David Wayne

January 1, 1958

May 10, 2005

An Ongoing Commemorative

in honor of his daughter

Tonya Lee

The following Review was created and published by Chris Slack [gravemusic.com]

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Reverend and Heir Apparent
The Central Saloon, Seattle WA
08/12/2002

Due to circumstances beyond my control I arrived too late to catch Killing Faith, local southern groove metallers. Check out their web site at www.killingfaith.com

After what seemed to be a very lengthy changeover and some problems with the wireless mic ex-Metal Church vocalist David Wayne took the stage with the latest incarnation of old-school metalheads Reverend. They delivered a high intensity balls-out set consisting of a few classic Reverend songs, one track off the Wayne CD, and a few Metal Church songs (“Ton of Bricks,” “Metal Church,” “Fake Healer” with different lyrics, and an encore of “Beyond the Black”). David owned the crowd (what else can be expected from an old local hero) and showed that he is still able to work an audience with the best of them. While he didn’t seem to be able to hit all the high notes on the older material he still kicked ass in the vocal department with his trademark wail. New lead guitarist Davey Lee showed his chops with blazing fast solos and a great stage presence. Rhythm guitarist Nacho Vara was sick as a dog but performed his duties flawlessly and got a good response from the crowd for hanging in there. All in all the show was great, since they are local I can only hope to catch them again in the near future. Check out Reverend's web site at www.reverend.cx for more info.

Heir Apparent closed off the night with a scorching set filled with classics like “Tear Down the Walls,” “Decorated,” “The Haunting” and much more. Sound was a wee bit off (the bass was a bit boomy to start and vocal volume got low for a minute or two) at times but not enough to cause any real problems. Little else can be said other than that the group played with a determination and heart that few others can match. Those of you who remember the band from the old days need to check them out now, they have an entirely new lineup (with the exception of shredder extraordinaire Terry Gorle) and, despite the fact they are still playing the older material, are much more intense and powerful than in the past. Vocalist Bryan Hagan has a much more masculine voice than the old singer while still having a range great enough to perform the older material and his vocal abilities are improving at a dramatic rate. Bassist Bobby Ferkovich could potentially be up there with greats like John Myung and Stu Hamm as he gives his instrument a workout unlike many others. Drummer Clint Clark pounds the skins with a fury and precision that can only get better with age and experience to complete the package. The true test of their cohesiveness as a unit will come some time in 2003 when they release a new album but I have no doubt that it will be their best work to date. If you are in the greater Seattle area check them out before they stop doing the live shows to work on the new album. For more information on Heir Apparent check out their site at www.heirapparent.com

Rating: 9 /10