Lunatic's Serenade
Phear/Prismind at the
Rockpile – Fri, Feb 20 2016
It was a night of Phear at the Rockpile, celebrating the arrival of the local power/thrash act at a packed venue like the Rockpile. Coming along for the ride was Hamilton’s latest sensation Prismind, giving the show that desirable two-punch attack.
I mean what’s not to like about two incredible bands that push the boundaries of thrash/power and prog – proving that beefy riffs and plentiful harmonies could entertain a lively crowd on a Friday night. Prismind was the first to hit the stage, diving into an energized set of numbers to get the crowd going quickly. I have seen the band live previously in Hamilton, so I was quite eager to see what they had up their sleeves for tonight’s festivities.
They performed standout numbers like “Slaves to the Machine”, “Palace of the Mighty and the High”, in addition to thrilling the audience with “Diamond Eye” and “Pawns of the Damned”. They even decided to have a little fun with arousing cover of Iron Maiden’s “Aces High” and Deep Purple’s “Highway Star” to some strong ovations from the crowd.
Prismind really set the bar in motion with their set, and once Phear took to the stage, an array of lights and evil sounding voice-over began as our introduction to the headliners pumped your adrenaline. The band opened with “Reagan’s Dream” and “Proud” to get things going so frantically and then really dug deep as they unleashed “Bloodline” and my personal favorite “Don’t Scream”.
“I mean what’s not to like about two incredible bands that push the boundaries of thrash/power and prog...”
When they got to “Heaven”, guitarist Tyson Emanuel was given the spotlight with an exceptional acoustic intro, before the ballad got into full swing. This was a number I really enjoyed and that was topped with stellar performances on “In The Name Of” and “Sea of Lies” to really push the fact home over how good Phear sound live.
The final few numbers ended the night on a high note and I must say Phear really knocked it out of the park. Vocalist Pat Mulock really knows how to command an audience and his endless energy proved his weight as a verifiable frontman. The rest of band sounded tight as ever and chimed in as key components to help cement Patrick’s impactful performance.
All in all this was a great night to be a metal fan and Phear and Prismind teamed up tonight to prove the local scene is alive and well.
Kenneth Gallant, HMS
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