San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec




San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec

Playing games With Your Head

The Nintendo Fusion Tour isn’t about video games corroding your synapses, it’s about bands corroding your synapses Tomorrow night’s Nintendo Fusion Tour at SOMA promises to be an evening of angsty teens running around in black eyeliner and shirts too small for Cali-beach-blondes. But on the other side of things, there will be bands that come to entertain, educate and f*** with your heads. The lineup for this year includes Story of The Year, Letter Kills and the most original band on the tour, My Chemical Romance. And unless you hate whatever music Warner Bros. puts out, or you just plain hate everything, then you’ve heard of at least one of these bands. They all categorically fall under emo, screamo, punk rock and hard-core. That is to say, all those genres have melted into one and become a hodge-podge of emotions proliferated through abrasive guitar riffs, melodic undertones and vocals ranging from soothing to ear piercing. Each band offers a unique sound, but if you want to see entertainment, musical talent and a concept album about a lover making a deal with the devil to find his partner, then catch My Chemical Romance. So starve yourself for a day, lay off the Red Bull and Mickey’s 40 oz. and get a ticket if they’re still available. Letter Kills The Bridge Letter Kills is cohesive, but rocks, and they’re not too cool for ballad style songs. Yet, some listeners might feel they lack consistency, with a few songs falling below the mark. “Lights Out,” “Carry On” and “Time Marches On” are just a few tracks that showcase the band’s style. Some songs seem derivative of other bands out there, utilizing that popular soothing, melodic style with screaming vocals layered on. But the guitar stands at the forefront – it’s the riffs and time changes that set this band apart from others in the same genre. Metal riffs in the middle of a rhythmic, almost pop-rock song show the range of these musicians. Then you move on, and those crunchy style staccato power chords keep the album flowing. With great solos reminiscent of the ’80s, this album is worth the words I put on this paper. (www.letterkills.com) My Chemical Romance Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge The highly anticipated sophomore release by those dirty Jersey boys is phenomenal. The release is a concept album that is high-energy rock. The story is about two lovers who die together, but get separated postmortem. One makes a deal with the devil to get back to the other lover – and the deal is 1,000 people must die. I wonder what’s going down in Jersey? I’ll tell you this: My Chemical Romance is one of the most prolific bands on tour. It’s under the radar enough to shock you, but flying high enough to be accessible, so go access it. (www.mychemicalromance.com) Story Of The Year Page Avenue This band is tight and can definitely play. It’s mainstream-digestible, while retaining an edge that is dull but can still cut you. The album comes up in the shadow of The Used and has the same producer behind it… hmmm? Anyway, the sound is hard-core emo, tailored so that young ones won’t get grounded for rocking “Anthem of my Dying Day.” The one standout track on the album is “Falling Down,” but you’ll never know the validity of these words until you check the band out yourself. (www.storyoftheyear.net) Story of The Year, Letter Kills, The Lost Prophets and My Chemical Romance play the Nintendo Fusion Tour tomorrow at SOMA. For more information, call (619) 226-7662 or visit www.somasd.com. – Kevin Farr

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San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913
Playing games With Your Head