Live
Reviews:
"Thrash Against Cancer" review
By Stephen Henderson
RaginPit.com
Kaos held the honor for getting the first pit going, as always, these guys destroyed. Their set consisted of songs off their Kaos among us CD and they threw in a cover of a Vio-lence tune for good measure. I can't for the life of me remember which one it was but at that point I was settling into full on party mode. Kaos for those of you who haven't seen or heard them, (they were on our Chamber show last Sunday) are in my opinion one of the best unsigned hard core acts here in northern California. First off their showmanship is off the hook. Lead singer Jason who has one of the best screaming voices with range in the area. He possesses what all front men work so hard to develop but in reality, either have or don't, which is the charisma to manipulate the crowd and bend them to his will. Then you got Jay on bass who stocks the stage like a caged animal. They're two guitarists Stacy & Keven who throws down licks with the best of them and last but not least their drummer Bruton who employs those wicked solid beats that hold the whole thing all together. They are to an empty pit floor what gasoline is to a fire, put them together and you are going to have an explosion. One of the great things about this show was that I got to see some bands I hadn't gotten a chance to check out yet, most of you may have already had either seen them or perhaps already own one of their CDS. If not I suggest, you check them out. In my opinion these were the best of the show and deserve your attention, Testament, Dekapitator, Imagika, Anger as Art, Kaos, Mud Face and Mystic Rage. Darien and I hope to bring you interviews of these bands in the next month.
"Thrash Against Cancer" review
By Zakk Jones
Powerslave.com
Imagining this show happening without Kaos is to imagine a steak dinner without the A1 sauce. It just doesn’t happen. Kaos were built for these kinds of gigs, and they came ready. Having witnessed two well-oiled, straight-up thrash machines back to back by this time, the crowd was thoroughly pumped and ready to show its appreciation for the Bay Area vets.
Once again proving themselves one of the hardest working and most consistent bands in the scene, Kaos exploded onto the stage with the energy that’s become their hallmark. Lead vocalist Jason Darnell’s style is admittedly something of an acquired taste, but his charred wails of anger and torment find their place in the amalgam very quickly. The rest of the band remains in top form, executing wild tempo changes with ease and gusto to spare. Even after being in the game for nearly 20 years, Kaos can still blow younger bands right off the stage and back into their parents’ basements.
One of the day’s highlights came with Kaos’ cover of the Vio-lence classic “Kill On Command,” complemented sharply by Darnell’s spot-on imitation of Sean Killian, one of the most notoriously bizarre frontmen in the annals of Bay Area thrash. The crowd responded warmly by starting the biggest mosh pit of the day so far.
Support your Local Music Seen
By Andy D. Edwards
Universal Life Press
November 16, 2004
There is a question I think everyone should ask themselves.
"When was the last time I went to go see a local band rock
the house?". Can you honestly remember? I didn't until the
second weekend of November 2004. You see, I just happened to be
over at my brother's house visiting,and on the kitchen table I happened
to see a couple tickets for the "209PALOOZA" show at the
"Fat Cat", in Modesto, Ca. Kind of like a battle of the
bands type of concert. Of course, I asked my brother about them,
I mean hey, they were dated for that night. So, when I asked him
about them he told me they were given to him, and for some reason
no one wanted to go! We even had two more friends show up, and they
gave us there tickets too! After calling friend after friend, and
no one wanting to go, I finally got a hold of a buddy of mine who
said he was down to go. We met up, we went in, and i'll be dammed
if we didn't have a good time! I don't see how any! one would want
to miss a show like that, I mean the actual turn out for a crowd
was over 100 people and the music still played, and it
was awsome! There was about six or seven local bands from the 209
area code. "Thr3efold", "Better Left Unsaid",
"The Venting Machine", and "Kaos", just to name
a few. And you know what? They rocked the house! There were blairing
guitars, loud drums, bright lights, I mean they had it all! I would
have to say that "Kaos" put on one of the most charismatic
big show style preformance for a local band that i've seen since
I was in high school, I mean these guys really have what it takes
to make it to the top. I got a chance to talk to Jason Darnell,
the vocalist of "Kaos", come to find out these guys have
been together since 1989, wow! That's what I call having a passion
for your music. They love putting on a show, interacting with the
croud, and having a good time doing it. Keep on rockin' guys.
