Rustbelt Rock Review

By: Z.M. Delgado

Rustbeltrockreview.com

Volume #130: Ragers, Beast Killer & Fawx

March 22nd, 2024

Five O'clock Lounge 11904 Detroit Ave, Lakewood, OH 44107

Hello my friends and welcome back to my personal Rock N’ Roll travelogue aka the Rustbelt Rock Review. This week I got to check out a gig that I have been looking forward to for a while. It went down at the Five O’clock Lounge this past Friday night. It was the Ragers EP release show as well as a celebration for their Guitarist’s 50th birthday. Ragers brought with them some incredible support, the one/two punch of Beast Killer and Fawx. It was a stacked line up to be sure and I was ready and raring to go. I left the house around 8pm, and scooped up my brother, Face (Guitar/Vandalizard), and headed west. We arrived in Lakewood, found a halfway decent parking spot and made our way to the club. Immediately upon entering The Five, I was excited to see the state of the crowd. That is to say, the place was packed. We were able to grab the only two available bar stools, where we watched a chunk of the Cavs game to pass the time. Eventually we slipped back to the patio and got wrapped up in some conversation with random people. As these conversations played out I noticed a rumbling sound emerging from the building. It became disturbingly clear to me that Fawx had started. Realizing we’d lost track of time, we raced to the stage and weaved through the crowd. Adopting a nice chunk of floor, we settled in; hopefully not having missed too much of the set.

Fawx is a four piece Indy Punk band, made up of Bass/Vocals, Guitar/Backing Vocal, Guitar and Drums. When we arrived at center stage, they were midway through their jam “Shred It.” The crowd was packed in fairly tightly and the room was warming up. Meanwhile, the band was getting down, moving to the music. The song had a serious groove to it, driven primarily by the prevalence of the Bass in the mix. Fawx’s next one had a very fun sound. It was fast and had a fresh vibe; something like a beach party. They delivered some serious riffs here as well as some well placed vocal reverb. I believe the third song was entitled “Wave.” This one was hard and had a fast tempo that really pushed the lyrics. It also brought with it a smooth break down with some nice lead licks.

The next song, their Guitarist explained, was “about that bitch I lived with in Florida.” I could be mistaken, but I believe it was called “708 Sutton Place.” This is another great track, with a quick tempo a really catchy chorus. “Donuts” was next in the setlist. This song has a funky, smooth sort of verse followed by extremely Rockin portions with ripping solo work. The sixth cut had good harmony on the chorus and a lot of fun vibes. Seventh in the setlist was another hard Rocker. I wrote that this one had a great hook, with some noteworthy gang vocals. Their eighth song was an exciting super danceable sing-songy affair. The crowd was moving by this point; dancing and grooving to the music. I noticed some ladies down in front were singing along word for word. Their final number, which I believe was called “Sneakers,” really impressed me. It was fast with great drum work, impressive lead guitar licks and a wicked solo. The room erupted in cheers as Fawx finished up in explosive fashion. They had played a truly excellent set full of high energy, good vibe songs and based on what I saw, the fans approved wholeheartedly.

We drifted back out to the patio briefly and then returned to the stage to get an ideal vantage point to watch Beast Killer do their thing. This band is one of my favorite performers in our scene. They are a two piece forged from Guitar/Vocal and Drums. Their style is straight up Rock N’ Roll with a touch of Punk Rock and a dash of Heavy Metal. Again the room was packed full of Rockers waiting in dire anticipation for what was to come. They opened with their self titled song “Beast Killer” and from the first notes they set the room on fire. I noted that they had outstanding stage presence; both men playing incredibly hard. “Violent Creatures” was next. Here I noted how the drummer absolutely attacked his kit with animalistic fury. I was losing it at this point; singing along, headbanging and throwing my horns to the sky like a madman. “Broken Glass” came soon after and it went of like a rocket. Beast Killer was in top form as they tore into this track. The singer wailed from behind his Guitar. The drummer was seen throwing his sticks in the air then catching them mid song, without ever missing a beat. Sweating, screaming, blazing Rock N’ Roll rained down from the stage.

