APRIL 30th, 2024
THE TOUR WITH NO NAME FT: DOYLE & OTEP
Review by: Yolanda Cota

It’s a Saturday night and I’m stuck in traffic in my Uber and I’m thinking “The show doesn’t start until 6 or 6:30 because all shows start a bit late, don’t they?”. Well, just my luck, they started right at 5:30. I thought there was going to be three bands playing, but in fact, there was six! I was a bit peeved, but I made the best out of it.

The first band was named Show Me God. I didn't make it on time to catch their set, but I spoke to one of the band members and he directed me to their site. I asked him what kind of sound they had and he described them as a theatrical shock-rock band reminiscent of Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson. I listened to a few of their songs, and I would agree, but I would also throw in a little Ministry for good measure. Two songs I thoroughly enjoyed were “Macabre Dance” and their cover of Cindy Lauper’s “She Bop”.

The next band was The Unit. They are a duo out of Long Beach,CA. If I could describe them, I’d say that if Alice In Chains and L7 had a child, and if that child started a punk inspired metal band, that would be an accurate assessment. The drumming was very solid, and the vocals had me reminiscing about Kathleen Hannah in her Bikini Kill day and Donita Sparks from L7. Their best song, in my opinion, is “All That’s Left”.

Unfortunately, I didn’t catch the name of the third band, but I categorize them as a pure rock n’ roll band. I spoke to the very talented bassist, and he was delightful. If I could compare them to any kind of band, it would probably be a little bit of Down with a slight influence of Lamb of God.

Next up was Antania. I don’t know where to start. This duo hails from Joshua Tree, CA.  I mean, it doesn't get any more deserted as that in California. Kali Mortem on vocals brings back the nostalgic voice of Angela Gassow of Arch Enemy and the crushing music by Dr. Luna completely destroyed my expectations. To top it all off, the music was all played on a mixing board! Slayer seems to be an influence here and Kali’s vocals remind me a bit of Autopsy, but only vocal-wise. They have an industrial edge with black metal roots. Some songs worth checking out are “The God Complex” and “D3D Solz”.

After them, Red Devil Vortex took the stage. They sounded more like hard rock than metal. There are some metal riffs and good guitar solos. Their music is along the lines of newer Motley Crüe, but the vocals sound more like Asking Alexandria, a bit of a unique tone if you ask me. There are some similar tones of Dimebag Darrell in the guitar, but a bit softer. Not my kind of music, but if you like more hardcore/hard rock bands with very little screaming and smoother vocals, then this would be for you. A standout song would be “Waling The Wire”.

Now we get into Otep. I can’t say enough about this band and, of course, their lead singer, Otep Shamaya. Sevas Tra was one of the most pivotal albums of my youth. I grew up with more alternative rock of the mid to late 90’s and metal from the late 80’s, but they opened the doors to the harder stuff for me. Otep was one of the first female-fronted metal bands I was introduced to. I saw them when they played at Ozzfest 2002 and again in 2005 with American Head Charge. They blew me away each time I saw them, and they are no different to this day. Some say Nü Metal is dead, but there are still quite a few of the bands still out there as the Sick New World Festival has shown. The painful and aggressive vocals are still there and although the lineup has changed, the sound is still here and so is Otep Shamaya. Poetry and power have always been a staple of their sound with aggressive bass and crunching guitars. They could do no wrong in my opinion. My favorite songs of theirs has always been “Battle Ready” and “Blood Pigs”, but for their latest album, I recommend “Good For You” and “Pet”.

Last, but certainly not least, we have the headliners, Doyle. He might not be doing vocals, but I mean, come on, it’s Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein! He’s a legend and his presence is not to be messed with. Doyle’s music is more metal than horror punk, but the sound is definitely still there. Their intro song “Kiss Me as We Die” starts off with the iconic riffs of Misfits’ “Kong At the Gates” and it’s all uphill from there. Alex Story’s vocals are harsh and captivating with the aggression that makes you believe every single word he sings. We also have Luke Wright on drums. I don’t know what else to say. If you are a fan of Misfits with a metal edge, then by all means, go see or listen to Doyle. Their stand out live songs are “Kiss Me as We Die”, “Witchcraft”, and “Run for Your Life”.

I had an amazing night listening to some awesome music and I want to thank the security team at The Whisky for always taking care of me and making sure I was ok and checking on me. As I was taking pictures, some unfortunate fan pushed me towards the pit. One of the security guards pulled him aside and gave him a mouthful. Every time I go there I know I’m safe with them around. They are also so sweet to me.