Fozzy Comes to The Legendary Toad’s Place in New Haven, Connecticut April 7, 2022

April 10, 2022
International Concert Reviews
by Jody Wilk Photographer/Writer

On a night with wind driven rain, I walked right into Toad’s Place without having to wait in line to see 4 bands that were all new to me. I think the rain kept some people away as the crowd was a bit lighter than the last few times that I attended shows there. On the bill for the night was The Nocturnal Affair, Krash Karma, Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh, and Fozzy.

The Save The World Tour!

First up was Las Vegas’ The Nocturnal Affair. Not knowing what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised when they hit the stage banging their heads. Though some of the songs were a little less heavy than I thought they would be based on their stage presence, I really enjoyed their melodic inclusion of keyboards by the singer, Brendan Shane. I really don’t know what category I would place their music in, possibly melodic prog-rock? Although, they bill themself as alternative dark rock. Four songs in tonight’s set were off of on their recently released album (Meta)Morphisis.

The Nocturnal Affair is:

Brendan Shane – Vocals

Andy Ingraham – Guitar

Dru Lappin – Guitar

Michael James – Bass

Parker Adsit – Drums

Setlist:

Exoskeletal
A Thousand Ways to Die
Into the Darkness
Ghosts On the Horizon
Unwound
Down
Just Run

Next up was the biggest surprise of the night for me, Krash Karma. This band walked right past the stage entrance and into the crowd. Niki playing a snare drum, and Ralf on a megaphone getting the crowd wound up for what would be an unforgettable performance by this dynamic duo. Ralf Dietel is the man on guitar and bass. Yes, he plays both. His guitar has a second pickup on the low E string from a bass. Ralf told me that he writes his songs around this and he hand picks bass and lead at the same time with his right hand. Ralf also shares about half of the vocal duties all while putting on a killer performance. Niki was also on her A-game hammering away on the drums while delivering phenomenal vocals. I was blown away by how full they sounded. If I closed my eyes, I would have thought there was a 5 piece band in front of me. During the song, “Girl With A Hammer”, Niki jumped off the kick drum wielding a giant 4 foot hammer hitting a cymbal that was placed on the floor. Her vocals remind me a little of Lzzy Hale. Their stage performance was non-stop head-banging and jumping around the stage and off the cage that housed the kick drum. This is a band not to be missed.

Krash Karma is:

Ralf Dietel – Vocals, Guitar, Bass

Niki Skistamas – Vocals, Drums, Hammer

Setlist:

Wake Them Up
The One Who Knocks
Killing Time
9 Lives (1,2,Die)
Girl With A Hammer
Tears Of Gasoline

GFM, or Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh, was another surprise for me. Going into this show, I knew that these young ladies were of Christian faith and deliver a positive message. I was unaware that much of the vocals would be delivered in a deep growling voice. What a fun surprise. My first rock concert was Stryper in 1986, so it is great to see a young band that is into delivering a positive message through heavy metal to the next generation. They have created their own category called “Beautycore”. I even saw one of their stage crew had on what looked to be a football jersey with that written across the top.

All three of these girls perform with radiating smiles. Maggie handles the lead vocals, much of the time from a riser. In between her growling vocals she is constantly banging her head and whipping her hair about. She also, handles the bass guitar on several songs. LuLu, in between hammering on her custom SJC drum kit, makes time to acknowledge fans by nodding her head, smiling, and pointing her drumsticks in their direction. Her kit looks like cupcakes and has lights that chase each other around the frosting. CJ, the oldest of the sisters, plays the killer riffs that make this heavy, hard hitting, band sound great. These young ladies will go far in the music industry!

GFM is:

CJ English – Vocals, Guitar

Maggie English – Vocals, Bass

LuLu English – Drums, Vocals

Setlist:

Bones
Never Again
Graveyards
Fantasy
Smile
RIP
Framing
Taking Over
Give Me A Sign
Other Side

The headliner of the night was Fozzy. A band I heard of but didn’t know they have been around for 23 years. Founded by Chris Jericho, Richard Ward, and former member Frank Fontsere, they have 7 albums out and their latest creation, “Boombox” is due to be released May 6, 2022. PJ Farley was added to the band just before covid hit, and Grant Brooks replaced Frank Fontsere just this year. Prior to the start of the show, I noticed that you could buy Chris’ red stage worn Nikes for $250.00.

Chris hit the stage in a studded leather jacket and open vest with jeans that had one leg adorned with song titles. My first thought was, “man, he looks like an in-shape Sebastian Bach”. He was obviously no stranger to the stage as his presence was dominating. You could tell how happy he was to be in front of a crowd by his big smile after each song. Chris’ vocals sounded crisp and on point. I was happy to see PJ Farley touring with Fozzy, as I am very familiar with his work with Trixter and have seen him play with Eric Martin. He is always a fan favorite.

Running through a setlist of mostly originals, they did throw in “Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and as an encore, AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds”. They played “I Still Burn”, their latest release which Chris said was the most added song on rock radio this week. Richard Ward (The Duke of Metal) was by far the most fun for me to photograph as he was running, kicking, and jumping all over the stage all while keeping his guitar work tight. He was sporting a cool striped jean jacket with tiger stripes on back and a McLaren logo. At one point, he put his foot on my shoulder while I was trying to get a shot, just to mess with me. Chris and Billy Grey were no strangers to running around the stage also. They did a choreographed running chest bump, which I failed to capture as it was after my 3-song limit in the pit. Chris declared that any night they play is Fozzy Friday. They continued to play 5 killer songs off their new album.

I was thoroughly impressed by Fozzy, and all the support bands on this tour. I did buy a few CD’s from the merch table and suggest that you do the same. You can check them out on tour for the next month and a half on their Fozzy Save The World Tour.

Fozzy is:

Chris Jericho – Lead Vocals

Richard Ward – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals, Keyboards

Billy Grey – Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals

PJ Farley – Bass

Grant Brooks – Drums