Palestine Kids Show Their Heart
Review of American Legion Hall show on 1-19-02 by James

Hands down, the kids in Palestine are some of the most energetic, enthusiastic and downright entertaining crowds I have been in the presence of. If anyone has the money to put it together, I can guarantee an all-ages club would make a killing down in P-Town. As it is, shows in Palestine are held at the American Legion Hall and are very much a do-it-yourself affair. I have been down there three times and they never fail to pack the place to the fullest.

The night started with the up-and-coming Nacogdoches metal powerhouse known as Losa. Mark my words, this is a band that you WILL be hearing from in the future. In no way does this band ever fall short of greatness when you see them live. You would never have known that Saturday was their third show, ever. Vocalist Myk Hall is a man posessed when he gets behind the microphone, demanding and holding your attention the entire time Losa is onstage. Losa is one of those bands that can only be described as metal. They bring so many different influences to the table that could share a stage with every act currently on the market and win their fans over, easily. Their ending song, Killing Time By Killing You, has the single best breakdown in heavy music, ever.

Up next was Tyler's Derision. While following Losa is not a task I would wish upon any band, Derision came through in fine form. It is commendable that their bass player was able to play the entire set with his arm in a cast. While Losa and Derision had both played in Palestine before, Derision benefited from having been able to get some recorded material into the hands of the kids there. Quite a few kids could be seen singing along to the three songs on Derision's demo. The short lived mosh pit that broke out during Perfect was but a hint of how insanely violent the kids in Palestine can get. Derision ripped the crowd a new one and left em begging for more.

State of Aggression continued to build on what the first two bands got started and the moshing became increasingly more volatile, with kids literally punching and hitting each other during the songs and then trading high fives when the insanity was over. This was not your average push and shove mosh pit; these kids were fuckin nuts. This show marked the debut of guitar player Kris Karlson's monstrous new custom built cabinet that absolutely has to be seen. SOA graced the crowd with a lot of brand new material that really shows how much this band has grown since I first started going to see them. Frontman Ray Ellerbee took a note from the first two singers of the night and moved around more than I ever seen him move before, giving the crowd one hell of a stage show to watch. Despite the impromptu appearance of the fuzz in the middle of their set, SOA played on and left a lasting impression on everyone in the room, after playing the crowd-prompted encore song, before leaving the stage.

My boys in Southforty were up next. Words can not describe how much they surprised me and, I am sure, the whole room. Having seen them many times, I felt I knew what to expect from a Southforty show, but this was like seeing them for the first time, all over again. Despite how horrid the CD sounds, the material from Power of Words is just amazing live and their new, unreleased material is absolutely the best I have ever heard from the group. Tonight was a night of powerful lead singers and Kyle Cermak kept the standard high, as always, moving around the stage as much or more than anyone before him. The crowd was treated to a new version of Todd, one of my personal favorite S40 songs, but, again, this was like hearing it for the first time, all over again. The original music to the song remained intact, but the vocals have changed completely, which left the few of us familiar with Southforty's first release just as clueless as the new fans were.

Last band of the night was Palestine natives, and fan-favorites, Kill 10. This is a band that always manages to deliver a powerful, energetic live show. Their dual vocal attack and unique style make them one of the true stand out bands in today's Nu Metal scene. I have to admit I was disappointed to see vocalist Jason Westbrook come onstage clad in a mask, but that is only a matter of opinion, I suppose. Masks and all, though, Kill 10 had the crowd worked into a frenzy the way they always seem to do. While I only stayed for half their set, the half that I saw was certainly up to par with the past Kill:10 performances that I have witnessed.