Rustbelt Rock Review

By: Z.M. Delgado

Rustbeltrockreview.com

Volume #143: Bound by Fate, Avowal & Tundra

June 22nd, 2024

Maple Grove Tavern 14832 Pease Rd, Maple Heights, OH 44137

Why, hello there. Welcome to the 143rd installment of the Rustbelt Rock Review. Here we discuss all things Hard Rock and Heavy Metal in Northeast Ohio and beyond. This week, Saturday night to be precise, I found myself headed south to Maple Heights, to one of my favorite places to take in a gig: The Maple Grove Tavern. It was an especially hot evening, and when I arrived the outside temperature was surely into the 90’s. I hit my pen a few times before heading inside. After paying the cover, I made my way upstairs where I said hello to some familiar faces. With some time to kill I mingled and meandered in and out of the club, puffing away at my vape all the while. I ran into a lot of folks over the course of the night, and I don’t remember exactly when I encountered each individual. For what it’s worth, here’s a few not worthy sightings while were on the subject. Tom and Terry of Bessemer Saints were there in support of their band mate Shaggy, who also gigs in Bound by Fate. I also ran into Louis from Wyld Timez as well as Joe from Voices of the Damned. In addition to these most excellent musicians, there was a sizable crowd assembled. They were drinking and smoking and just in general gearing up for what promised to be a solid night of Metal. With my feet planted firmly before the stage, I prepared myself for the start of the show.

First to the stage was Tundra. For those of you who have been following along recently, surely you have read a thing or two about this band by now. They are young, hungry and extremely hardworking and as such they have been popping up on a LOT of gigs around town. By sheer luck of the draw I have been at quite a few of those performances and I have had the pleasure of watching the band develop up to this point. For those of you who are just now hearing of Tundra for the first time, let me give you a little info. Tundra is a four piece Traditional Heavy Metal band made up of Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Drums. They are currently gigging in support of their demo and a pair of singles, “Grim Reaper” and “Hell’s Heroes,” while working on a larger EP/album. As they took the stage I noticed their drummer was once again wearing a chain mail coif as he sat before a banner bearing the bands name. They opened up with one of those new singles, “Hell’s Heroes” and immediately set the room ablaze. Heads banged and horns were hoisted high as Tundra kick started the show and shifted directly into high gear. My first note reads they “sound really tight,” and as I recall, they did. Tundra looked completely focused and in perfect sync... and they stayed that way. I also noted that the opening number contained an absolute facemelter of a Guitar solo; the first of many. With their cover of Thor’s “Thunder on the Tundra” they kept the energy going strong. “Sword and Shield” brought with it a galloping cadence, heavy drum action and a heavy dose of whoas! Next they brought the heavy with the blazing fast “Napalm Bomb.” This song is a real ripper with an excellent Bass line and Drums that absolutely punish. With an aggressive vocal cadence they brought forth the “King of the Barbarians.” More “whoas!” emerged from the Guitarist when he wasn’t busy ripping his Guitar and flexing his whammy bar. On the next number, the Bass began to rattle off some rapid fire notes ushering in “The Voices are Calling.” The drums were absolutely calamitous, pummeling the audience with thunder. Meanwhile the Guitarist delivered yet another devastating solo. It was unreal. “Grim Reaper” was next and that had me certifiably stoked. I really dig this track. Taking a look at my notes and they kind of say it all: “Fucking badass,” “Killer chorus,” “Riff like a knife,” and “Lead licks expertly applied.” Following that came “Tried and True.” This song has a wicked drum pattern with what sounded like some uncanny cowbell action. The Bass man laid down some wah-wah infused grooves with his monster 6 string Bass. Simultaneously the audience did their part, singing along to the chorus; echoing the words “Tried and True!” Finally they closed out with a brand new song entitled “The Hammer of Horror.” The band described it as having a Black Sabbath feel to it and I am inclined to agree. The song rocked in true Tundra fashion, eventually evolving into an instrumental jam. At that point the frontman simply left the stage and allowed the band to play on to the songs eventual completion. The crowd erupted! The air was filled with well deserved applause and ample cheers. The final song had been truly excellent and had brought the set to a satisfying conclusion. I have seen Tundra quite a few times now and I have to say this may have been their best set to date. They continue to gain experience and momentum, rocking shows and gaining fan support along the way. I foresee a bright future for the Tundra boys and wish them luck as they seize their rightful place here in the Scene. For fans of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, check out Tundra today.

