The Southern Californian Metal Scene Page


our friend Coax will deliver a weekly report on the metal scene in his area.and here is the first of them
August 12, 2002

First of, I want to thank Simona for giving me the opportunity to write, review, bitch....etc. on this soon to be great and elite metal zine. I've written several things in the past but have been on hiatus for a long long time. So here I am again, getting back on track and focusing on metal from yesterday, today, and the future. Let's go back to yesterday shall we?

"Iron" and "Maiden" mean two seperate things when wrote out seperately. "Iron" being an alloy of steel, and "Maiden" being, of course, a woman. When these two words are slammed together though, they form, mesh, and meld to describe one thing to the metal community: Classic and true heavy metal in it's purest form.

But my review isn't of Iron Maiden.... it's of The Iron Maidens. Who are The Iron Maidens? Why should you care? Well first, yes, this is a cover band.

"But why oh why Coax are you reviewing a cover band??"

I know you're saying this to yourself, and you should be ashamed! Yes, a cover band, not only a cover band, but a band that is made up of nothing but attractive women playing Iron Maiden cover tunes... AND WELL!!

Eh? Have I perked your curiosity? I also know what some of you misogynists are out there saying: "Women? Is it even possible?"

How many times do I have to say it: YES!! They all are consumate professionals, and know every in and out of their musical weapons of choice. Melanie Sisneros (aka Steve Heiress) literally transforms into Steve Harris. She plays her bass with stylistic form and finesse, hovering over the audience, holding the instrument like a rifle, daring anyone to comment on her imitation Steve Harris spandex pants! She actually just recently filled the vacant bass slot in Sinergy with Kimerbly Goss, and everyone here in Cali sure wishes her the best in that. Break a leg Mel! Josephine Soegijanty (aka Adrianne Smith), who graduated from GIT and studied privately with Alex Skolnick (Testament, Savatage) plays switch leads in perfect harmony with partner guitarist in crime Sara (aka Mini Murray). These two women are amazing, literally. Their guitar prowess equals the two greats they are imitating. Jenny (aka Bruce Chickinson) follows Bruce's lead admirably, throwing her own little bit of musical interpretation into the mix. Where Bruce Dickinson will reach a high and usually level off, Jenny reaches higher, like a banshee wail. Finally Linda (aka Nicki McBrrain) on drums. Let me just list her accomplishments, and you make your decision if she's good or not: Won award for Best Drummer/Performance of Drums and Percussion at the 7th Annual L.A. Music Awards and won a similar award at the 3rd Annual Rock City News Awards Show. She also is endorsed by DW, Paiste, and Vic Firth. Nuff said. The two shows I have had the pleasure of witnessing were, for lack of a better word... awesome. And the crowds were fist-banging metal heads, the horns were up everywhere! When you can't have the real Iron Maiden, and need a live fix of your favorite tunes like "Hallowed Be Thy Name" or "The Trooper", these are the gals to go see. Check out their website at http://www.theironmaidens.com to get more info. Stay heavy, hail metal!

Coax