(posted 10/24/02)
DC Moon and the Atomic Supermen ... sci-fi heavy metal from Tuscaloosa

DC Moon has been playing the Tuscaloosa music scene long enough to remember when there actually was a music scene.

But times always change, and with the latest resurgence of Tuscaloosa music comes the newest (and perhaps best) version of this long-time, sci-fi metal/punk themed band ... the Atomic Supermen. The group cut loose with a show in late September that's possibly one of the strongest shows ever played in the band's history. The crunchy metal riffs swapped between Moon and new guitarist Warren Eckstein were unique and lively, and played with a level of passion never seen before (by this reviewer anyway!) Vocalist/auxiliary musician Celesta Riner brought a feminine fire to the show, shaking and swinging herself all across the stage. The rhythm section still holds the same ground shaking lineup of drummer Dave Standifer and bassist Ricky Lee.

The strangest part of this show was the group drum solo, which combined heavy beats from the drum set with a strange, tribal groove banged out on the top of large plastic buckets. It was something hard to describe, but it tickled the fancy of the 30 or so listeners standing in the narrow hallway leading to The Chukker's stage front. The rest of the show played out like a heavy metal comic book, featuring songs from the band's origins with Red Giant and its previous CD "The Meteor Titanic". Those original tunes have helped the band land big gigs from here to DragonCon … including a raucous show with GWAR. The Chukker show featured some new stuff as well, like the drum solo, which is titled Mokele-Mbembe after a legendary dinosaur thought to still be living deep in the Congo. Mokele-Mbembe can be heard on DC Moon and the Atomic Supermen's new disc. The CD is titled "Rarr!" It comes out Halloween night 2002 in downtown Tuscaloosa at Dionysus. Also, catch the Atomic Supermen November 8th at the WVUA Local Band Jam hosted by 4th and 23rd.

see the Atomic Supermen slideshow !

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