Local CD Review
MICHAEL DEEDS
STAFF
TRIAD XEX
Heavy metal trio XeX is regarded fondly for its concerts. Bryan Maddox´s formidable guitar pyrotechnics are offset by humor that can escalate into a moshpit hoedown or a crunchy medley of ´70s television theme songs. This band rocks for fun. But, for friends and fans, there´s little funny about "Triad." It was completed after drummer Peter Wadams was critically injured in a car crash in March. He continues to recover. "We think of this album as a symbol of hope and accomplishment in the face of tragedy," bassist Alf de Varona explains.
That said, it´s coincidence that this arguably is XeX´s most straight-faced disc. Although there are chuckling nods at classical melodies, Metallica cliches and fits of compositional schizophrenia, "Triad" is a full-throttle, honest-to-metal-gods headbanger album at heart. Perhaps laughter is the best medicine -- final song "Under Where" attempts to fill that void -- but there are enough quality riffs here to make XeX´s legacy more than that of goofballs with an affinity for blistering guitar and double-bass drums.
Michael Deeds
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