Dormitory Effect

"Meeting Dormitory Effect in a dark New York alley may be one of the most frightening events ever, but if you talked with these strong,talented musicians for a bit, you would realize that their agressive, intense exterior is actually covering a sensitive and highly appreciative interior of true talent and unparalled musicianship. Their new CD proves their dedication to their musical style as an all woman metal band who will not take any shit, but can sling it back, if it comes their way. Songs such as Let This Cease, Crawler and Bide My Time are rockin

metal at its finest and I dare anyone to challenge these rockers against those pretty boys of metal. My bets are on Dormitory Effect - especially if they are met in that dark New York alley at a certain time of the month when the full "effect" will be unstoppable." - Coopted.com

"Think women can’t rock? Well these four New York natives are here to dispel that myth, easily leaving some of the male rockers in the dust.

Powerful gut-wrenching vocalist Susan Wendelken, Guitarist Meredith Hermann, Bassist Urith Myree and drummer “G,” make up this fireball known as Dormitory Effect.

Fully experienced hardcore musicians, they all played in top acts before, as well as made guest appearances in each others bands. Wendelken and Myree’s old band One Step Beyond, had opened for Black Sabbath, while Hermann’s outfit Perseverance, was produced by Billy Grazeidei of Biohazard. They have also had their share of major accomplishments: Myree was featured in the 2006 issue of Bassgirls, a zine which features world-wide female bassists, and the band played the Rockrgrl Conference last year. They are also featured in a new book by Garry Sharpe-Younge called New Wave of American Heavy Metal.

Led by searing vocals and supported by wicked guitar riffs, a mean bass line and an ass-kicking drum score, DE will tear out your ear drum before having you for breakfast!

Citing Sepultura and Alice in Chains among others as influences, their debut Wealth of the Disease, is an amazing lesson in hard, raw, in-your-face energy. Beginning with the gripping first track “Let this cease,” you know you’re in for an awesome treat. Other gems are “Bide my time,” with its thundering beats and the ferocious “Crawler.”

So, if you like your music hard with bite, and get into bands like Tool, Metallica, or Disturbed, then Wealth of the Disease is a must-have!!" - MTJ Fusion

"...The music is rough and heavy and the girl has a good voice and it fits the music. All the girls can play and the tunes are heavy enough for the underground fan to like and have just enough commercial appeal to the masses. I like what I heard."
- Chris Forbes/Ballbuster.com

"Let's see... you got lost of different kinds of metal. You have plain old metal, heavy metal, death metal, black metal, beer metal... New York's Dormitory Effect brings a new slab of metal to the tabel in the form of.. BOOBIE Metal. And because this is an all female band, alot of boobies = alot of metal. Without further ado, here be the band...

Sue - pipes.
Gee - skins.
Mer- axe.
Momma - low end.

I caught these debutantes gone horribly wrong in Richmond, VA a few weeks after the Great Hickory Debacle of 2007 in which I swore off female lead singers forever thanks to the 40 year old with the bad dye job fronting that laughable band from New Jersey who relied more on her ability to increase suicide rates with her vocal range than she did trying to actually sing. So when I heard Dormitory Effect warming up... they had my intrest back. Thanks to a kick ass show and a nice conversation with the ladies, I bought thier CD. That review is coming up in a few sentences.

Wealth Of The Disease is kinda like a twofer dics. Half Studio, half Live Show to prove that can sound as good live as they do from the CD Player. Sadly, their rendition of Metallica's Thing That Should Not Be was not included, that track alone gives them Rock On rights.

1 - Let This Cease - Simple riff opening, gradual build up. What you find out soon enough is that when Sue brings in the vocals is that she can actually SING. Don't ask me what the hell she's saying, but whatever it is, it's warm and flowing. Until she starts in the chorus, and even THAT sounds great.

2 - Father - Don't let the acoustic opening throw you for a loop, Mer brings the crunch in all the right places when you want her to. Anyone who says PRS guitars can't be used for metal should be shot in the skull. I'll go out on a limb and accuse Gee of showboating on the drums on this one. She might be little, but she can hold it DOWN

3 - Bide My Time - This one might sound like it was recorded in the basement and therefore sounds a little subdued, but it's a quick fist launcher. At the 2:17 mark in this one, they start breaking it down. My personal favorite on the disc.

