It has been a long time since legendary metal guitarist Jake E. Lee has been active on the scene making new music. That stretch came to an end in 2013 when his new band Red Dragon Cartel was born and officially released their debut album in January 2014. Igniting a loud buzz among long-time followers, Lee and Red Dragon Cartel now hit the road for touring. On Friday April 4th, the band took the stage at Revolution Music Hall in Amityville, NY. With a line forming down the block early on in the evening, Revolution was packed and ready to rock.
With a steady flow of Long Island metal scene bands gracing the stage early, Revolution was rolling with solid performances by Plague Legion, Vohell, Strychnyne, and Magnus Beast. All from in and around the Nassau and Suffolk County area of Long Island, each band brought an energy and excitement to the stage that shows that new and original metal music is alive and well on Long Island.
Directly following the showcase of Long Island metal, Brooklyn’s finest Blackwater Rising hit the stage. Featuring former Dust to Dust frontman Rob Traynor and Boiler Room drummer Mike Meselsohn, this no frills rock-n-roll band also features Dennis Kimak (guitars) and Oddie Mclaughlin (bass). Releasing their sophomore album Pissed And Driven in 2013 via Metalville, Black Water Rising continues to grow in popularity.
With plenty of grit and rock-n-roll attitude, Traynor and company blasted through a set of music that really raised the level of excitement in the room. No stranger to Revolution, Black Water Rising has played the venue plenty of times in the past, this audience welcomed them with open arms and the music provoked good times on the floor. Definitely keep your eyes open for Black Water Rising as they continue to prove their worth to the hard rock scene.
With the blood flowing, Red Dragon Cartel came onto the stage, stimulating a frenzy of cheers. Band bassist and co-producer Ronnie Mancuso walked out with a chilled bottle of vodka in one hand, a shot glass in the other, and you just knew this was going to be one hell of a rock party. With vocalist Darren James Smith and drummer Jonas Fairly rounding out the stage with Lee, the band wasted no time blasting into Ozzy Osbourne’s “The Ultimate Sin”. With Lee being the primary songwriter on the track, it was great to see the master jamming through the classic with his new band sounding tight and strong.
Not allowing the audience to take a breather, the set went immediately into Red Dragon Cartel songs “Deceived” and “War Machine”. This audience clearly was not here for nostalgic reasons and knew the newer tracks, singing and bouncing along. Hearing Lee dominate his guitar had the audience hanging on each note as they were treated to more great songs including a mix of Lee’s Badland tunes “High Wire”, “Shine On”, “In a Dream”, “Rumblin’ Train”, and “Sun Red Sun”. Having not heard these tracks in nearly two decades, not only was a pleasant treat but was received warmly with complete attention from all in attendance. At one point in the set, Lee asked the audience what they wanted to hear, which was treated with crazy screams of a catalog of different tunes which only made Lee smile in appreciation for the love and move onto more Red Dragon Cartel pieces.
Closing out the evening with a bang, the band played the Ozzy classic “Bark at The Moon” making for the perfect climax. Red Dragon Cartel took their final bows to cheers and applauds. Lee remained on stage to thank his fans and hand out as many guitar picks he could to those who wanted. This performance was one for the ages and reminded fans why Lee is one of the best metal guitarists in the past three decades. Brace yourself metal fans and guitar enthusiasts, Jake E. Lee is back!
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