Dope

House of Blues, Anaheim

After hearing a lot of bad things about Dope, mostly from following what Tripp Eisen of Static-X had to say about them post-departure, I didn't really know quite what to expect. They were good and played hard and loud. They're more along the lines of the Murderdolls than they are Static-X, and personally preferring the latter, I wasn't totally impressed with the music. But what the hey, they had a good stage presence, played extremely well and pretty much kept my attention during their whole set, short of the one badly needed and poorly timed bathroom break. Their basics: one bass, one drum kit, one guitar, and one singer. Dreadlocks abound, and they do have at least an interesting look and set. While I'm not a big big fan of their lyrics, which are slightly inane (you're the fucking enemy?), and their music isn't all that original anymore, I admit I'll be one of the first in line to buy a ticket the next time they come to town. An odd endorsement, surely, but they do tend to grow on you.

On a side note, for what it's worth, their website is totally irritating. Forced loading of long files is no way to behave on the web. Bastards.

You can find Dope's homepage here.