Emergenza’s International Music festival debuted in Charlotte, N.C. this past weekend. The shows took place at one of the best clubs in North Carolina, The Evening Muse, which is located in the NODA arts District of Charlotte. With lots of Metal, Hard Rock, Blues and Hip-Hop this weekend was sure to be a success, and a milestone in the Emergenza Festival as it is the first year the festival has taken on the state of North Carolina. Thursday, January 18th Thursday night’s shows were filled with diversity as the crowd rolled in on a wintry evening. Donned in pastel jump suits, Campbell kicked off the event with an Indie sound that not only had the crowd awestruck, but also set the bar high for the rest of the weekend as far as talent was concerned! With two keyboardists and angelic vocals this band will surely sweep future audiences off their feet. A Relapse of Yesterday then stepped up with a progressive rock sound that had the audience begging for more. Thee Unright was right on with their metalesque rock rifts and solid rhythm section. Carmona, a father/son rock project, then stormed the stage. Dueling guitar solos, weaving in and out of dream-like rifts these guys blew the crowd away with an excellent performance! 25 Minutes To Go changed the mood a bit with a punk set. They had the look, the presence and the vocals that paved way for the next band. Tax Slave was also a punk band, but in this case they had a clear message… bring the troops home, quit being scammed by the government and step up and be heard! Every song was tight and interesting, but the lyrics had the crowd roaring in acceptance of a band finally willing to take their talent and make differences in the world by speaking out. Firefly Epidemic closed out Thursday’s show with a more experimental rock set that was original and innovative. They had great guitar solos, and a very strong rhythm section. Friday, January 19th Friday night’s Emergenza shows were a huge success. With a virtually sold-out show, and a very hard-core line-up the Evening Muse didn’t know whether to expect mayhem or masterpiece. When all was said and done everyone was happy and only a few minor fights broke out. I guess Charlotte has a Metal scene after all! Whether dropping the half-pipe or trying to kill those people trying to dig up my lawn I wanted to hear something with the unyielding power and melodic rhythms of Fraudulent Mistake to keep me focused. They were heavy and unique and spoke to your inner slum dancer taking us back to the days of Agnostic Front and Agent Orange. The very tight three-piece metal assault called 7 Stitches pushed through their set and sang the song of technical reprise that waxes to the days of Helmet and Tool. They were the essence of a metal power trio. Bound to stir things up S.O. Stereo broke new ground with an acoustic driven funk sound complete with sweetly spoken lyrics that soothed our souls. As we left that breath of fresh air behind and prepared ourselves for more metal, Tradeskin stormed the stage. Explicitly weaving in and out of hardcore melodies and tight metal grooves these guys hosted one of the first mosh pits in Evening Muse history. Did you say, “Where is the Death in my Metal?”. Well, it has been lying face down with the powerhouse Decaying Face Down from Charlotte. With These Hands kicked off their set with songs such as “Goodbye Moth” and “Letters”. With an excellent stage presence, tight rhythms and the in-your-face type of metal these guys had the audience yearning for more. Sister Trish followed with a set that was hard to top. Their lead guitarist was professional, inspirational and incredible as the instrumentation in this band impressed like no other. Black Ritual broke the ritual with a lead vocalist that sang so strongly that it made my throat hurt.