Chaos Theory

Chaos Theory
by Bianca Gonzalez
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Chaos Theory

Retaliation

Self-Released

We all know that changing line-ups can spell disaster for a band, but that's far from the case with Chaos Theory. On the contrary, their new singer Johnny provides a defining element for this albums sound. His effortless transition between a characteristic mind-bending scream and thoughtful verse creates a unique sound in the alternative rock landscape. More importantly, the album is jam-packed with energy and is versatile enough to appeal to many different ears. While it may be eye for an eye, in this case vengeance is sweet. — BIANCA GONZALEZ

Worth a listen: "Creation Divine"
- Real Detroit Weekly

http://www.detroitrockreview.com/extensions/local-music-news/1608-fall-metal-fest-2010 - Detroit Rock Review

Kiss must have known what they were talking about when they said Detroit was the Rock City. This weekend the city will host the 2nd annual Fall Metal Festival. Mobs of people are set to partake in the event that will have a melting pot of heavy metal bands. Some of the acts include, Chaos Theory, Hell Rides North, Mob Local, Black Dawn, and many others! From the Detroit Free Press, "We had an awesome turnout last year," says Chaos Theory singer Johnny (Rock) Mascioli. "It's nice that we can work together and build a pretty cool metal fest. To us it's an amazing feeling to be able to show people what we have and look out into the crowd and see people singing along with us. We all get pretty stoked about that."

- Goom Radio US

Rachel May
Posted: 4:55 a.m. Dec. 2, 2010

Metal Festival showcases rising talent
By RACHEL MAY
FREE PRESS MUSIC WRITER
A mass of molten sounds will fill the Emerald Theatre in Mt. Clemens on Saturday as part of the 2nd annual Fall Metal Festival, featuring a mix of hard rock, metal and old school thrash from a batch of local bands.
Leading the mob of metal are Chaos Theory and Hell Rides North, who are returning for a second year, while Mound Road Engine, Burn the Hearse, Aventity, Mob Local and Black Dawn are new to the festival.
"We had an awesome turnout last year," says Chaos Theory singer Johnny (Rock) Mascioli. "It's nice that we can work together and build a pretty cool metal fest. To us it's an amazing feeling to be able to show people what we have and look out into the crowd and see people singing along with us. We all get pretty stoked about that."
The group has just returned from a summer tour in support of its second effort, "Retaliation," recorded at Dreadcore Studios in Troy with engineer-producer Josh Wickman. The disc was released in June. "We're shopping the album to different labels, and we're pushing for the next level," says Mascioli. The group hopes to appeal to a wide audience of metal-lovers. "We're not just a metal band," says Mascioli. "We have the hard rock genre and the metal genre. We can slow it down and make it easy on the ears and we can pick it up and let the kids get violent in the pit."
For newcomers like Mob Local, the festival is a great opportunity to expose their music to new ears. "We are proud to be part of the Fall Metal Fest and to be on the same bill with a lot of great local talent," says guitarist James Conway. "We've worked really hard this year and want to play the best show we can."
Promoter Howie Herula of Deluxxe Entertainment spearheaded the event as a way to showcase the rising crop of metal bands. "Most of the metal bands do the little clubs so it's nice to do something on a larger scale," he says."We have some vendors that will be a part of it this year too," says Herula. On tap to sell homegrown goods are local companies Ink Addict, 420 Clothing and Anarchy Detroit.

Doors at 7 p.m. Emerald Theatre, 31 N. Walnut, Mt. Clemens. 586-913-1920. Admission is $5 advance and $10 at the door for all ages. For more: www.chaosdetroit.net
- The Detroit Free Press

Dr2 View:

