(Oshawa, ON) – Fans came out in droves Saturday night to witness the inaugural live performance of the highly anticipated song Schadenfreude by Six Side Die. A 20+ minute song depicting the hypothetical relationship between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison. This composition, a year in the making, was finally heard for the first time in it’s entirety by their eager fans, who up until then, only heard teasers of the song via social media.
Bryan Crouch, former frontman for the popular metal act Hail the Villain, explained that instead of writing several songs, they would do one really long kick ass song. Hence, Schadenfreude was conceived.
To add to the authenticity of the song, the band sported black and white attire, loosely replicating the fashion from the 1920s. Considering the heat wave that was suffocating the region, and the fact that the venue had no air conditioning, I couldn’t help but think how dedicated they were to launch this song. They could have easily performed the song in shorts and t-shirts, but they made a conscious decision to go above and beyond. A quality that is seems to be fading in these times.
Crouch, plagued by a prior vocal chord injury, plowed through the song, providing different facets from melodic, metal and his signature screams. His intonation seemed unwavered to his injury, with no obvious pitch problems detected. He provided an energetic stage performance coupled with his signature “Crazy Crouch” look, as I call it. A transformation into a character that seems like he may have psychotic tendencies.
Anthony Xander, a guitar teacher by day, showed his incredible talent live. A guitarist, who for the lack of a better term, makes playing look effortless. Providing the song with intricate sweeping solos and adding flavor to the song with his impeccable musicianship. Having heard many guitarists perform live, I would easily say that Anthony is one of the top three guitarists I have ever seen perform live. It was a thrill to witness.
Not being familiar with bassist Pat Kavanagh prior to the show, I felt like he fit in perfectly with the vibe of the band. Providing an assiduous performance coupled with his stage antics of bouncing around and enjoying the moment within the song.
Drummer Kelly Voelkel was another “new to me” musician. Highly talented, he displayed an ease of execution to the song, providing the ever changing tempo-based song with consistency. Drumming since the age of 10, his experience emanated throughout the song.
Schadenfreude is a song that takes you on a journey. A well thought out conceptual piece with no repeating parts. I would classify this musical endeavor as brilliant and from the reaction of the crowd that evening, I think they would agree.
Video credit : Kim Eriksson Murphy
Six Side Die are a band from the Durham Region in Ontario. Together since 2012, they released an EP called My Enemy, followed by an independent album called That F’N Album. The Schadenfreude track is expecting to be released sometimes this fall. Stay tuned for the official release date.
All images are ©2016 Sue Sadzak. Please do not copy without consent.
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