TECHNICAL MUSIC REVIEW
*All photos by Crown Vick Photography
Two years ago, after a slew of unfortunate events unfolded, Brian Platter was faced with four vacant spaces and a tough decision to make. Surely, he could’ve chosen to put The Last Reign to rest, as most likely would have with the challenges he was faced with. But Brian picked himself up by his bootstraps, and within a matter of months (MONTHS!), he had filled the rather large voids and The Last Reign was ready to push forward once again.
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It’s pretty safe to say that I know nothing about stoner/doom stuff, and I refuse to talk out my ass about something I’m ignorant of. But Chelseigh did a solid job cracking open the night with their droney riffs and nasty gutturals.
Duskwalker, from the better side of Niagara Falls played their first show in in the States last night, and I’m glad we could offer them a warm welcome. Covering a multitude of metal genres, Duskwalker were certainly a breath of fresh air in a scene where musical experimentation and genre blending seems to be at at a low point. As much as I look forward to them playing here more frequently, I would love to see them rock out on their home turf.
Greg DiPasquale’s recent departure from Seplophile was a huge bummer for me; he’s been involved in some big name (local) projects, i.e. From This Day and Herod back in the day, and certainly paid some dues in the almighty Sons of Azrael. One who has his level of skill, energy and passion shouldn’t ever be allowed to just call it quits. So needless to say, it was incredible to see him back on stage playing a couple songs with the Fatal Curse guys. Surely, they’d have done a stellar performance without him, but Greg added the right amount of extra dimension that they wouldn’t have had otherwise.
And lastly, our headliners. The Last Reign’s previous lineup left some rather colossal shoes to fill; not just in regards to their outstanding musicianship, but also in regards to the camaraderie, companionship and chemistry the group had.
But with a ton of hard work, and a few solid strokes of luck, Brian has recruited a stellar lineup: Vince Mayer (ex-One’s Own Blood) on guitar, Seth Welty (Truth Behind the Lies, Elastic Endeavor), Colin Marmion (Eyes of the Blind, ex-Pollock) on drums, and Adam Svensson (ex-Fireborn, ex-Dragonwind) on vocals. Brian and the new gang played songs throughout their discography, from the Devastation demo, their first LP Expulsion of Paradise, and even some new currently unreleased tracks from a concept album in the works.
What I saw last night was complete reassurance that Brian had recruited not only musicians that could keep up with old material, but have the musical prowess to properly contribute to The Last Reign’s new future. AND their on stage chemistry and energy were absolutely heartwarming. I didn’t think Brian could do it, but he did, THEY did it.
I’m so proud of these dudes, and I’m excited to bear witness to the future ahead.
Originally published on Technical Music Review. Republished with permission.
