August 22, 2008 - LAS VEGAS, NV - USA. The still desert air smells of dust and heat amidst a silent, tanned landscape. An aroma from a time of cowboys and gold-rush, intensified by the warm breeze that wakens the nearby palm trees as they cast the only shade to be found within bearable distance. It's 93 degrees Fahrenheit and barely 7:00am. Welcome to Las Vegas, Nevada. Metropolis of lights, empire of excess, hell's gate to Death Valley and current capital of a rock and roll revival reminiscent of Seattle, 1989.
Six hours from now, the dust won't be able to settle in one North Las Vegas community. The desert quiet will be as distant as the next sign of rain. Today's forecast is an unchanging advertisement for sunscreen, but those searching for dark clouds and thunder need but listen...for this is where Hector Gomez, Zachary Fassio, Cody Davis and CJ Hulet will descend. And it is here that rehearsal begins promptly at 1pm.
Better known to their fans as Control The Chaos or CTC, these four teens have assembled one of the most mature and original sounds to emerge from the over-the-top glamour and live performance catalog of the Las Vegas entertainment scene.
Deep rooted and inspired by heavy metal legends such as Metallica and Iron Maiden, CTC has afforded the local music community something altogether inspiring and unexpected: a teenage stage-act which concentrates first on assembling choreographed, aggressive, melodic and amplified rock music while abandoning the standard prerequisite of a vocal melody.
For as predictable as some music genres can be, CTC knows how to right "catchy" songs. Validated through enough hooks in their music to entice a closer listen, gathering over 12,000 online followers in six months, it seems they are on to something.
With clever intention, the chorus of "Chaos" expands through unexpected bends, blends and spontaneous time signature. CTC indulges fans through a fully-engaged and entertaining aural experience. All the while, there is no vocalist. And interestingly, no one seems to care. For this is the most intriguing and so far, the most defining feature of the band.
In the absence of the stereo-typical rock front-man, the band has created a new level of expectation across their fans. Each song must captivate. Each title must preclude a story of sound, and each live performance demands an heightened level of commitment from each band member.
Never is this more apparent than with the drummer of CTC, Hector Gomez. Self-dubbed as "BEAST", 17 year-old Gomez is truly un-human when it comes to destroying the timbales. He literally channels the Jim Henson Muppet creation, "Animal" in both style and looks with his auburn, shoulder-length hair and wilderness-inspired beard. With each kick, roll and crash it is as if Beast tries to substitute for the lead vocalist: yelling, screaming - always antagonizing the crowd to release with him. His display is aggressive, almost intimidating... and extremely entertaining.
But to become a Control The Chaos fan, one must examine each of the band's characters. There is a laid-back demeanor evident in Cody "Sunshine" Davis. Nicknamed because of his bright smile, Davis takes spotlight by assuming the role of MC-designate for the band. At 17, he is the most confident in his audience address. He's given birth to the rhythmic pattern from which the core CTC sound has evolved. Cody's maturity is apparent as he plays lead guitar with steadiness and confidence,which directly compliments the acrobatics of Beast.
Harmonic solos and duels require a second guitarist and for that, there is Zachary "Chaos" Fassio. In direct follicle competition to Gomez, 16 year-old Zachary is known for his intense guitar-licks almost as much as his un-managed mane. If the biblical Samson played Heavy-Metal guitar, he'd be re-incarnated here as this kid seems to get his strength and testosterone-driven guitar playing directly from his hair. Zachary plays with calculated intensity, responsible for some of the more recognizable solos on CTC's debut demo. His skill is impressive and his potential is promising, while his hair has become it's own persona. Watch-out Sanjaya!
Alas, when it comes to Heavy Metal it truly screams to the age-old reputation for sex, drugs and rock-n-roll. Control the Chaos plays as if their energy was induced by a pharmacist, but these kids are poster-boys for the clean and sober. It's all natural adolescence and adrenaline. Literally enforced, as their management has them under contract to ensure that it stays that way. But as far as the sex, it seems that there is indeed a member of the band that has a certain appeal to the female fans. Enter "Bones", 16 years old and the tallest of the troupe. Legally named CJ Hulet, (the only member of the band known more for his shirt-less stage antics than for his hair) has quickly become the band's "Casanova". Maybe it's the fact that he appears as the most clean-cut member of the band. Or perhaps it's because he's the only "pierced" one, that the girls go crazy. Either way, he plays to the crowd with triumphant displays of angst and athletic jumps while handling the bass guitar as if it was anatomically fused.
The dynamic of this foursome is much deeper than the music. The chemistry stems from the fact that first, they are literally a band of brothers. Gomez and Fassio are step brothers, as are Davis and Hulet. They also attend the same high-school together, quite the popular bunch there.
There is an entire novel behind each of these boys lives in what has made them so committed to this band and each other. Yet anyone that witnesses CTC first-hand must respect that they are still kids. Kids that love doing what they do, and that's metal. Every day. Molten-metal, CTC and Vegas. Very impressive.
An energy emits from them, a vibe. A sound. There is also a commonality between the four of them in that their personalities blend into one consistent flavor. The flavor of Chaos and it is through a deliberate concentration and orchestration that they master this chaos. Indeed, they control it.
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