Tundra finished up and the crowd dispersed. I ran into my friend Jaime and together we headed outside and smoked a joint. We were joined by a dude who introduced himself as Cliff. I later learned that this was the Guitarist of Bound by Fate. Cliff matched my doobie and together we got mightily stoned. We also had some good conversations about music and of course, bitched about the heat. Once the joints were done, we headed back in and got set for our next performers. Up second was Avowal. This was my first time checking out this band, so I had no idea what to expect. I enjoy going into a set with a completely blank slate. It gives me the opportunity to give my raw impressions in a way that I just can’t do once I have a band’s sound figured out. That being said, here are my initial observations: Avowal is a four piece, female fronted band consisting of Guitar/Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Drums. On their bandcamp they define themselves as “Thrashing death punk/sludge. Genre defying metal.” They opened up heavy as fuck and I was immediately taken with their whole style, particularly the Vocals. The singers voice was nasty; grating and ruthless. The band’s sound was excellent, and I have now established that, while I may not know exactly what “Thrashing death punk/sludge” is, I know I like it. I learned more about this sound as the set progress I noted things like “Kind of Thrashy, kind of Black Metal, Kind of Punk.” Yes, there were a lot of different elements going on and mixing together in Avowal and as I listened I began to see where the “Genre defying metal” thing came from. This truly was a band that resisted classification. Their third song was dedicated to all the women in the room. It was hard, fast and brutal with hard hitting drum work, vicious vocals and a ripping solo. The fourth number in the set had a slow chugging intro but once it picked up it grew into something truly monstrous. I describe it as having a “hard charging, punching riff.” Their fifth song, entitled “Death,” was fast, heavy, short and sweet with some bitchin drum work. On track six they unleashed a “super aggressive cacophony of heaviness.” The vocalist “absolutely roars” with a “huge animalistic voice.” For their seventh song my notes read, “Demonic assault on our ears. Vile and magnificent.” They closed out with their eighth track, a song called “Devil.” This one was heavy as fuck, with a relentless drum assault. I also noted here that the Bass player was truly a great performer head banging, hoisting his bass and employing a lot of pick scrapes. With that Avowal finished up and the crowd exploded. Cheers rose from all corners of the club in recognition of an obviously awesome performance. With true fire Avowal had taken the Maple Grove by storm and blew the hair back of all in attendance. It was a devastating affair. I for one was floored. This was a band that I have obviously slept on. I have seen their name on flyers and heard it around town enough times that I should have checked them out sooner. Well better late than never. If you like shit that is legitimately different and has a raw and jagged edge then you should check out Avowal right away. For fans of Eyehategod, Wraith and Necroprophecy, Avowal is not to be missed.

