JO Magazine

Power chords, disqualifications and curious reversals of fortune marked the second night of Jordan's first rock-themed talent contest.

Words by John Lillywhite.

THE SECOND ROUND OF the rock-themed talent contest took place at the Mar Yousef Hall in Jabal Amman, on November 15, which was packed with a young crowd of excited fans in black leather and heavy metal T-shirts. (Apparently some of the families that had attended the first show decided to sit this one out.)

The drama began even before the show did, as the keyboardist for one of the competing bands, Purgatory, failed to show up, leaving the group unable to perform any of their long-rehearsed material.

Images

Crash of the Titans

Profile: Purgatory
The First Show
Profile: Methanol
Profile: Cactus
The Second Show
Profile: Cerberus
The Semifinal
The Final

Though they were knocked out of this round, vocalist Kareem Kalan hopes that they will be allowed to get back in the competition for the final run-off -- something judges confirmed as a possibility.

“If we can come back, we will,” Kalan said. “Please watch this space.”

The disappointment of having only three acts was somewhat mitigated by Basil Bursheh and Zaher Siryan from XBITV.com, who warmed up the crowd with three “animetal” tunes, “Pegasus Fantasy,” “Soldier’s Dream” and “Holy Order.” The songs went down well with the audience, even if their origin in Japanese animation remained unknown to most of the theater.

CERBERUS

Cerberus, the favorite from the previous show, was up first, facing the challenges of a far smaller stage and a different acoustic environment than that at the National Orthodox School.  There was something businesslike about the execution of their first song, “Children of the Grave” by Black Sabbath, and the energy and sense of fun evident in the group's first performance, two weeks ago, was somehow lacking.

Vocalist Zenah Haddad seemed to be swaying more than head banging, and although Cerberus certainly remained very popular with the crowd, the emotion in the room was somewhat more muted than before.

The group’s second offering, “Seek and Destroy,” by Metallica, upped the ante. It was clear Cerberus was working hard to inject a sense of freedom and fun into the performance, but it wasn’t coming naturally, and the piece stood out for its technical rather than emotional strength.

For this round, each group was required to compose an original song, and Cerberus' eponymous track was an accomplished piece. The group seemed very comfortable playing,  and the piece featured some great guitar rifts, but also a concerted effort from every member of the band. It may well have been their best song so far.

Cerberus received warm applause, and polite praise from the judges, but the general feeling was their second performance was not quite as stunning as the first. The loss of the band’s rhythm guitarist, Ali Khashashneh, or the change of venue may well have affected Sunday’s performance. Have Cerberus peaked too early, or set the bar too high? They'll definitely have to work hard to maintain their standing in round three.

CACTUS

“Dude, you forgot to mention in your magazine that we have the best vocalist, bassist, guitarist, and drummer in the competition,” quipped Cactus guitarist Nizar Saqqar before the show. The band was clearly unfazed by a performance in the first round that didn’t do the group justice. “We have the sound engineering figured this time around, and we’re playing some very technical pieces,” Saqqar added.

Cactus opened with a crowd-pleaser, Megadeth's “Symphony of Destruction,” followed an original entitled “Your Forgiveness,” and concluding with “As I Am,” by Dream Theater, which was a clear favorite with the judges.

“Symphony of Destruction” was perhaps a little too technical, and not the wisest choice for the group’s opening performance. Still, vocalist Edgar Lorenzo injected a much-needed sense of fun and cockiness into the rendition, once again getting both judges and audience clearly on his side. The intermediate track, “Your Forgiveness,” was technically strong but also somewhat forgettable, and not quite as impressive as Cerberus' original. But just as in round one, Cactus made it through a disappointing opening and closed with an excellent performance.

“As I Am,” was a superb choice of track, that made the most of Lorenzo's magnetic stage presence, and letting Mazan Ayyoub once again coming into his own on the drums.

It seems that the self-confidence of Cactus was well founded, but was this performance enough to make them favorites for the competition? The judges certainly seemed impressed, and Tojan Naghaway singled out Lorenzo as doing an “excellent job,” although Rami Matar suggested the group could still “do better.”

METHANOL

Methanol found themselves with something to prove in the second round, having failed to shine in their opening audition. Perhaps it was for this reason vocalist Moh’d Madi began with an appeal to the judges to observe their performance with fresh eyes, opening with the classic Bob Seger ballad “Turn the Page” (in a performance obviously more reminiscent of Metallica's cover version than the original).

Methanol began with the sense of energy and confidence that had formerly eluded them, with Madi’s appeal to the judges winning the audience over from the get-go. It was a clever choice of opening track, well-executed and unostentatious. The group followed up with “Domination,” by Pantera, which may have been the best performance of the night, if judged purely on the extent of head-banging in the audience.

The group finished with their original, “Master-Disease,” a solid composition which kept the crowd interested if not quite as involved. Methanol were the big surprise of the second round, injecting an energy into the event which for some reason both Cactus and Cerberus were struggling to find.

From outside, these guys definitely seem to be back in the ring, however the judges' response suggested doubts about this group might still remain. Does Menthol have the technical ability of Cactus, or the slick charm of Cerberus? If they can up the ante in round three, then perhaps.

In September, dozens of musicians auditioned for spaces in Jordan's first rock- and metal-themed talent contest, Crash of the Titans. Nineteen were chosen and scrambled into four impromptu bands to compete against each other. The third round of performances, which will be scheduled soon, will see the number of competitors trimmed to two, who will face off in the finals.

As the battle rages, JO will be following the shows and profiling the four competitors. You can follow the stories here, and go to Crash of the Titans to vote for your favorite band.