Heavy Metal Gods Issue #42 5/16/89

Eastern Wing at Pardeesville Civic Arena 

Vocalist/ Drummer  Jeff Bonomo letting out a wail at the climax of the sold out show.

Eastern Wing are indeed the next generation of heavy metal. They took the stage, which was designed to look like a run down building, or basement of some kind, at 8 PM following a great set from local rockers "Wicked Platypus," and exploded into their hit "McDonald's Order Speed Metal."  The crowd was so loud at some times it was hard to hear the incredible guitar work of Kevin "Kause" Bredbenner and Joe "Brick" Panzarella, both who did the bulk of the show. 

The crowd nearly exploded as Eastern Wing did their rendition of the classic Black Sabbath song  "NIB" Kause never sounded better breathing new life into this classic Tony Iommi riff. The energy level would remain at this fevered pitch for the rest of the night. The band ripped through numerous soon to be classics like "Bus Driver", "War Piglets", and "Lookin' On Back" getting strong responses early on. As the show went on, the crowd got to relax for a moment during the emotional intro to "Dry Wall," but when the guitars kicked into high-gear, the entire building went to a whole new level, and the song took its place as a classic Eastern Wing staple that I am sure will remain in this super group's set list for a long time, just  like  "Kill Them All", "Caught In A Plastic Baggie,", and "Nana" will. "Dry Wall" was a definite highlight of the evening, with the audience's cries of "Dry Wall" literally drowning out Jeff Bonomo's powerful vocals.

Shortly thereafter, the crowd was singing along in unison to the chorus of "Shut Up". The madness continued through "Rooney" with the entire crowd knowing every word. "Neil Karoll Part 2" followed, with a particularly stunning double solo by Brick, and Kause with Kris Bonomo accenting every note with his 6 string bass.

 The band then proceeded to deliver an incredible rendition of "Subdivisions" by Rush. The pyrotechnics reached their most impressive moment during this song, with sparks flying high into the air, and pools of fire erupting on either side of Jay Kurtz who spent most of the show behind the drum kit. "Iron Jim", always a crowd favorite, went over equally well, as did "Smoke It", and the Heavy Metal anthem "Big Cat".

 The band left the stage to the deafening roar of "Eastern Wing! Eastern Wing!"; the audience exploding when the guys returned for an encore. First up was "Please God Save Us"  with Brick giving the crowd the responsibility of singing the chorus. The majestic "Hey Baby" followed, with not a member of the audience prepared to leave without hearing it. The night ended with an epic rendition of  "Smoke The Filter." The instant classic everyone was dying to hear. When it seemed like they were going to only play the 3 minute rock version the entire Eastern Wing super group took the stage at once including, Angelo Panzarella, Candace Hess, and hard core rapper Rated X. They blasted into the 6 minute plus "Smoke The Filter Rap", which the crowd loved for it's lyrics describing many townspeople of Pardeesville. The final note was hit, the band then took their final bows, and thanked the audience. Then the ran off. The energy level sustained by the band for the entire 2 hours was truly amazing. The electric feeling remained in the air for a long time afterwards. Eastern Wing have proven that they are indeed Metal Gods.

Kevin "Kause" Bredbenner does a smoking guitar solo.

The crowd went into a frenzy at the Pardeesville Civic Arena when Rated X joined Eastern Wing for the 8 minute epic Smoke The Filter/ Smoke The Filter Rap. 

Brick during the solo of Smoke The Filter

Rated X takes the stage for the final song, "Smoke The Filter Rap"