Prior to show we had the opportunity to socialize and interview both band who were in the best of spirits and enjoying their little taste of New York. To our surprise fans were already beginning to gather outside the venue at 7:00.

Judging by the crowd for openers, Tad Morose took charge of the stage with strong guitars and an equally exuberant vocalist. The band’s music combines all the best qualities of Wasp and Jon Oliva era Savatage with memorable riffs leading the charge. The rhythm section thundered along filling out the foundation. Each member worked the stage energetically and moved around constantly. The crowd reacted equally with excitement and knew most of their material with the band feeding off the crowd’s response. Standouts of the performance included the lead off track from their latest release “Modus Vivendi” being “Anubis”, “No Mercy”, and “Take on the World”.

They left their mark with the audience wanting more and primed the theater for headliners Edguy.

Edguy have risen to become one the leading German metal bands following in the footsteps of legends like Britain’s Maiden and Priest. This performance is a warm up of sorts for their major gig at Atlanta’s ProgPower fest, the State’s leading Progressive/Power Metal festival. Here to promote their latest release “Hellfire Club”, Edguy return to the States as headliners. BB King Blues Club has been on the cutting edge of recent introduction of such European bands in the States.

Singer Tabias leads his band with the flash of a rock star reminiscent of classic David Lee Roth. The band and their sound is a counter balance of catchy rock riffs along with the epic elements of Iron Maiden. Such qualities can be clearly heard in the hook driven “Lavatory Love Machine” which was their opener, to the grand sounds of “The Piper Never Dies”, to the heavier, faster “Under the Moon”. Other tunes in their set were “King of Fools”, “Out of Control”, “Vain Glory Opera”, “Headless Game”, “Tears of the Mandrake”, “Wake the King”, and “Avantasia”, the title of Tobias Sammet’s side project.

Obviously the crowd was no stranger to their music and sang along with fists in air, almost like being at a festival overseas.

This band has all the elements needed to be a breakthrough metal band here in the States. They combine just enough flash without being over done and meld that with solid compositions and great musicianship. What more can we say.

The future of metal has arrived with Edguy and Tad Morose leading the charge.