4 - What Have I Done? - I'll tell you what you did... you wrote a kick ass tune. Dormitory Effect does a great job of making you feel what the lyrics mean with their music throughout the disc, and this is a prime example. You can hear the anguish in Sue's lyrics and Momma, Mer, and Gee drive the point home, topped off with a simple solo.

5 - Crawler -- Live show ON. Ever get your hands on a demo, go out and see the band, and realize that without pro tools, they would suck the ass end right off a donkey? Not in this case. Dormitory Effect's live sound is pretty much faithful to what they sound like in the studio. The only missing from this being a complete recreation of them playing live would be the dude behind you that's a little too close for comfort and therefore beating the shit out of you with his elbows.

6 - Do What Now? - Call this filler, a joke song, whatever. They pulled this one out to close their set and honestly, it rocked. Momma tuned her strung upside down righty played lefty bass down a couple of steps, Gee brought the back beat, and the result was the heaviest version of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force theme song I have ever heard. Yeah, it might seem ridiculous, but just because your band plays "Paranoid" at the end of your set doesn't make you "ballsy" Music is fun, and that's what they're doing.

Overall, I give DE 4 out of 5. If I had to say what cost them a ranking, it would be not enough refinement in the sound. I realize that not every one's demo can sound like The Black Album but tweaking the production a tad should help them get their point across. I'm looking forward to hearing their sophomore effort.

If I had a sticker, they would be HATCH WORTHY." - Sancho

"Dormitory Effect tore the night up as well. Being one of the only all girl metal bands on Long Island, they show what it is all about. Metal!! Theses girls know how to hold their own and rock out in a male dominated scene. The sharp guitar riffs provided by Meredith, and Gee with her hard hitting drums kept everyone on their toes. Their powerful vocals are certain to get anyone's attention. Dormitory Has been named as Strykeforce Featured Artist of the Week." - LIMetal.com/Estrogen Metal - LIMetal/Estrogen Metal

"Although everyone I’ve spotlighted in the Women in Music Feature has been highly deserving of the spot, the exposure and attention, I haven’t really focused very much on the Women of Hard Rock and Metal. These are some of the hardest working and surely hardest rocking women in the industry. So, my lack of coverage in this area is about to change; starting now with an awesome motivating force from New York known as Dormitory Effect.

I’ve been following the career of this band’s drummer, “Gee,” from back in her days with the signed act known as Neutron Café. This was another all female kick ass, in your face band with serious potential that the “ways of the industry” simply dropped the ball on. From there I followed and supported her and her band mates in her next extremely talented band known as Sympathetic Magic. Another very hard working band with powerful material and a band dedication to their fans that was undying. I watch them as they traveled long distances to play for cheap or no money simply because they loved to perform and they knew they had fans in the area and felt they deserved to be able to see the band they supported! To me, this is incredible to believe in and respect your fans with such diligence, determination, and sacrifice.

Now, the story continues; this time with “Gee’s” latest venture and most powerful outlet to date – DORMITORY EFFECT! This all female line-up consists of 4 NY women, Susan Wendelken, Meredith Hermann, Gina (AKA "Gee") and Urith Myree who have ultimately paid their dues in such bands as Perseverance, One Step Beyond and Sympathetic Magic and more. Their experience is obvious, their dedication to their fans is simply astounding and their show – hold on tight because these girls will knock you on your ass!

What are a group of women doing in the male dominated world of ass-kicking hard rock and metal? Well, listen to their material and you soon be among the many who are saying, “Well Boyz, dominate this, or die trying!” These girls must never have been told that this type of material is for the guys to produce! In fact, they are so good at what they do, I feel, some of the guys could take a few lessons from these women in producing a sound this intense! Their material is quite strong, seriously aggressive and totally not what many may expect from a guy band, let alone an all female band!! Something that burns and indelible memory; an image of what heavy really means! All this with 3 instrumentalists and a vocalist! A sound and power that many 5 and 6 piece bands can’t deliver, Dormitory Effect produces with ease.

Over the years these women have not only known each other, but have done guest appearances in each others bands at various shows. They each knew what the others were capable of and what they had for goals. Dormitory Effect was more of a coming together of the minds than the formation of a band. It was something natural that was destined to happen.

