Emergenza is back once again this year in Tampa at the mighty Orpheum in Ybor City. Usually known for it''s Death Metal, this reporter was surprised and impressed with the varying kinds of talent present at this years Festival. We kicked the weekend off Thursday night with a growl as all forms of metal ruled the stage. But amidst the noise was a stand out performance from Military Junior. More of an Indie band they held there own and won over the respect of the audience in attendance. Their great album translated well to the stage as this three piece combined loops and vocals to create a sound larger than expected. Not to be out done, the female fronted group, Shadow Rising, wowed the crowd. Her vocals shined, with the band adding great stage presence for a well rounded performance. Despite Tech problems and the lead guitarists inability to tune his own ax, Kosmic Egg advanced with a drum and bass improv that entertained the crowd long enough to get them to the semi''s. From there on in it was a full on metal assault. Rinker, Rmisery, Abatu, and contagion, all took there turns showing how evil Tampa could be. The father/son group 5 Mile Radius kicked off the Friday night show with good old fashioned grunge rock before turning it back over to the kids. Valetta and eversfield brought great stage shows and made full use of their senhiesser wireless guitar packs. They had the crowd enthusiastically waving there arms in the air following each set and won them a spot in the semi''s. Defect By Design wowed them with an energetic performance. Guitarist Ryan Lask had more effects pedals than all the other bands combined, but still has his eyes on the big prizes at the finals so he can add more to his arsenal. Rockers, Last Days, after only forming months earlier, took home the top slot and are excited to play in the semi''s late March at boomers boiler room. Euphony had a long day and closed out the night with a strong set enjoyed by there fans. But when the dust settled, the next round was just out of reach. An early show Saturday brought out the best in all the performers. Each was supporting the other and it translated into a full day of fun for all involved. Many of the bands had been playing for less than a year, but made up for experience with shear heart and energy. Fall to Prey, in there first show ever, took home top honors with there version of hardcore. Many a lips were split during the first round of moshing. This Came From Highschool, was all over the stage and crowd, wipping them into a frenzy and letting them help out with the vocals. Look for them to do well in rounds to come. Last chance to try and Erasing the color blue both played hard and showed potential. A little more practice and both should find success in the future. Dial8-34 and Drew Street Mary both had great vocals though playing completely different kinds of music. With a Tampa Bay Bucs win, Sunday couldn''t have gotten any better for Brother Lo. They opened up the show with some southern hard rock and a lot of hair tossing. There was also a treat with not one, but 2 ska bands. CIO played a dance friendly set but Exodus 20:17 ended up being the only ones skanking their way to the semi''s. Also moving on will be Malison(formerly c.i.a) though they didn''t have a bassist it didn''t end up mattering. By alternating vocals, this 3 piece filled up the extra sound well. Carasoul lightened things up with a piano, acoustic guitar, drums and great 3 part harmonies. From Chaos to Glory and the pros and cons closed out the night. So with the First weekend under wraps, Emergenza Tampa is off and running. Which bands will survive, only the fans no for sure as we look forward to the Semis coming up in March.