Phoenix Hill Tavern –Louisville, KY, USA – February 3, 2012

I’ve had the extreme pleasure of attending POWND shows a couple times before this particular event. At those times I busied myself taking photographs of the band as they played, but for this show I decided to set up a video camera to record the entire show. Once the camera was installed on the tri-pod and I secured it all on top of a table in the center of the Roof Garden concert venue, I was ready to rock n metal and enjoy the show, unencumbered by camera straps and ready to get in the mix with the crowd at the front of the stage. And that I did!

Pownd gives you your money’s worth and then some. It’s high energy Power Metal music, mixing old school and groove metal from start to end. There’s no time for a ballad. Pownd gets your head banging and the sweat pouring and it doesn’t stop until the last note is played. As lead singer, Michael Duncan, proclaimed during a rare moment of silence between two songs, Pownd is “a Metal fuckin’ band, it’s what we bleed, it’s what we do!”

First of all, Michael Duncan has great stage presence. He’s an impressive figure on stage. Belting out vocals that range from a great dark Ozzy style laugh during Monster to an awesome mix of Rob Halford and Dio, sometimes stalking the audience, other times fading into the background while the guitar duo, Rick Sargent and Ronnie Duncan, move forward and trade guitar solos back and forth. Bassist Steve Nall, while he isn’t front stage very often, keeps the heaviness pounding and your heart thumping. Other times, Michael looks so very relaxed as he leans toward the audience, making eye contact, like he is singing to each and everyone individual. Drummer Roger Ramos never misses a beat, laying down pure heavy metal rhythms and cymbal clashes while appearing to take no effort at all.

A Pownd show is filled with grinding guitar riffs, metallic squeals and a dash, now and then, of scraping metal sounds, blistering guitar solos, tight, technical, original compositions and great vocal harmonies. Sometimes Rick Sargent falls to his knees, his head leans back, his eyes close and you can see the passion on his face and hear it from the sounds he pulls out of his guitar strings. Ronnie Duncan smiles slightly and squeezes the riffs out of his guitar and you might wonder how that guitar isn’t crushed between his powerful arms. Steve Nall occupies the stage, midway between the front three and the drums, relaxed and easy, holding the band together with his commanding bass lines.

This particular show ended with their song, Part of the Black, from their forthcoming album, also titled Part of the Black. Michael Duncan began pulling metal chicks onto the stage to groove, gyrate, head bang and run their hands over the band members while the band performed what is bound to become an instant Pownd classic Heavy Metal jam. Hey, my daughter was up there with them. We are a Pownd family! If Pownd brings their thundering music to a music venue near you, don’t hesitate to make plans to attend and Metal On!

This is a band that has fun, is well practiced, talented and confident in their abilities. The members know each other well and it’s obvious that they enjoy working together. Pownd gives the audience the best performance possible with every show they play.

Set List

1. Still I Bleed
   
   
2. Monster
   
   
3. Blind
   
   
4. Slowly Drowning
   
   
5. Black Hills
   
   
6. War Chant
   
   
7. Fly
   
   
8. More Wicked Than Not
   
   
9. Part of the Black
   
   

I’m saddened to report that Roger Ramos will no longer perform with Pownd. He will be missed. His last show with Pownd was February 11, 2012 for a cancer benefit show in Frankfort, Ky. Pownd will tour frequently and further from their home base later this year. Roger’s day job does not allow for him to travel. This was a difficult decision for him to make, but he decided it was better to walk away now, giving Pownd time to recruit a new drummer before their next tour.

Bob for Metal Master Kingdom