portlandgeek

I’m not much in to the local music scene, but when I was invited to attend a show on November 5th for a Portland area band at a good price I decided it would be a fun new experience. Previously, I had only attended shows for (relatively) big acts which would pack a small theatre like the Hawthorne, located at 39th and Hawthorne in Southeast Portland. In fact I had seen Iced Earth there just two weeks before; at that time the house was packed so full of sweaty bodies that, despite being in the presence of my favorite band, made the experience somewhat lackluster.

Portland’s METAPHISC may not have crammed the house, but the show was enjoyable on a level I hadn’t previously experienced (or thought possible) since the attitude of the crowd was much more laid back and the band got to have a lot more interaction with the audience. The level of intimacy was a nice change of pace for me.

For those of you not familiar with the group, METAPHISC play a blend of progressive and industrial rock, with a little dash of just about anything else you can think of thrown in for good measure. It would be difficult to compare their music stylistically to other bands, though a comparison to Machines of Loving Grace, The Kovenant, or Crematory (perhaps a mix of all three) wouldn’t be too far off. On stage at the show were two (count ‘em) keyboardists, a vocalist, and a guitarist, though we’re told that a second guitarist is also part of the band.

Each of the performers seemed at ease with the crowd and even joked with several members of the audience, which showed in the way they played. There didn’t seem to be a lot of tension and everything was natural, like these guys (and one gal) had started playing music before they learned how to walk. Given the talent among them, I would wager that wasn’t far from the truth; METAPHISC is easily on par with major artists and definitely a far cry better than most other indie bands (including the bands which precluded them at this show).

The only downside to the entire event is that the band was given a strict 30-minute timeframe in which to demonstrate their musical prowess. This seems to be an issue for local bands that aren’t supported by a lot of funding, but they made good use of the time they were given. The band’s set consisted of the five following tracks, though I’m told they had several more in reserve had they been allotted more time:

You Kill
Nostalgic Sickness
Blackness
Hear You Scream
Gift Horse

Many of these tracks can be heard on the band’s MySpace page at: http://www.myspace.com/metaphiscband

If you’re in the mood for a good concert with an intimate feel, or if you just haven’t checked out METAPHISC yet, be sure to catch them at one of their upcoming shows or download a few tracks from their MySpace page. This is a band with a lot of great potential; you won’t be disappointed.

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