Dredg, an alternative rock band, performed spicily at the Senator Theater on May 16. Judgment Day and Torche, both under the heavy metal genre, appeared as the opening bands. The opening bands aided in the destruction of the concept of music.

    Judgment Day came on first, and initially sounded surprisingly mellow. They quickly became more hardcore; the head-banging violinist complemented the drummer’s overwhelming thrashes quite hysterically. It takes talent to flail around while playing cello, as well. Not many observers stood in general admission, but the few who did got into the loud music from the start.

    Next, Torche took the stage. Most of their songs sounded exactly the same, a reoccurring problem in most hardcore music. Nonetheless, the spectators continued to encourage the band’s earsplitting ‘music’ by screaming during the songs (almost loud enough to be heard).

After an hour and a half of deafening nonsense, the Dredg banners dropped. This offered no relief, for it seemed like ages before Dredg finished setting up. Finally, they played “Same Ol’ Road” as their first song, later playing songs such as “Savior” and “Bug Eyes”. The violinist and cellist from Judgment Day joined Dredg for several songs, which proved to be tolerable. After Judgment Day stepped off, Dredg continued playing their unique songs. The concert ended at around 11:30 pm.

    The contradiction between the loud concert and the silent downtown streets left many spectators temporarily deafened. The violinist of Judgment Day stood near the concession stand, signing fan’s merchandise. Security guards forced the audience members out of the building shortly after.

    Overall, Dredg gave a zesty, well structured performance. The opening bands Judgment Day and Torche were mediocre; probably chosen to go beforehand in order to make Dredg sound better. If they intended to do just that, it worked.  The theater didn’t have very many people, showing that Dredg is severely underrated. Their next album comes out on Jun. 9, and anyone interested in alternative music should consider buying it.