Before I end this artical, I have one more thing to say to the general
public across the world. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BANDS! These guys play
hard to entertain you, and chances are, some of them are your friends,
or a family member's band. Get up off the couch and get back into
the spirit of rockin' out. Not only will you have a good time, but
you'll get to here some great music, and an awsome show. I know
I'm going to, and someday down the road, when that local band makes
it to the top, it was because their community, people like you and
me, came out and let them know they were good enough. You can also
say to your friends "Ya man! I remember when those guys used
to play in the club down the street!, and they still rock!",
and just think instead of having a good time with friends and listening
to great music, everyone who didn't go were probably at home, being
board watching cheap Sunday night television. Well, I have two more
words for ya........."GET UP!" and see what's going on
in you local music seen, you just might like what you find.
Poser Roast @ The Metro Oakland
By Zakk Jones for www.powerslave.com
Like the proverbial cavalry, KAOS seemingly swooped
down to rescue us from the bubbling, opaque death metal morass.
Wearing their Anthrax, Exodus and Testament influences like badges
of honor, the East Bay thrashers weren’t afraid to throw a
little hardcore punk into the mix for effect, nor were they the
least bit intimidated by the prospect of adding just a pinch of
nu-metal. It’s risky business, to be sure, but Kaos commanded
the mixture respectably and without fail, and at the same time were
the most animated and fun to watch as they stomped about the stage,
brightly colored instruments and all.
Show: Milwaukee Metalfest - Saturday, July 31st, 2004; 6:45pm
Email Contact: kaos@kaosamongus.com
Review by Lori Dake
www.rottingcorpserecords.com
Before
I even had the pleasure to meet Kaos, over 100 people had stated
they were looking forward to this show, sometimes even moreso than
the headliners on the main stage! The tent was over capacity when
we arrived, so at the time, I thought to myself that either these
guys had one helluva team of spin doctors, or these guys were legitimately
the shit! The tent reeked of BO and stale beer, but hey, in this
case, it's definitely a good thing! I still have no idea how I managed
to have my book open wide enough to take notes!
What I thought was a very unique way of giving away shit was to
incite a pit, and then toy with them like a cat playing with its
prey. The vocalist would taunt the pit with a shirt, continue to
sing, throw a fake, sing some more, then toss it in! I saw one guy
grab one out of the air almost by osmosis, and then continue to
give out some brotherly brutality! ::: YOINK! ::: It was a metal
version of Musical Chairs - like I said, pure chaos!
One of the most personable bands we met at Metalfest, Kaos delivers
exactly what anyone would expect: pure and utter chaos! Not only
should you see them, you need to definitely buy their CD and wear
it out... then replace it!!!
Kaos' Descent Into Madness
Mario Perotti - August 2, 2003
Pound - SF -- When Kaos broke back into the NorCal scene in 2000
after a lengthy hiatus, they brought with them a brand new disc
which hastened to put their name back in the top ranks. Now, three
years later, the Kaos machine has punched out another disc, "Kaos
Among Us", which the band celebrated with a strong showing
at the Pound in San Francisco. Joined by Splyt, Beneath the Surface,
Fellatia, and Osmium on August 2nd, 2003, Kaos brought this heavy
night to a head just after the stroke of midnight, slamming through
an extended set and an encore tune. This show had plenty of lead
in hype, and by the time the last song was done, Kaos had cemented
another good one in the books.
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Kaos vocalist Jason Darnell and bassist Jay Figueroa live during
the band's CD Release show at the Pound in San Francisco
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The
final band of the night was the highlight of the show and the reason
why this event was taking place as Kaos took to the stage to perform.
