Draekon
September 11, 2014
Atlanta, GA – Center Stage Theater
ProgPower Kickoff
There are very few things cooler than watching a band grow up. In my five consistent years of running The Great Southern Brainfart I have had the pleasure and the honor of watching a handful of bands grow from fledgling up and comers to confident, mind blowing bands who continue to grow, astound, and even exceed all expectations of an audience. One of those bands without a doubt is Indiana based Prog metalers Draekon.
When I first saw Draekon as the opening act at 2012’s Pathfinder Metal Fest, they were a young, shy, somewhat unsure band. On stage they seemed to be trying to find their footing but there was something about them that captivated me. While they didn’t seem to be all that charismatic on stage, their songs were so strong and they really made a huge impact on me. Enough so that I sought out the band after the set to let them know how much I really dug them. They gave me a copy of their debut EP Prelude to Tragedy and it quickly became one of my favorite metal releases. I saw them live at the following year’s Pathfinder Metal Fest and it blew me away just how much they had grown but it was at this year’s ProgPower Kickoff where Draekon truly proved to be a band that has grown by leaps and bounds.
As Draekon took the stage to a hefty, responsive audience, they kicked right into a new song called “Sheep Among the Wolves” and right off the bat the hairs on my arms stood at full attention. Lead vocalist Chad Barnes commanded the audience to throw their fists in the air to which everyone obliged like faithful cult followers. As the band slid right into “The Value of All” the audience seemed to be very familiar with this song and responded with a large roar. With that Drakon was off and for the next 45 minutes delivered a fine mix of songs from both their debut EP Prelude to Tragedy and the forthcoming follow up EP Only Ashes Remain.
This time around, Draekon was boasting newly added 2nd guitarist, Lorenguard guitarist David Schneider. The addition of Schneider proved to be a great one as it really added some depth and filled in a bit of a void that seemed to be present in their live performances. As a band, Draekon performed like a well oiled machine. Drummer Stanford Stivers has to be one of my favorite up and coming metal drummers while guitarist Josh Simpson has all of the key elements to solidify himself as a metal guitarist to be reckoned with. While musically Drakon was really bringing it in a huge way, I would’ve loved to have seen a bit more charisma on stage from the band. Their music is so moving and full of life but they definitely let their music do the talking.
While Draekon as a whole was fantastic, lead vocalist Chad Barnes proved without a doubt to be the MVP. I can only hope that this won’t inflate the poor boy’s head but he really did an amazing job commanding the attention of that audience and engaging them while having everyone be a part of the show. The only time things seemed to lost steam was in between songs where there seemed to be some difficulty cueing up the pre-recorded intro tracks. While Barnes did a fantastic job keeping the crowd engaged, I’d really love to see him step it up even more to take things to a more grand level. Judging from his growth as a front man from the first time I saw them in 2012, this will definitely not be a problem as I can really see this guy becoming a front man to set the bar even higher for himself and others to follow.
As the set was drawing to a close, Draekon put every bit of what they had left into “Darkness Falls” which drew one of the largest responses of their 45 minute set. This song is one of those songs that when you first hear you just know that it has the potential to take a band into some pretty amazing places. It’s catchy, it’s intense, it’s melodic and Chad Barnes’ vocal delivery more than confirmed the fact that not he is well on his way to being one more than just one of my current favorite metal vocalists but being a metal vocalist that will truly astound and blow away masses of people.
Draekon closed their set out with the title track from their upcoming EP, “Only Ashes Remain” and as the song drew to a close the band received a well deserved rousing cheer from the audience. As the band exited the stage I couldn’t help but survey the audience with my chest head out like a proud papa. The buzz in the lobby after their set was all about Draekon what an outstanding set that they had put on. On this night, it was proven that Draekon more than deserves to be a part of the ProgPower Kickoff show. Draekon is ProgPower Festival material. Hell, Draekon is Wacken Festival material without a doubt and if this performance didn’t confirm that to the powers that be, I don’t know what will.
Draekon Setlist:
Sheep Among Lions, The Value of All, The Division, Path to Fate, Walls of Anguish, Stepping Stone, Darkness Falls, Only Ashes Remain
For more on Draekon, go to https://www.facebook.com/officialdraekonmetal
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