Lets see...Take the technical ability of Metallica, the variety of System Of A Down, the all-out, balls-to-the-wall, scream-at-the-top-of-your-lungs energy of Pantera, and you'll come close to describing what Chaos Theory brings to the table. But even though Dr2's resident metal head has been spinning their upcoming release, Retaliation, nonstop for the last couple weeks', we just can't nail down a lone description that completely describes everything they do. These guys, under the managerial ministrations of Deluxxe Entertainment, have forged their way to a place in the forefront of the burgeoning Detroit metal scene, in large part because of the chameleon-like nature their music possesses. Ask a hardcore fan about them and you will be told they are hardcore, ask a metal purist and they will be placed in those ranks. One thing can be agreed upon by all, the energy, commitment, and ferocity they bring to the scene is for real. The new full-length 11 track face-melting potpourri they are calling "Retaliation", is pure metal energy, adrenaline distilled, then honed to a razor's edge. The tracks range from the scream-laced barrage of Callow to the more straight-up, radio-friendly hard rock/metal sound of Deadbeat, Dr2's favorite of the disc, which begins with a very Creed-like verse before building to a screaming rant, working back and forth between the two styles, grooming their own unique sound which "screams" air time! What is more common throughout the disc is the healthy mix of both strong verses interspersed with screaming rants that build the energy to a frenetic level, and the trip hammer rhythms and screaming guitar licks that are held together by crunchy, mosh-inducing guitar and bass thunder that is pure manna for the metal hordes. We definitely have found a new disc to add to the playlist in the DR2 gym, "Heavy Metal" for some heavy metal lifting! Seriously, if you need to mainline some energy, get out to the Chaos Theory CD Release Show this Friday, June 18, at New York, New York on 23 mile in Chesterfield and grab the new disc for yourself, you will not be disappointed! By the way, the line-up for this mini-metalooza is very impressive, well worth getting off the couch for, so get out and support local music! In the meantime, check out the band's website for more info, you can find them over in the Dr2 links, or just hit up the Dr2 MySpace page where you'll find them listed in our Top Friends! DetroitRockReview.com - The Only Place for Local Music News & Reviews!
- Detroit Rock Review

Pure Detroit Metal. It once meant something put out by Ford, GM or Chrysler. It was also a product that was tough, enduring and the best there is on the market. Well, all these things are true today except for who it comes from. If you want something with all these qualities there is only one source of pure Detroit metal and that is from the band Chaos Theory.
I first came across these guys when they taught me the Art of War with their last EP. This it can now be told was just the tip of the iceberg as they now show us the art of creating what may be the most complete thrash/metalcore disc this year. If you find one better, please don't tell me as a trip to the chiropractor confirmed that this one can cause serious strain to the cervical region of the spinal column. It should come with a warning label as it will induce you to find out how hard and often you can smack your breastbone with your chin.
All kidding aside, this is one of the most pure metal albums that I have found. They have the talent of whatever band you care to name. Lead singer Johnny "Rockstar" Mascioli has been affectionately nicknamed "The Mic Melter" for a reason. He is the real deal and delivers both great singing and searing screams that pierces the soul. On this disc the tandem of Scotty "2Hottie" Lushka and Joe "Fucko" Bryne on guitar have been totally unleashed and the results are a thrashing you might never recover from. Mike "Reddog" Mentzer provides the beat from which the neck pains will eminate with a pulsating bass display on just about every song. The biggest surprise on here though is the hellish exhibit of stick work by my new drummer god Rick "Prick" Williams. Rick provides so much more than just the beat as he lays down a vicious demonstration of what metal drumming is all about. When you put this all together, it is a band that even though I would love to keep under raps and all to myself, it would be a shame to deny them the popularity that is their due. It is only a matter of time before these guys explode across the nation and let everyone know what a little Chaos can do for you.

When I first listened to this disc, I thought that it would be a very easy review to write. (Reviews of good albums always go quicker). The main problem that I had was the fact that what I wrote never seemed to do justice to the music I was hearing. Every time I put it in the player there was something that caught my ear that I missed before. Even though I become familiar with the disc, there is still a newness and the sense of discovery each time I listen. Very few times can I say this but there is not many bands that reach the plateau where Chaos Theory now resides.
When the steady, pulsing guitars hit me on the first song "Creation Devine", I first thought that we were in store for a continuation of their first EP ,i>The Art of War. Little did I know just how far they had grown since the release of that disc. This first song with its old school thrash sound and searing vocals that take you from Johnny's terrific singing voice to a couple screams that scared my dog Zak is just the beginning. This band touches nerves that have not been stimulated in years and they manage to keep them on edge throughout the disc. "Consumed" peels away another layer of epidermis before they hit you with the dizzying display of power that they call "Means To An End". This song should become a familiar old friend if there is any hope that radio still looks for cutting edge music. It is one of the songs that will leave a permanent stamp and deserves airplay.
The band can be vicious or melodic depending on what suits the mood, sometimes within the same song. Case in point is the next offering "Callow" and the next radio ready song "Broken Picture". There was once a song called From A Whisper To A Scream. Well, song sing about it, these guys just do it!! Just as you settle down a bit with a bit of melodic metal, Chaos Theory decides that this won't do and lays the smackdown on you with an all out musical beating of the most metal kind. I guess Chaos wouldn't be Chaos without a little Chaos thrown in!
The centerpiece of the album to me is the song "Dead Beat". If I wanted to pick a song that defined what is all good about metal music, this very well could be it. Fans of heavy metal, nu-metal, metalcore, aluminum, steel, iron and every other form of metal known to man will love the way that these guys wrap all the different styles into the four and a half minute duration of this tune. If this one isn't rattling around in your head days after hearing it then by no means should you ever be confused with a true metalhead.
Chaos Theory is not done with the surprises yet. Using a very old style, blues based heavy metal as the basis of the song "The Show" is a stroke of genius. With this tune they fully embrace one of the music styles that spawned today's music. I will never forget seeing this band perform with 25 year veterans of the Detroit metal scene Halloween and thinking that this was a kind of passing the torch. On this song the band pay homage to the style of music that lit the fire in the first place. You have to love a group that knows where they come from as much as where they are going.
I cannot say this is a perfect album but it is one that comes damn close. As I stated before, I would love to keep them all to myself but that would be selfish and they deserve to be heard. This is a band on the verge of superstardom and I am afraid that Michigan's best kept metal secret is about to be unleashed on the rest of the world. Get ready because the Chaos is about to begin!
Track listing:

