Adrenaline Mob - Cambridge Junction 02/07/12
After the pleasant surprise that was Voodoo Six who, despite looking a bit like a pub band and hailing from London, lay down some mammoth sized grooves with a Southern rock flavour, Adrenaline Mob take to the stage.
Drummer extraordinaire Mike Portnoy has had a bit of an unsettled time of late; a surprise exit from Dream Theater after 25 years, followed by a brief tenure in Avenged Sevenfold, but he's back with new project Adrenaline Mob. Eschewing complex time signatures in favour of stomping grooves, Adrenaline Mob are here to rock.
With a setlist comprising of the majority of excellent debut album Omerta, the band open with the explosive Pyschosane and also include their cover of Duran Duran's Come Undone as well as finishing with Black Sabbath's The Mob Rules, which judging by tonight's performance, they certainly do.
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From the moment he bellows into the mic it soon becomes apparent that Vocalist Russell (Symphony-X) Allen has a voice large enough to match his stature (although the sound didn't quite do his vocals justice), and it's just as obvious that Mike Orlando is a flash-fingered guitar wizard. Bassist John Moyer ably holds things together along with Mike Portnoy, the none too shabby drummer, who despite spending most of his time behind the kit, still manages to interact with the crowd.
There may have been one or two prog-rock fans disappointed at the lack of complexity (there were a few in the audience if the 'Yes' tee-shirts tucked proudly into their jeans were anything to go by), but Adrenaline Mob are unashamedly Metal with a hint of classic rock and a muscular groove, who can definitely shred with the best of them, but put raw emotion ahead of musical frippery or polyrhythms. Long may they continue to do so.
To view all photos taken during this set click here. There are 2 available.