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Press Reviews
BEATERS AND
SHADES
The Boise
Weekly
By Amy Garrett
Smoke and the stench of cheap beer permeates the air. The stage is
lined with the mixture of young and old that only true heavy metal can
attract. The hair flies, synchronized head banging and fist thrusting
starts, and the crowd emits an occasional guttural growl of
appreciation. On stage, the band thrashes about wearing their trademark
"wife-beater" shirts and Poncherelli shades. They add flair to the
music, but they are certainly not a glam band. They are bringing back
the ten-minute metal ballad and the nearly extinct, blistering guitar
solo.
When you watch a XEX show it's hard not to have a good time, even if
metal isn't your thing. This is because they have used some "gimmicks"
as bassist Alfred De Varona put it, some "novelties." They put on a
high energy show and the have a "look" because, "nobody else has a
'look'" drummer, Pete Wadams, explains. They really just don't care.
They aren't afraid to go all the way. They dress like Hessians with
flowing hair, wearing "beaters and shades" - to quote the band's own
motto. Several times throughout a XEX show the band will chant, it deep
bellow, "Beaters and Shades." It may almost seem like a joke, their
revival of heavy metal. That's because they don't get caught up taking
themselves too seriously.
They are quite light-hearted, yet they sing songs with the decadent
lyrics typical of heavy metal, such as "I pour myself a glass of my
pain" from the song titled, "Glass of Pain." They mention children and
blood in the same sentence. But that's just the beginning. The scope
of their music is actually quite impressive. They have taken several
classical songs and transcribed them into the language of death and
destruction. Rossini's William Tell Overture becomes "Don't Tell
William," probably because he'd roll over in his grave. They do
creative things with covers such as "Eye of the Tiger" or the Stones'
"Paint It Black" which become sinister and much, much longer. The show
stopper is their "T.V. Theme Song Medley" which incorporates the themes
from Three's Company, Simon and Simon, Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I.
The band consists of three guys that have been playing together, in
some form, since 1987. De Varona met guitarist Bryan Maddox in junior
high. After many bands, and many years XEX came along. They were just
messing around, getting drunk in the basement, and as De Varona states,
"we found ourselves playing shows, even though it wasn't our intention."
Now, they are releasing their first album Anything Goes, which is a
motto as apt as "Beaters and Shades." Although the album draws heavily
from traditional metal influences, the music is complex and varied.
They show their versatility with some more acoustic, melodic songs
scattered through out. |
