will go places...

Upon first hearing Gravity Kills several years back, I thought that at the time they were kidding themselves and the scene. It was industrial pop, ladies and gentlemen, plain and simple! Now, it seems they might finally have found the voice they had struggled to find before. Their new material stuck out to me as being more refreshing and laid-back, while a select few older cuts were just plain awesome live; "Guilty" comes to mind right away. While the guitarist and keyboardist/bassist were content to sit back behind the monitors, the lead vocalist, Jeff, came out and interacted. All in all I thought it was a good set, even though they cut it short to let the paramedics in for that kid that fainted.

Sevendust... hey, it's Sevendust! They rule, and it showed. Serious low grooves and brutal riffs with an actual modern rock melodiousness are combined to form an incredibly cool formula that really works! Morgan Rose consistanly proves he is easily one of the best drummers in the scene, and his flowing body movements are just amazing to watch. Guitarists Clint and John, along with bassist Vince are content to just wander around in their little spots, while Lajon combs the front row looking for people to shakes hands with, and in the case of "Home"-single "Waffle," to share a... er, smoke... with. The fun really began in the encore though, as the band went through a veried collage of cover riffs, ranging from a terrible White Zombie, to an awesome Pantera, and then to a... different Lynyrd Skynyrd. Lajon passed around previously-stated joint, and bassist Vince Horsnby got hit in the face with what looked like a beer bottle, and then cruised over to that side of the stage to seek out said heckler. Then the classic "Bitch" came...and went...and the show drew to a fitting close.

And so the soldiers drifted out into the night, tired from their battle with the seats and moshers. However, Sevendust made us a promise, and unlike the great general McArthur, they kept it. They did return...