In This Moment at Webster Hall's Grand Ballroom

Maria Brink

Vocalist Maria Brink and lead guitarist Chris Howorth met through common friends and began writing songs together in Los Angeles, California. They formed a band called Dying Star, then changed directions and formed the theatrical metal band In This Moment in 2005. The new band built a following and the Revolver Golden God Awards in 2010 named Brink the Hottest Chick in Metal. In This Moment currently is comprised of Brink, Howorth, rhythm guitarist Randy Weitzel, bassist Travis Johnson and drummer Tom Hane. The band's fifth and most recent album, Black Widow, was released on November 17, 2014.

Tonight's concert at Webster Hall's Grand Ballroom was a free concert for SiriusXM subscribers and was broadcast live across SiriusXM’s Octane channel. Listeners were unable to witness the spectacle of an In This Moment concert, however. The show opened to the sound of sirens and tribal rhythms. Fog jets were launched and masked dancers moved on platforms before the band came on stage to perform "Sick Like Me" with melodic metal thunder. Brink wore a headset microphone, freeing her to join in choreographed moves with her dancers, but despite all the costume changes, props and other theatrics, this was a far cry from a Britney Spears show. The musicians played searing, scorching metal, though mostly in the dark as Brink, was the ringleader of this circus. "Black Widow" was introduced with a recorded voice narrating the dangers of the spider, followed by Brink appearing on stage in a burlesque-style nurse's outfit and her dancers using giant syringes as props. Each song was packaged with grandiose visuals too numerous to recount, and the musicianship remained consistently rock solid. The 75-minute set mostly featured songs from In This Moment's two most recent albums, but also included a medley of songs from Metallica, Slayer, and Pantera, as well as a full cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Closer." In the end, however, radio listeners only caught half the fun, as In This Moment is a band to both hear and watch.

Visit In This Moment at www.inthismomentofficial.com.