As the band’s publicity states, “Formed New Year’s Day, 2004, Dormitory Effect has a lot to live up to as all of the members’ former bands were well established acts. Guitarist Hermann’s Perseverance was a signed act produced by Biohazard’s Billy Grazeidei. They performed with such acts as Kilgore and Stuck Mojo and toured with many established groups. One Step Beyond, former home of uber-vocalist Wendelken and bassist Myree, was one of the most acclaimed local acts ever. They opened for Black Sabbath and other national as well as regional acts and received extensive radio airplay. Their self-released debut CD was produced by Grammy-nominated artist Joaquin Lievano. Powerhouse drummer Gee was a core member of Sympathetic Magic (formerly known as Neutron Cafe). An all-female unit, they garnered its solid fanbase with its relentless gigging schedule and impressive demos which made them the toast of the underground.”

Their music is full of incredible, riff-filled guitar work with a serious, gut shattering heaviness that grabs and forces you to listen. Totally intense, hard hitting and extremely talented drum parts that, together, with powerful bass lines and runs unites to develop the earth shattering backbone of the band.

Vocals? You want to talk about vocals? Remember that power I just described the band is engulfing the venues with where they perform? Well, it takes a seriously strong vocalist to not be lost, but instead, propel her tough, melodic, and exceptionally authoritative voice through it all in a skull shattering manner. When you add this all together, you get the explosive intensity of DORMITORY EFFECT!

If you are a fan of ultra hard rock and metal, DORMITORY EFFECT is a MUST SEE!" - Bob Donovan, Northeast in Tune

- Northeast In Tune

"i LOVED the fab metal band dormitory effect, they were amazing... the drummer played in her old band sympathetic magic in new york with harlow before and she is just an amazing drummer... one of those people who just lives and breathes music. she is ALL about playing drums. she is one of those dream drummers who just plays and kicks arse" - Amanda Rootes - Amanda Rootes, ex-Harlow (MTV's "Bands on the Run"

"Long Island metal squad Dormitory Effect throw down a fiery six-track release with WEALTH OF THE DISEASE. Imagine an amped up version of Heart or Pat Benatar gone nu metal as an indicator of what to expect by this all-female troupe, as tracks like "Let This Cease" and "Bide My Time" contain stunning vocal performances backed by a rhythm section that lays out massive grooves. Juxtaposing unrefined power and subtle grace, Dormitory Effect provides an intense listening experience that will not disappoint hard rock fans that demand substance." - 3:16 Productions - 3:16 Productions

Metal Maidens
Dormitory Effect- Wealth of the Disease
Rating: 8/10

"Okay, we better introduce this band a bit closer to you first, before we will talk about the musical capabilities of these four ladies. We have Susan Wendelken on vocals, Gee on drums, Urith Myree on drums and Meredith Hermann on guitar. The ladies have experience from playing in previous bands like PERSEVERANCE, ONE STEP BEYOND and SYMPATHETHIC MAGIC. In DORMITORY EFFECT, they have put their strength together and present us their debut album here. The CD captures four studio tracks and two live songs, recorded in the temple of rock music; CBGB’s. I was very positively surprised by the power in opener “Let This Cease”. A piece of pure dynamite, that is ready to explode in your stereo set, if you don’t know what to expect. “Father” is darker and a bit more intense, maybe even emotional sounding, if you compare it to the energetic opener. “Bide My Time” is again in your face and captures the unstoppable force, that hides within these ladies. The vocalist is not the screaming kind, but her voice hits like a hammer on an anvil. A loud and clear sound fills your room, easily deranging the loud music of the band to a soft background sound. I think, her voice is the reason, that makes the angels bleed on the front cover of their CD. What a set of lungs! But better beware of the skills of the guitar player, and the hard-hitting beats and plundering bass lines of the rhythm section as well, because they’re also an essential part in the energetic sound of DORMITORY EFFECT. The live songs are pretty amazing. Especially, “Crawler” shows a yet unknown side of the band, sounding a bit like DREAM THEATER. Maybe it is because they also come from New York. The riffs on the live rendition are much meaner than on the four studio tracks and the musical skills are certainly more up front here. “Do What Now?” shows a completely different band. Does rap belong to metal? No, it doesn’t. And I’m glad, these ladies came to the same conclusion after one minute. “Wealth Of The Disease” is a very good debut CD, capturing six songs with a total playing time of almost thirty minutes. Released in 2005 already, but essential enough to review on our website. Hopefully, we can review more from this very promising band in the near future." [8 points] (Toine van Poorten) - Metal Maidens