With our second act now at completion Jaime and I once again headed down to the parking lot to blaze another doob. We were joined by our friends Tree and Tom and probably some other reefer heads, but I don’t remember who. Either way, once we finished smoking we headed back inside and strapped in because Bound by Fate was just gearing up to throw down. This was another band that I was coming in blind on. I had never heard them prior to the gig and had no idea what to expect. They took to the stage and I learned they are a four piece band, constructed from Vocals, Guitar, Bass/Backing Vocals and Drums. Returning from some sort of hiatus, I believe I heard that this was their first gig in perhaps as long as two years. Time off aside, they were all present and accounted for on the night in question and I was interested to see what they could do. They opened up extremely heavy with a sound that I quickly labeled as some sort of Groove Metal. Things started well but hit an early snag with some technical difficulties on the Guitar side. They quickly recovered and rocked on into their second track. Here I noted that they had a “really great sound overall.” Despite being semi retired, it was clear that Bound by Fate still knew how to Rock after a couple of years off. Their third song had a dope Bass intro and a really Rockin’ rhythm. Here the Bassist put the groove in Groove Metal as he laid down a line that was equal parts heavy and smooth. Their fourth song was heavy and fast. It had a slippery and sweet riff that I particularly enjoyed. As well as lyrics which took a hard line on law enforcement; this I also enjoyed. While the singer announced he was not a fan of the song, I personally thought it was a bad ass track, and one of the strongest of the set. On their fifth song the singers voice presented itself as hybrid of a scream and a growl and in general was brutal. I also made some notes proclaiming the excellence of the drum sound. Ironically enough, even as I was going on about the very subject, the technical difficulties again struck Bound by Fate; this time in the form of a high hat malfunction. A fan lent some assistance and soon enough the drum kit was whole again, with the drummer never seeming to have missed a single beat. The sixth song had a shredding intro with a pounding cadence. I made a note here about he excellent stage presence of the Bass player, Shaggy (Bessemer Saints/Rick Ray Band/Salt Sinclair); this man is a certified animal on stage. He gets down like no other while laying out some of the best bass lines in our Scene. Next came a song called “Stalker.” This one had vocals coming in the form of deep growls. The verse was chewing and very aggressive and over all I have to site this as another of the bands stand out tracks. The eighth song had a Bluesy intro and clean Vox delivered with a hint of a snarl. The song picked up and a growl crept into the vox as hard driving drums and excellent riffs carried the song away. “Eternal Warfare” was next and it was super heavy and very fast. It climaxed with some vicious lengthy screams. “Stand and Fight” was hard, fast and aggressive with great drums and a ripping solo. Next was a song about a nuclear holocaust called “Brink of Extinction.” This one was truly bad ass and my notes say simply “This song rips.” They closed out with “Rebuild the Man” which had the entire room with their horns in the air. This one had some big “Whoas!” on the chorus and not one, not two, but three slaying Guitar solo’s. It was without a doubt an epic closer. With that Bound by Fate was finished. The fans howled and applauded with rabid enthusiasm. It had been an amazing set. It seemed that once you dragged these boys out of retirement and dusted them off, there was still one bad ass Metal band underneath. For fans of Pantera, Clutch and Corrosion of Conformity, Bound by Fate might be just what you need.

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

After a few quick goodbyes, I slipped out the door and into the night. I drove home and thought hard about all I had just witnessed. It started with yet another chapter in Tundra’s ascendancy. Seeing this band claw its way up the ladder, rising to new heights with each passing gig is a genuine pleasure. Avowal floored me. I was blown away by their sound and stage presence so much so that I went home and immediately bought their catalog on bandcamp. If that isn’t my full endorsement, then I don’t know what is. Finally Bound by Fate was outstanding. They brought their veteran presence to the stage and absolutely blew the doors off the Maple Grove with power and authority. With all that being said, I have to proclaim it an excellent show and an evening well spent. I made it home and hit the sack with echoes of Guitar chords still ringing in my head. And that my friends, is that. Another weekend passed, another bad ass show under my belt. That is how we do it here and the Rustbelt Rock Review. On that note I believe I will bring this edition to a close. As always I want to than you for reading and for supporting our local music Scene. Keep your horns held high and always wear you earplugs.

Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt,

-Z.M. Delgado

Rustbelt Rock Review

Rustbeltrockreview.com

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Links:

Bound by Fate

https://www.facebook.com/boundbyfateband/

https://sliptrickrecords.com/bound-by-fate/

Avowal

https://avowalband.bandcamp.com/music

https://www.instagram.com/avowalband/