Next Beast Killer dug into their new material starting with the hard, fast “Pixels.” Following that we got “Comet,” which has an incredibly catchy chorus. The next song I believe was called “Bitter” and my notes say it “really punches.” For their seventh song they broke out their cover of Jimmy Hendrix’s “Maniac Depression.” This one goes over really well live and has some impressive drumwork rolled in. Continuing with the new stuff they broke out the dark and intense “Fairy Tale.” Immediately following that they brought forth the hard charging “The Curse.” Next they played my all time favorite Beast Killer song: “Elitist.” This song is the anthem for my love for this band. They have played it every time I have seen them and I hope they never stop. It is a truly powerful crowd pleaser of a song and I love to scream along with it. At this point we got a fun little interlude, where Beast Killer broke out a portion of Iron Maiden’s “Sanctuary.” Finally bringing their time to a close, Beast Killer chose “Neurotic Ep1 Se3” to say good night with. Another of my favorites, “Neurotic” is a headbanger with passion and heart. I shouted along word for word, leading up to the climactic finale when we all screamed “Beast Killer!” over and over again until we went hoarse. That, my friends, is how you end a set. With ears ringing and fans screaming with delight. With every ounce of energy, heart, passion and soul bled out on the floor of a club. Yes that us how you end a set. Beast Killer tore it down, that’s for sure. With their time now over it was back to the patio to mingle and to wait for our third and final act of the night.

Closing out the evening was Ragers. This is a four man group made up of Guitar/Vocals, Bass, Guitar/Backing Vocals, Drums/Backing Vocals. They play what I would describe as a solid Rock N’ Roll sound, which hovers between Hard Rock and Punk with some Indy vibes. The room was packed to the gills when they opened up with a song that I believe was called “Blood.” I immediately noted they had great stage presence. The Lead singer was headbanging and he lost his glasses. They fell between his feet and he then proceeded to stomp on them in a fit of on stage madness. The rest of the band was not far behind, everyone moving to the music. Next was “Glitter Girl.” This one started out slower, and gradually built a Rockin’ finish. It was Bass heavy and danceable, as many people down in front were seen getting down to this jam. Third in the line was “The Witch.” This one kept the crowd moving with a bouncing Bass line, some good harmony’s and a nice Guitar solo. Next was “Death Blow,” a great Rock song with excellent energy. On this one the vocals jumped back and forth between the two Guitarists to great effect.

After that that dropped “Trainwreck Town” where the bands stage presence really jumped up a few levels of intensity. “OCR” brought a heavier sound with a nice fuzzy Bass tone and more of that explosive stage presence. On “Undertow” they summoned a slower number with hammering transitions. The vocalist went big on this one unleashing notes steeped in emotion. Next they dropped a Bass driven fast number called “Amnesia” which had nice riffs and some cool lead work. On their 9th song they announced it to be their last one. It was here that the band asked “Where’s the weed?” Immediately a number of fans produced vape pens and passed them around the stage. Once the Ragers was sufficiently stoned, they announced the next song would be “Kill your Politics.” This one was fast and driving and inspired a small but lively circle pit. Once the pit calmed down the dancing continued as the song played out. But… Ragers wasn’t through yet. We stopped here to sing happy birthday to their guitarist “Matt” who was in fact turning 50 on the evening in question. Next the busted out a song which may have bee called “Kids.” This one Rocked to be sure and had some more of those great back and forth vocal moments. For their final song, Ragers chose to drop a cover of the Nirvana classic “Breed.” They hammered through it at high speed, receiving guest vocals from a man named “Pants.” The cover was well received and the crowd went bananas one last time singing along to the time honored song. Then they were done. Ragers said goodnight and the show came to a close.

Face and I mingled for a time, saying goof night and perusing the merch. I had great conversations with both of the boys from Beast Killer and their singer Chris even gifted me a patch… Which was mighty kind of him. Eventually we concluded our talks and headed back to the car. We drove home excited by the music we had just heard. We talked of our experience and of future gigs we intended to attend. With Punching Moses blaring on the stereo we rode on into the night; homeward bound. It was a good night. We had checked out three great bands and each put on a great show. Fawx had been a blast. Their music has a danceable vibe and a contagious energy. Boil it down to the basics and Fawx was a lot of fun and that is ultimately all you can ask of a performer to be. Beast Killer once again impressed the hell out of me. They play with heart and passion and they really put on an intense show. Based on what I saw Friday night, their upcoming album should be a banger. Finally Ragers was a blast. They played hard and with heart. They amped the crowd and showed off great stage presence to boot. In short, they Rocked. And I suppose that is all I have to say on this subject. I do believe it is time to bring this installment of the RbRR to a close. Farewell my friends and as always… Bang your head, hoist your horns and always wear your earplugs.

Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt,

-Z.M. Delgado

Rustbelt Rock Review

Rustbeltrockreview.com

3/24-3/25/2024

Links:

Ragers

https://www.facebook.com/Ragersband/

https://www.instagram.com/ragerscleveland/

Beast Killer

https://www.facebook.com/BeastKillerBand/

https://beastkillerband.bandcamp.com/