Photo Gallery: 3Teeth / Ho99o9 / Street Sects / Razorwire Halo at The Riot Room

Alexis Mincolla of 3Teeth

Kansas City welcomed a uniquely menacing and varied tour package to town on April 21. The night's headliner was 3Teeth, an industrial metal band from Los Angeles. They delivered a set of pulsating and aggressive marches that channeled nineties era sounds without relying on them completely. The band also wore unique outfits and had arranged a unique light show to pair with their songs, putting a cap on a show that was almost as pleasing visually as it was sonically.

The band that arguably stole the show, however, was Ho99o9. Originally formed in New Jersey, this Los Angeles-based group incorporated bone-crunching electronics, hardcore punk instrumentation, and belligerent raps into its 45 minute set. Much like the previous week's show from The Garden, less than a handful of folks from the city's punk scene were in attendance, but would've felt right at home. Even though it was clear that a good chunk of the audience was in attendance to see 3Teeth, Ho99o9 connected with non-fans almost instantly. Near the end of their set, one member -- in reference to the group's name -- proclaimed that "when you're an artist, you can do what you want." Before their next hip-hop/punk assault, their newfound fans cheered them on and created the evening's shining-est moment.

Austin, Texas duo Street Sects began their performance by flooding the entire room with smoke, then proceeded to blast the crowd with a series of seizure-inducing strobes, allowing the two performers to appear as shadowy apparitions. The duo's music consisted of synth-y, mid-paced romps interrupted with blasts of digital hardcore. When the intensity of the smoke and lights finally began to die down, vocalist Leo Ashline upped the sensory overload again by revving a chainsaw and holding it in the faces of the audience.

Local industrial crew Razorwire Halo opened the show. Despite strong performances from the group's musicians and an intriguing stage show that included a translucent screen placed in front of the stage, these efforts were foiled by those of the group's vocalist. His campy, vulgar-filled stage presence was combined with lyrics full of sexual references that have already been made 100 times over within the genre; the results were less than enjoyable.

Full photo gallery here.