By Andrew Bansal
April 5th 2015, Loaded Rock Bar, Hollywood CA: In recent weeks, the ever-pleasant and welcoming Loaded Hollywood has played host to an increasingly regular trend of Sunday rock/metal matinee shows, organized by Metal Sanaz. For those still tired, beaten and hungover from Saturday nights at the very same venue, these matinee events, outlined by very tempting special offers on chicken wings and beer, serve as great doses in active recovery. Being completely free of any cover charge and typically running from 4 to 7 PM, they leave Hollywood rock enthusiasts no reason to be anywhere else. On this occasion, the lineup featured the return of rising LA progpower force Novareign, and South Bay epic metal quintet Soulera, both bringing mind-boggling amounts of shred to this stage and giving a decently sized turnout much to cheer about.
Promptly at 4 PM, Soulera were ready to take the stage. Observing the body language and the manner in which a band sets up before they play invariably gives me a good or bad feeling about what would ensue, regardless of whether or not I’ve previously heard the band’s music. I somehow got a strongly positive feeling about Soulera, and I’m glad to report that I was not wrong, as they left a great first impression on everyone in attendance, presenting excellently crafted songs with conviction. Their blend of solid low-register clean vocals and incredible guitar work was undeniably attractive, but besides, they possessed more than one dimension even in this short 30-minute set as they varied the tempo and went from breakneck speed to mellow jazz/blues centric jams. Lovers of shred guitar in Los Angeles can add Soulera to the list of must-see bands.
Next up, Novareign began their epic onslaught, drawing the audience nearer and nearer to the stage as their set progressed, raising voices and air-guitaring fingers in the process and garnering plenty of cheers and salutes, with attendees loving every single moment of their performance. Punctuated by perfectly executed high-pitched clean vocals and an unmissably solid rhythm section, Novareign’s musicianship is focussed on the exploits of their guitarists, and the duo is leaving no stone unturned in redefining the very meaning and boundaries of the word shred. These Novareign tunes constitute a representation and interpretation of progressive power metal more righteous and instantly captivating than any Los Angeles band has come up with in recent times. Their bassist, who was by no means overshadowed by his band mates and put forth an extremely enjoyable performance himself, is parting ways with Novareign, and they now seek a new bass player. One hopes that they would find one sooner than later, because Los Angeles and the rest of the world needs to get familiarized with the gratifying experience of a live Novareign show.
Together, Novareign and Soulera are truly bringing a new dawn of the shred, and fans of the genre must take notice.