Adrenaline Mob – Hiro Ballroom NYC – Come Join the Mob!

By: Robert Cavuoto

Russell Allen

For the release of their debut, full length album, Omerta, Adrenaline Mob held a party at Hiro Ballroom on March 12^th in the best city in the world New York! Family, friends, VIPs and diehard fans crammed the small venue for a live preview of Omerta in an intimate setting. The new CD begins where their EP left off – hard driving metal with commercial vocal melodies and hook filled riffs. It’s clear that this band is blazing a trail with their unique style of shredding metal.

The Super Group features lightening fast guitar shredder Mike Orlando, Russell Allen of Symphony X on vocals, John Moyer from Disturbed on bass, and Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater rounds off the band as powerhouse prog drummer. The band took the stage and assaulted the audience with a 60+ minute set performing all the songs off Omerta, in order from “Undaunted” right to “Freight Train” plus a Black Sabbath encore medley, including “The Mob Rules”. I’m not sure who was having more fun, the band or the crowd.

Molten moments from the blistering set were “Indifferent”, “Feeling Me” and “All on the Line” which Russ dedicated to his wife for all her support. Mike’s leads were masterful and impressive to witness it. All eyes were transfixed on his shredding abilities, particularly the guitarists who were left scratching their heads whether they should have been home practicing instead of at the show. Russ is a powerhouse vocalist with tremendous range and versatility in the vein of Ronnie James Dio, Ripper Owens and Geoff Tate. New bassist, John Moyer was a nice fit to the band and put on a flawless performance.

By the end of the night the crowd was delirious between Mike Orlando’s surging leads and Mike Portnoy’s pounding drums. What lacked in lighting or stage effects was more than made up with pure energy and dare I say…..Adrenaline. I’m sure the band will be making a tour announcement in the next few weeks where they can let their high energy show loose on a larger stage. As Mike Orlando told me, “the band writes songs that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up”… days later, for me it’s still standing.