Rustbelt Rock Review

By: Z.M. Delgado

Rustbeltrockreview.com

Volume #125: The Great Iron Snake “Ophiuchus” Album Release Party with special guest Dead East Garden

February 24th, 2024

The Five O’Clock Lounge, 11904 Detroit Ave, Lakewood, OH 44107

Well, well, well… What do we have here? It appears as if it is time for yet another installment of the all knowing, all seeing Rustbelt Rock Review. Here I sit, fresh from another show with many a thought upon my mind. Last night I was fortunate enough to partake in one of my favorite rituals here in the underground: The Album Release Show. (The album in question is of course “Ophiuchus” by The Great Iron Snake. For my full review of the album please check out RbRR #118) For those of you who never miss an issue, you’ll know that there is nothing I love more about this job than attending an album release. There is always such a positive energy in the club. Such a tangible excitement that it is hard not to get caught up in the vibe. Our hard working local musicians bust their asses and spill their souls writing songs. Then they have to begin the arduous task of recording them for distribution. Then they have to print the album, book the show and promote the damn thing. All the while they pour precious time and money into the project, working toward this point: the release. The pivotal moment when all the hard work comes to fruition. The night of all nights, when friends, family and fans gather to party. It is always a cathartic moment in any bands timeline. So with all that being said, it brings us back to last Saturday night when I was headed west toward The Five O’Clock Lounge or simply “The 5” as it is often referred. I arrived a few minutes before doors and made a quick circuit of the club. There were few people on the scene at that time so I grabbed a corner table and settled in to pass the time. As the minutes ticked by, people trickled in. I got the chance to talk to Damien of The Great Iron Snake and also bumped into Corey of Bessemer Saints (Later Terry would make an appearance as well!). As 9pm neared the bar began to fill up. I abandoned my booth and headed toward the back room; grabbing up a nice chunk of floor center stage. It wasn’t long before the remanding clientele did the same in dire anticipation for the music to begin.

The show wasn’t exactly on a tight schedule. As such, it was perhaps twenty past nine when Dead East Garden took to the stage. This is a three piece Hard Rock act made up of Guitar/Vocals, Bass and Drums. The room had a decent crowd packed in as the set began. They opened up with a very nice riff which indicated to me that there was more than likely going to be a very solid rock sound to follow. As it turns out I was right. Dead East Garden fired up there set and immediately drew me in. The vocals were clean and hung out in the higher end of the spectrum. I really dug there Bass work, both in sound and style. The man behind the four strings had a nice fat tone that really carried the songs forward. The Guitarist laid out some slick solo’s along the way and I have to note that the drummer played hard. This man pounded his kit, each strike like a pistol shot, echoing throughout the space. On their second number they slowed it down and produced some tripped out shit that was like candy for my stoney mind. The riff was haunting; reverberating as the Wah-Wah pedal bent the notes to perfection. Though this song started out on the chill side, it would soon explode into loud heavy bursts before falling back into the groove. By this time I was figuring out that Dead East Garden writes lengthy and complex songs, with multiple parts and a lot of changes. Next they fired up a song called “Into Sleep.” This was another trippy one. It was packed with these instrumental breaks that were lengthy but never boring. In fact I found the bands impressive musicianship to bridged the gap from one segment of the song and into the next. On their fourth song, the singer went all in and delivered some big notes, which the crowd really seemed to enjoy. The Bass again impressed me, with it’s hypnotic, flowing vibe. Closing out with their fifth track, they finished up hard and Rockin’. An upbeat song with a good groove and sweet Guitar action; it sewed up the set nicely. Dead East Garden finished strong and the crowd response reflected that fact. To big cheers and hearty applause, they took their final bows and said good night. The fans dissipated, drifting back to the bar area as the bands began the equipment swap. I found my cohort Jimmy “The Dook” Fedor from Roxxxstarradio, and together we set out into the crowd. We headed out back where we found Nick from Galactic Reptile who was kind enough to roast a fat doobie with us. Over the course of the joint we discussed important scene happenings, most notably the approach of Dogrock IV (March 30th). When the joint was concluded we headed back in and made our way back to the stage.

Eric Stevenson: The Official Tattoo Artist of the Rustbelt Rock Review
@ericstevensonart

