Reviews

• Review from the Key club
  
  "Michael Schenker, Metal Illusion and Creatures of Mercy at the Key Club"
  By Revn Kevin
  
  On tour in support of his new CD, guitar master Michael Schenker made the Key Club the site for his SoCal stop. This venue is a great place to go with good food and a fantastic sound system.
  
  Opening act tonight, Creatures of Mercy, was formed out in the Inland Empire and the current lineup has been intact since 1996. The band plays straight up rock and makes no pretensions otherwise. Band members are Chris Martinez vocals/guitar, Mike Marohn also on guitar with Scott Underwood playing bass and Gene Escanuelas drumming. I visited their website at www.creaturesofmercy.com and found out that they have opened for the likes of Robin Trower, Ronni Montrose, Eric Burden and a host of other national acts. There tight, hard rocking set was a great primer for the night.
  
  Next band up was Metal Illusion and I started grinning as soon as they started playing. This young band out of Moreno Valley is obviously influenced by the likes of Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth. While their influences show through they have fused in their own progressive metal sound which shows on songs like the instrumental "Jump". Band members are Ron Estrada vocals/guitar with his cousin Jason Hamblin drumming. Tim Quinn is the bassist and the newest member to the group is Matt Wellenreuther shredding on lead guitar. This band is quite young, forming in Jr. High school, and has come quite long way which shows in their solid stage presence. Hats off guys, I haven't seen that much headbanging since Sole Survivor was around. To find out more about these metal-maniacs check out their website at www.metal-illusion.com or give their manager Ron a e-mail at metal_illusion@msn.com.
  
  The club was packed to capacity now as Michael Schenker hit the stage. Playing a mixture of tunes from his UFO and M.S.G. days along with new material from his "Thank You 4" CD the set rocked from start to finish. Along with the new CD, Michael also has a new project working with hot female guitarist/vocalist/lyricist Amy Schugar. I picked up their demo "Under Construction" and will be giving it a spin soon. Tonight Amy came out and rocked a half dozen numbers adding another burst of energy to an already rocking show. Tonight's stage show was quite energetic, especially the bassist Reverend Jones who is always quite animated. One of the things I noticed about this show was the quality of the sound. Great musicianship always shows and it makes the house soundman's job easy. To find out more about Michaels new CD and current plans go check out his website at www.michaelschenkerhimself.com and while you're at it go check out www.amyschugar.com and see what she's up to also. The Key Club is one of the finest venues around so go check out their calendar at www.keyclub.com and see what's coming up