The Revolution will not die. Every week, it grows stronger, drawing rockers and metal heads into downtown Salt Lake City for free shows given by nationally acclaimed artists. In the much anticipated third installment of the Wednesday Rocks free concert series, 97.5 The Blaze brought Hugo Ferreira and the buddies that make up the band Tantric to town for an explosive night at the Gallivan Center.

Under a perfect blue sky, fans gathered, waiting for the moment when the DJs from the Blaze would come on to thank the sponsors. Local up and comers Opal Hill Drive were opening and, just the night before, their latest song had been featured on The Blaze’s new music spotlight. Tantric would take the stage right after nine.

After generously bowing to the men and women of The Blaze, local classic rockers Opal Hill Drive took the stage. An interesting throw back to the country-rock style of legends such as the Eagles and Lynard Skynard, Opal Hill Drive has a fluid, smooth sound. The band includes an organ and an electric and acoustic guitar in the mix, and heralds a seasoned sound with songs such as the homage to adulthood “What Age Brings,” the touching “Baby Blue,” and the amusing nod to “self love” – “Love Yourself.” As they introduced themselves to the crowd just before the final song of the night, lead singer Jeddie said with a grin, “We’re Opal Hill Drive, and we’re just trying to bring back classic rock and roll. You know, the good shit your grandparents got high to.” Well, if that’s their goal, they’re succeeding.

But despite the passion Salt Lake rockers feel for their local musicians, it was the boys out of Louisville, Kentucky they were there to see.

Tantric brings a strangely typical rock essence to the stage – taking the spotlight without the ADD-like antics that are so prevalent among a lot of bands today, they form a bond with the audience. In treating the crowd with respect, the crowd and band gel together into a single unit. The quintet from Kentucky is made up of former Fuel drummer Kevin Miller, guitarist Joe Pessia, bassist and singer Erik Leonhardt, classically trained violinist Marcus Ratzenboeck, and, of course, the gravelly vocalist Hugo Ferreira.

Tantric’s brand of metal finds its strength in Ferreira’s deep voice, which is as comfortable on a fast paced, angry song as it is on a tear-jerking ballad. His instrument brings the songs to life – he more than performs them, he lives them on stage. Interestingly, the band’s strength is also its weakness. With the strength of the Leonhardt’s bass, Ferreira’s voice runs the risk in a live set of being lost inside the music – something that happened more than once on Wednesday night. It is a weakness that is far overshadowed by the band’s talent and the passion that is poured into each song. The only problems with the evening were a few minor technical glitches covered well by Ferreira’s charisma.

For those unfamiliar with Tantric, I’d like for you to get a picture in your mind of what a man with a purely bass voice sounds like. Second only in vocal talent to Slipknot and Stone Sour lead Corey Taylor, Hugo Ferreira’s unusual voice holds the same dark tones as Disturbed’s lead David Draiman but, instead of filling the music with devil-like cackling, Ferreira’s bass soars into a world where pure hard rock meets classic heavy metal. In addition to their unique sound and thought provoking lyrics (Your world is built around/Two faces of a clown/The voices in your head/Think there's four pawns down – From “Breakdown”), they are also doing something that no other metal band is doing right now: they’re making the violin cool again.

Despite the differences in the recent lineup compared to Tantric’s first two albums, the band comfortably performed new and old school songs, ranging from pieces such as “Something Better,” off the new album The End Begins, to classic favorites such as “Breakdown,” “Mourning,” and “Change.”

Treating the violin as a second guitar, the difference in sound has led to a connection in harmony and melody that few other bands are achieving at the moment. There is primal power in the music and in a live setting, that power is fed on by the fans. The energy in the air was palpable and often exploded, as was the case when Ratzenboeck took center stage for a hauntingly rocking solo that bled into the introduction of “Down and Out.” I have never seen an audience react like that. No one in the press of people kept their feet on the ground, and unless one was standing outside of the hundreds pressed against the railings, it was impossible to avoid the huge circle pit that opened, threatening to swallow everyone. Yet under the chaos was the controlled air of a group of musicians who know they have listeners in the palm of their hands.

As much as I thrived on the energy and the artistry of the harder songs, for me the highlight of the evening was the covers from bands as diverse as Journey, Alice in Chains, and the Beatles. As Ferreira sat at the keyboard and poured his heart into “Let it Be,” he took the song away from John, Paul, George and Ringo and made it his own.

And that, perhaps, is the power of Tantric. It isn’t the combination of the vocals and the music, but the ability for these five men to take anything in the world and put their unique twist on it. It is that ability that separates artists from performers and Salt Lake was lucky enough to have five artists on stage that Wednesday night.

Check out the Bands At:
www.myspace.com/tantric
www.myspace.com/opalhilldrive

For more information on 97.5 The Blaze and for pictures from the event check out: www.theblazeonline.com

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