Maui Sugar Mill Saloon Tarzana, CA
Web: http://galvanizedsouls.com
The Players: Zakk Silveira, vocals, guitar; Chris Traylor, lead guitar, vocals; Matt DeMartini, bass; Kevin Cogen, drums.
Material: The songs of Galvanized Souls shift between moody verse, rock heavy harmonizing choruses and killer instrumentals. The pop punk “Behind Green Eyes” has drawn the group comparisons to Blink-182 but is not indicative of the Souls’ overall sound which is primarily alternative rock. While the song does represent the group’s ability to craft distinct melodies this band is not all sweetness and light. The dark and sexy “Shut You Down” is structurally reminiscent of Soundgarden’s “Outshined.”
Lyrics possess some heavy themes including school bullying in “Carry On.” The catchy “Kingdom of No One” is another major standout with strong lyrics: “Standing all alone/Can you see me/sitting on your throne/You're beneath me now/You can't bring me down/Burning all your ties/Can you see that no one’s at your side...nowhere to run/in your kingdom of no one."
Musicianship: The band have an excellent live setup; perfect vocal settings, no instrument feedback and the drums do not overpower the small space of the venue. The guitar tone from Traylor for “Fall Of Icarus” is a direct whiff of Nirvana’s “Teen Spirit.” Traylor also introduces great lead guitar instrumentals on “Carry On” and “Behind Green Eyes.” The compositions are thoughtful with breaks for a cappella vocals throughout.
Cogen and DeMartini throw down some awesome transitions on “Carry On” and double-timed rhythms for “Kingdom of No One” where Silveira knocks out barre chords in perfect sync.
Performance: The band begin and end the show with high energy. Silveira is a very expressive frontman with a powerful sustaining vocal and can hit the high notes. He also knows how to add novelty to the show by breaking out his vocal effect box and a tom drum. He beats upon this drum more for visual effect than contribution to the overall sound, eventually standing upon it to rally up the audience for a sing along.
Summary: Galvanized Souls excels at tight staccato rhythm patterns. This mostly-original material falls comparatively somewhere between Soundgarden and Queens of the Stone Age, though their set includes covers of Nirvana and Alice In Chains. This leaves you thirsting for more original material from a band that has a lot of potential and genuinely rocks. If nothing else, this band exhibits sophistication beyond their years.
– Brooke Trout
Photos by Jared Sagal
