Article By: Elle Tourjman | Photographs By: Nadine Swiger

It was to a very relaxed and laid back crowd that Charred Walls Of The Damned played for at the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusettes on a balmy July night. It appeared that Richard Christy’s and Tim ‘Ripper’ Owen’s band, along with Dream Theater brought in a full house.

Charred Walls Of The Damned has a very old school, traditional metal sound. Owens was singing front and center while Christy pounded out some heavy drum loops. They played their song Ghost Story from their new hit single, which seemed to be received quite well by the die hard metal audience. I really felt their song Voices In The Walls was one of their best off their new album. It was nicely done and definitely had the smell of a hit single. I would put it on my Ipod list, right up there with Dream Theater and Led Zeppelin.

At one point during the set, Owens paused for a moment to catch his breath in between songs. It was interesting to hear that Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens and Richard Christy actually write all their own songs, as Owens jokingly stated, “You can tell we write all our own songs since there’s no place to breathe!” At the end of the set Christy stood up while maintaining his beat, heavily working his drums and percussion, making the closing night’s performance very entertaining. We would have to expect nothing less from the infamous Howard Stern Show’s comedic radio personality and Tim “Ripper” Owens, who is known for his technical skill with bass, as well as singing with Judas Priest. I can’t wait to see what these two larger than life personalities will cook up next for their future live performances.

A loud roar, complete with a sea of goat hands, went up for Dream Theater as they unveiled themselves to their eager audience onstage. The thick, black, heavy curtain fell away, revealing these long-standing metal, god-like icons as they started their set in a way worthy of the old theatre stage they graced. Jordan Rudess added to the awe-inspiring atmosphere with his keyboard magic, setting the mood with a haunting, melodic vibe.

Mike Portnoy’s drumming was dead on. He certainly has earned the title of ‘8th best drummers of all time’ and I suspect, after his performance of the night, he may experience a sudden rise among even those elite ranks. John Petrucci performed a very fierce and technically perfect solo during the first song of their set; a song which happened to be about 16 minutes long. John Myung, not be outdone, performed a visually and technically stunning duet with Petrucci later on in the night. All through their set, James LaBrie’s voice never faltered. His notes sounded pitch perfect from start to finish.

There were some elements incorporated into Dream Theater’s music that sounded Indian, Bollywood inspired. It was at one of these points when Myung and Petrucci performed their highly impressive metal duet. (Something which I am sure their fans would love to relive on one of Dream Theater’s bootlegs!) All throughout the set I was impressed with the tight performances of each one of the band members. They each did a truly incredible job and everyone was spot on. It sounded well-practiced but never stale.

It was a surreal experience in a traditional metal, sometimes haunting and sometimes heavy, Dream Theater kind of way. I especially enjoyed their ballad style songs, which reminded me a lot of Led Zeppelin’s unmistakable, classic style and sounds. Dream Theater is currently touring with Iron Maiden and I highly recommend seeing these two fiercely talented bands play. If you already have seen them perform, well then I would recommend seeing them play again, because they will blow your mind in the best possible way.

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PHOTO GALLERIES:

* DREAM THEATER :: PHOTO GALLERY

* CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED :: PHOTO GALLERY

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INTERVIEW:

– DREAM THEATER: Mike Portnoy

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For more information on:

DREAM THEATER : www.dreamtheater.net

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CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED :