CRAZY TRAIN ROCKED WORCESTER, MA RAVEN MUSIC HALL ON OCTOBER 10

It is always a challenge for a tribute band to capture the sound and feel of a famous act to keep even the most diehard fan focused and pleased for two hours. Crazy Train made quite an impression last Saturday night. Not only does the lead singer look and sound almost exactly like Ozzy Osbourne, a crack band plays out all the music with note for note precision in this gloriously rambunctious tribute to the mad genius of Osbourne’s hard rockin’ creative spurts.

A brief look at this line finds that singer “Doug” has had professional vocal coaching. Guitarist Jeremy Hartwell graduated from Berklee College of Music. Bass player Stephen Powell played in internationally acclaimed Super Zero and drummer “Mox” played complex rhythms in interesting original bands. Doug and Mox might be respected in their day jobs as they have no last names to distinguish who they are.
 
Opener “I Don’t Wanna Stop” was the perfect vehicle to introduce this tribute band to a newer audience. The rhythm section had it down and guitarist Hartwell was ready, willing, and able to unleash solos, phrases, and riffs like there was no tomorrow. It only took one song to inform that this was going to be a slammin’ live show with drums and bass pounding it home for two hours while Doug took each song through it changes, twists, and turns.
 
“Flying High Again” could not miss in this room of Ozzy fans and “Sweet Leaf” came grooving in perfectly with the rhythm section keeping it at a take your time leisurely approach to controlling the song with an intense backbeat.  Here, singer Doug used the Ozzy method of infusing tension by slowly unfolding this tale like an ominous narrator and when he got to the line “I love you, Sweet Leaf,” you know he meant it.

“Gets Me Through” found the guitarist letting a Niagara Falls of blistering notes pour down wide and heavy from his fingertips while traditional Osbourne radio hits like “Miracle Man,” “Bark At The Moon,” and “Over The Mountain” were a lot of fun for the band to play and the audience to hear. They were bouncy, fast, and energetic and, of course, more lively coming from a live band than a stereo. They were also good vehicles for the singer to showcase how he can channel the vibe of the song with his rangy voice that never had a problem finding its place over the music.
 
“Mr. Crowley” captured the largeness of Osbourne’s tune by sounding a hellish theme, an anthem nod to an old mystic, that made one feel the eeriness of the song. This punchy live rendition was the highlight of the show as it showcased the singing and playing talents on stage as well as the entire band’s ability to make a visual impression. It began with a recorded organ intro while Doug held out his arms and closed his eyes and expressed the weird vibe the song connotes. The musicians held their heads down in respect until it was time to hit it.
 
Black Sabbath tunes “Iron Man“ and “Children Of The Grave“ are the scariest songs Osbourne ever recorded with his old band and the rhythm section was good at reaching into the dark to find the horror show thumps in the song while Hartwell was never afraid to bring the audience over the edge with him as he grinded out minor key notes and chords.
 
Osbourne’s creepy slower songs like “I Don’t Wanna Change The World” and “Mama, I’m Coming Home” sounded freaky with the singer’s nasally high, distorted voice being punctuated at the right moments by his crack band. On “War Pigs” Powell, with his plucky, eerie, smooth bass notes, pulled everyone into the darkness while drummer Mox, with his adept rhythmic pounds, announced the momentum of the song. From there, Doug’s menacing ooze of dire lyrics powered the song.
 
The tribute closed out with “Paranoid” and “Crazy Train” and they had the audience singing along to these most memorable tunes from Osbourne’s career. With power chords and manic phrases abounding through the show this band never failed to entertain with a high octane drive. That they also knew out to find the right feel for each number was an added layer of entertainment.
 
Opening band Masque were an appropriate choice to start off the evening. Their front man, Mickey Collins, was a natural born entertainer and the band played a much above average set. Their original take on the hard rock genre is born from a natural blend of Collin’s high, evil, smooth, rangy vocal and the band being on top of its game. Their song “Ghost Town” was propelled by the rolling thunder rhythm section of drummer Dennis Stirk and bassist Matt Pearlstein with plenty of hot out of the oven guitar phrasing and vocal melody to keep it even. Masque’s mellow mood song “Don’t Give Up The Fight,” written by kid-at-heart guitarist Tim Santoro, showed the beauty of their knack for getting to the heart of a matter and they kept it tight and involving.
 
The only disappointment was to see The Raven Music Hall sparsely attended. The music scene needs to support this fairly new Worcester room. It is clean, comfortable, and spacious. It has a perfect rock and roll look and the vibe is unbeatable for hanging out.

www.crazytrainrocks.com
www.myspace.com/masquerocks
www.myspace.com/theravenmusichall

By Bill Copeland
SkopeMagazine.com