Zegota's bittersweet swan song

The true test of any band's mettle is their ability to impress during a live performance. Zegota, a Greensboro-based band about to depart for an indefinite stay in Sweden, did just that as they played their second-to-last US show last Thursday evening at Gate City Noise on Tate Street. The band played to a well-mixed crowd of diehard fans and regular concertgoers with no idea what to expect. Many admitted to thinking that Zegota would be just a generic metal band but the show gave them a pleasant surprise.

The band, according to longtime fan, junior Nate Rose, is "the best eclectic hardcore band in the Southeast." The group wisely decided to cater their show to the whole audience, playing standard favorites and more mainstream selections. The forty-five minute set began with a lengthy instrumental solo which slowly ascended into a full-on raging hard rock set complete with crashing drums by Will and piercing vocals from lead singer Moe (the band, who does not like to give out last names, is rounded out by bassist Ars and guitarist John). Intent on proving their versatility, the set closed with a rendition of the Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young's 60's protest anthem classic "Ohio." The song also served as a reminder of Zegota's activism, as did the selling of vegan cookies to raise money for local charity Food Not Bombs, which provides healthy meals for the homeless (it's a really great cause, people...give them some of your time).

Since the group is currently abroad for an unspecified amount of time, the only way for now to hear their music is to check out their second album, Namaste, currently available at Gate City. Encased in a plain brown cardboard sleeve and decorated with one-of-a-kind art, this is far from being the typical rock CD- and that's exactly the way they like it.

Standout tracks include the fierce "Thrones for the Worthy, Graves for the Rest," the blistering instrumental "Mount the Skies," the kaleidoscopic confection of "A Medly (sic) of Previously Released Songs," finally capping off the album with the elegiac "March to the Dead Sea." The album version of "Ohio" puts a new spin on an old song while all the time keeping the unbridled anger and frustration of the poignant original, making it into an anti-violence anthem for an even more embittered generation. The whole disc is, to steal from Iggy Pop, a burst of raw power, a ball of carefully organized chaos and flaming energy. Balancing full-out metal mayhem with intricate drum solos and bass riffs, the band creates an interesting atmosphere in which they experiment musically and aren't afraid to let their imaginations run wild.

These days, it's nice to see fearless musicians willing to take risks and try new things with their music, when they aren't afraid to do more than what is expected of them, their concert last week being a perfect testament to this.