1. Creation Divine
2. Consumed
3. Means To An End
4. Callow
5. Broken Picture
6. Tragedy
7. Warsaw Ghetto
8. Dead Beat
9. Regret
10. The Show
11. Damned Nation
Added: July 3rd 2010
Reviewer: Scott Ward
- Scott Ward - Sea of Tranquility

One definition of Chaos Theory states that a very small occurrence can produce unpredictable and sometimes drastic results by triggering a series of increasingly significant events. This seems like an apt description of the band with the same name. First you have the formation of the band. After that came the addition of lead singer Johnny Rock and bass player Mike Reddog. Then came the release of this EP; The Art of War. This ever increasing chain of events can only lead to a dramatic upheaval in the world of rock and roll.

Arising out of the Detroit landscape that is depicted being blown up on the album cover, these guys are as gritty and tough as any band from the area. They tell me that their name comes from the idea of creating chaos and then making that theory a reality. All you have to do is see the audience at one of their shows and you can tell the guys have accomplished their mission. The Art of War captures the power of their live show and by the end of the disc you might be glad that there are only six songs, as more just might be dangerous to the nervous system! I for one though, am willing to take the chance when they do put out a full length CD. The Art of War is one of the most energy filled metal discs that I have come across. One goal the guys have is to put Detroit back on the rock and roll map. There is little doubt that this will come to pass also, but with an asterisk next to it that says "The home of Chaos Theory".

When the first song "Fake" takes off with Johnny giving you a patented wail to announce that they have arrived, the whole band kicks in and the Chaos begins! This is no ordinary screamer you hear. The guy, who acquired the nickname "The Mic Melter" from Detroit legend George Neal of Halloween, is much more than the average metalcore wailer. When they kick into the song "S.A.D." Johnny gives you a taste of his powerful singing voice before kicking you hard with his screaming ability. The dramatic effect when he lets loose is pure gold. There is no way that these guys are going to remain Michigan's little secret for long.

Johnny doesn't do it all by himself though. It is a real team effort with the power line-up that backs Mr. Mic Melter. The guitar duo of Scott and Joe Fucko are as tight together as any pair. They seem to know just what the other is going to do and compliment each other with every riff and solo. This is the kind of teamwork that is as much a part of the band as the music. With the guy called Prick on drums giving much more than the run of the mill stick work and Mike "Reddog" reminding all that listen, that this is true headbanging music with his powerful bass lines, this is a band that gels as well as any. They also do it in there own way. There is something special and unique in both the music and the dynamo that fronts them.

The Art Of War is Detroit metal at its finest. Chaos Theory lives and breathes rock and roll. If they are not playing, you are just as apt to see them out supporting other local bands. I came across Chaos Theory, on a bill with 4 other groups. They blew me away! I can't see them doing anything but headlining shortly as any band that follows them has a tough row to hoe!

When I looked at this disc after listening to it, I was shocked to see that it is only 22 minutes long. I had such a workout it felt like I had been 15 rounds with these guys! This is a package that will whet the appetite. It begs for a full release and I certainly hope we get it in the near future. I don't know if an EP can be named album of the year but this one is most definitely on my top 10 list!

- Scott Ward - Sea Of Tranquility