Soon enough it was go time. The Great Iron Snake was coming to the stage. Releasing there new album, “Ophiuchus” The Great Iron Snake was primed and ready to launch. Built from Guitar/Vocals, Bass/Backing Vocals and Drums/Backing Vocals, the band took the stage and ran through a quick soundcheck. I was impressed by the crowd draw as “The 5” packed to the gills with eager Metalheads. Once soundcheck was complete, the soundboard piped in a little something from the album: the acoustic number “Raised on Lies (Under Poisoned Skies). While this played out, the drummer ran to get a drink and we all waited for him to return. When he finally was planted firmly behind his kit, the long awaited spectacle could finally begin. Opening with “Chem Trails and Lizard Tails” The Great Iron Snake hit the ground running. The Vocals were clean, but coarse and grainy. In fact I would say that the Vox were about as close to dirty as you can get and still be considered clean, if that makes sense. However you categorization them, they sounded damn good as The Snake rolled along. With strong gang Vocals coming from the Bass and Drums, the song was punched up significantly. I was also impressed with the stage presence of their frontman, as he rocked out pretty hard as he played. Next they broke into “Pungent Porcelain,” a rock solid jam. This is one of my favorite cuts off the album, and while I love the recording, I have to tell you it is way better live. The Bass had a nice humming groove that I was vibing on for certain. I also noted that the song had a wicked Guitar solo and a nice breakdown that closed it out. Complaining that the floor monitor was inadequate, the set had a brief delay while a chair was located. This was then used to prop up the monitor putting it closer to the singers ears. It was a comical little display of guerrilla live sound being implemented, and yet it worked. The singer could hear himself again and the set progressed as if nothing had happened at all. I failed to jot down the title of the 3rd song, but I can tell you it had a bad ass riff, a bouncing tempo and it had me dancing. Fourth was the Bass driven “Ellipsis.” This one was a lot of fun and had a seriously improvisational feel to it. I noticed many fans dancing and singing along, clearly caught up in the moment. They followed that up with an old one entitled “Old World.” This one is described in my notes as “stomping, pounding, heavy ass shit.” The meat of this song was a lengthy instrumental portion that felt like a jam session. With a searing solo that truly impressed, The Great Iron Snake earned a large round of applause.

“Scapegoated and Demonized” was next, another old one. This one had a mellow sort of chill riff to begin. It was smooth with a big Rock chorus and some gnarly Vox. I also noted that the song had a great solo and some fantastic drum work along the way. Here they blew the roof off The 5 when they dropped “Looks Like New Destruction.” This is one hell of a Rock song, to be sure and it is a killer live. The room was moving and shaking it as the song rolled on. During an instrumental break some drunk guy jumped up on stage and began shouting into the microphone inarticulately. Luckily the man was too far from the mic to be picked up well, and as such his rantings were barely audible. (The band did not look amused by this and the drunk got a brief talking to between songs, lol.) They ended this song with an outtro pulled from Megadeth’s “Wake up Dead” which was pretty cool. “August” was next and my notes read this is “a Rockin’ song that you can really sink your teeth into.” The band delivered a passionate performance here as the Vocals roared and the solo soared. With another kick ass breakdown The Great Iron Snake just seemed to roll on and on. Closing out their set The Great Iron Snake decided to go out with a pair of covers. First they hammered out a slick rendition of “Touch Too Much” by AC/DC. This is one of my all time favorite songs by the band, and it was cool to see it performed. Much like myself, the crowd ate this up, singing along all the while. Finally for the grand finale they hammered out a fantastic and energetic version of MC5’s “Kick Out The Jams.” This was a blast to be a part of. (The drummer took over main vocal duties for this one.) It was trucking along in fine style when in the midst of a flurry of movement, the singers Guitar became unplugged. Then, swooping in like a super hero, was none other than Chris Hunter. Now anyone who has spent much time in the Cleveland Scene, has surely come across Chris at some point. He is a really solid dude, who is always down for a hot band and a cold beer. That being said, last night he was Johnny on the spot. He saw that Guitar come unplugged and he acted with all speed. Scooping up the wire, he got the instrument in question plugged back in and Rockin’ again in time to save the song. What can I say? Not all heroes wear capes. With their Guitarist back in business The Great Iron Snake finished up with fire. The room exploded in cheers and The Great Iron Snake said good night. It had been and incredible set. The band had blown through their time in a blur of solos, breakdowns and wailing notes. Now the faithful mobbed the stage and The Great Iron Snake tried to pack up their gear in peace. As they received some much deserved praise, the crowd dispersed and I drifted toward the door.

Saying my goodbyes along the way I headed out into the freezing night air and hurried toward my car. Shivering with cold I started up the engine cranked the heater and turned her east toward home. I threw on the new Bessemer Saints album and hit the highway with many Metal thoughts to think. Wow, what a show! It had been a blast. Dead East Garden really impressed me. They had a great sound and played with a lot of heart. Based on their style and vibe, I thought they were a perfect choice to open up this gig. The Great Iron Snake was even better! They delivered their songs with power and passion and in general, they were a really good time. Yes, it had been a good show indeed and I am glad that I made it. The company was great and the Five O’Clock Lounge is always a fun place to experience some live music at. All in all I would chalk up The Great Iron Snake album release party for “Ophiuchus” as a blazing success. On that note I will bring this edition to a close. Let us raise a toast! Here’s to Metal! And here is to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Heaviness! Bang your heads! Hoist your Horns! Wear your earplugs and as always… Thank you so much for reading!

Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt,

-Z.M. Delgado

Rustbelt Rock Review

Rustbeltrockreview.com

02/25/2024

Links:

The Great Iron Snake

https://thegreatironsnake.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/thegreatironsnake/

Dead East Garden

https://www.facebook.com/deadeastgarden/

https://deadeastgarden.bandcamp.com/album/1-x-1