Evans/Blue: Music is melodic, metal and moving

By JOHN BENSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Here's a band you can actually judge by its cover, er, album title.
The descriptive "The Melody and the Energetic Nature of Volume," the debut release from Canadian rock act Evans/Blue, succinctly encapsulates both the spirit and style of this quintet. This is especially true with its lead single, "Cold [But I'm Still Here]."
"I think we're along the lines of Ten Years, the melodic rock, metal groove kind of thing," said singer Matisyn, calling from Allentown, Pa. "We're kind of like the newer bands that are out there. We get a lot of Tool comparisons. I personally don't see that, but we get them quite a bit. Tool is so much more intricate and their songs are longer and stuff like that."
As a member of an up-and-coming band not wanting to offend anyone (that is, get the Tool diehards in an uproar), Matisyn finds himself in the uncomfortable territory of actually going out of his way to fawn over Maynard Keenan's band at, perhaps, the expense of his own act.
"I mean, Tool is Tool," Matisyn said. "They're just huge. Obviously we'd love to get to that kind of level but I think they're just a band on their own. I don't think there are really any comparisons to them or any band."
Moving on
Having successfully navigated through the choppy waters of self-image, Matisyn emerges unscathed as the conversation turns toward the band's next single "Over." The singer-songwriter said the album track marked a turning point for him when he started to delve into deeper and darker themes, albeit with a twist. For instance, he calls "Over" an "S & amp;M kind of love song."
Invariably, Evans/Blue sounds slightly different from the rest of the bands on rock radio. The same can be said for its live show. You can see the Toronto-based group make its Youngstown debut July 5 opening for Shinedown for a concert in the Chevrolet Centre parking lot.
Included in the group's set may be an anomaly of absurd proportions. While Evans/Blue covered Sarah McLachlan's '90s alt-rock hit "Possession" for its album, the band has been known to kick out a cover of Pantera's "Five Minutes Alone" during its set. Matisyn said there's a possibility audiences could hear both. This is either a sign of the Apocalypse or confirmation that Evans/Blue is working on a different level than its peers.
"We've been told it's a very intense show and people get a lot of emotion out of it," Matisyn said. "A lot of girls have told me they cried during our show, which is pretty weird."
He quickly added, "But the guys are a little more tough for the shows."
In any case, BYOT (bring your own tissue).