Featuring vocalist Jason Darnell, bassist Jay Figueroa, guitarist
Stacey Murray, drummer Burton Ortega, and guitarist Joe Loescher,
Kaos brought their top flight set for this one, performing much
of the material off their new disc "Kaos Among Us". Kaos'
style these days is much more brutal than really it has ever been,
with the riffs moving more towards the heavy end and Darnell's vocals
moving into the aggressive scratchy end.
For their time, Kaos pretty much tore through their entire new disc
(only dipping into their back catalog for their signature tune "Vivisection")
performing "Paralyzed By Fear", the title track of the
disc, "Awakened By Death", and "F.O. (Die Young,
Die Old)" among others.
What has really brought Kaos into the latest styles and given them
an updated approach is a combination of Darnell's scratchy raw aggressive
vocals and the guitar work that, especially on this new disc's material,
blasts at thrash metal but also slides into some pure brutality.
Kaos has done a nice job here with these latest tunes, and this
Pound - SF showing was the crowning glory for starting their support
process of this new disc. And, as is the case with any Kaos live
show, the ring leader here is Darnell, the small man with the huge
voice and even bigger presence, putting the final touches on a killer
sound with that extra piece of adrenaline that captures what Kaos
has always been live on stage. It's been a long three years since
these guys broke back into the scene, and they are showing absolutely
no signs of slowing down, releasing their killer new disc and continuing
to wave the Bay Area Metal flag.
NorCal Metal CD Comp Show #1
Holiday Bowl -- A few months ago, Miller Genuine Draft, Zero Magazine
and this very site teamed up for a compilation CD featuring nineteen
bands from various regions around Northern California. To coincide
with the disc's release, shows have been set up in each region to
celebrate this new compilation series. The first one on the block
was January 31st, 2003 at the Holiday Bowl in Hayward, CA and featured
four bands from the disc including Brokeneck, Down Factor, Greenhouse
Effect, and Kaos. The show came off extremely well, drawing a large
crowd by show's end, filling most of the floor through the third
band and into the fourth of the night. For the kick off show for
this CD Series Shows, the Holiday Bowl night did quite well, jump
starting this whole new event in Northern California.
The final band of the night was the veteran thrash act Kaos who
actually turned in one of the biggest surprises of the night as
they have moved their sound into a slightly modified, much more
aggressive direction. Featuring vocalist Jason Darnell, bassist
Jay Figueroa, guitarist Stacey Murray, drummer Burton Ortega, and
guitarist Joe Loescher, Kaos was highly impressive from the first
song through to the end, even adding some heavier aggression to
the band's older tunes.
On stage, the band performed a few tunes from their last released
disc "Vision Beyond" (2000) and tunes slated to appear
on their forthcoming new disc "Kaos Among Us". Their set
list included "Awakened By Death" which appears on the
compilation disc and has an impressive, quick main riff, "Rage
of War" which offers a drum led opening with some chopped up
guitar riffs, and older tune "Vivisection" which slams
with a healthy quicker riff. The band also performed "Burning
Scars" which offers a straight chug guitar line and "F.O.
Die Young-Die Old" which works with a gang chant chorus and
has a nice break midway through the song.
This Kaos set was just so much different than their past sound,
with Darnell being the central focal point of change here, moving
his vocals from a sing / bark thrash style to more of a scratchy,
growling type of feel, giving the band a really nice kick on stage.
Behind Darnell, the Kaos style continues to drive at the technically
oriented thrash metal style, but their latest material has a really
cool contemporary feel to it, lending the band's direction well
and opening them up to some new opportunities. There are few bands
in the scene today who have the precision on stage that these guys
do, with killer tempo changes, strong riffing and the occasional
solo to top the entire effort. With their extensive history behind
them, they have a so much to work with and bring it all to the front
with their live show for sure. Kaos is just a killer band with a
pure metal style that is so well developed that it literally speaks
to it's own language. Should be interesting when their new disc
drops.
Mario Perotti - January 31, 2003
www.powerslave.com
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