On the surface Adrenaline Mob appears to be this Prog Rock super group with Mike Portnoy formally of Dream Theater joining forces with Russell Allen of Symphony X. Outside of technical skills that these guys possess, this isn’t Prog Rock, this is fucking groove based heavy music, very much like Pantera. Seriously, if you like Pantera, you absolutely need to check out Adrenaline Mob. This EP is the total package; fuck this band is the total package.

These songs are not just amazing, easy on the metal ear, songs. They include incredible vocals. Russell Allen is a blend of Phil Anselmo, Chris Cornell and Ronnie James Dio. The guitar playing is world class. If you don’t know Mike Orlando is yet, you’re going to by the end of the year. He will quickly climb to the top of many guitar polls. Then you’ve got the rock God on drums, Mike Portnoy. For all of you that thought Portnoy was just fucking around with different side projects after Dream Theater, you were sadly mistaken. This is as real as it gets. You don’t make music this good and just call it a side project.

Heavy Metal desperately needs another Pantera, a band that is not only commercially successful, but that all metal fans love and respect. Yeah we’ve got Black Label Society, and I love those guys to death, but there is plenty of room for Adrenaline Mob. Adrenaline Mob and BLS are going to compliment each other very nicely…now all we need are those two bands to go out on tour together…that would be insane.

I can’t get over how amazing this EP is. The EP is available at www.adrenalinemob.com or at www.mikeportnoy.com. The EP consists of five songs. Four originals and a cover of “Mob Rules.” Currently I’ve listened to the EP five times. I don’t have a favorite song, “Pyschosane” is really good…but that’s the song that I’m listening to right now. In a couple minutes I’ll be praising “Believe Me.” “Down to the Floor” is the first single, that song’s really good. I don’t know, just head over to www.adrenalinemob.com and buy this fucking thing.

Written By: Bob Zerull @ Zoiks! Online

Another concert was scheduled for a working day but nothing could stop METAL KAOZ from doing what knows best! And that is attend a Metal show and then report everything about it. That time is was a show hosted at the excellent venue The Bottom Lounge. This was a special one since ADRENALINE MOB were about to make their debut live appearance in Chicago. Of course, the band’s name is already known to the Metal scene since it is Mike Portnoy’s return to discography after the recent events with DREAM THEATER. But that was not the only reason for once to attend this show; this band is literally a super-group featuring Russell Allen, Mike Orlando, Paul DiLeo and Rich Ward in the lineup, raising the expectations into high levels. It is also a well known fact that the musicians and their skills are not enough to make a band sound solid; there has to be chemistry between them and that was the question we all were waiting to be answered from the stage!

And then, it was time for ADRENALINE MOB to give an unofficial reply to all the haters who cannot see further than their noses, pretending to be experts in music, simply because they own the entire DREAM THEATER back catalogue. A word to all of the nowadays progsters; playing live is not about following precisely the timing and worshiping the click track while counting the bpms waiting to achieve the world record of playing fast and ultra complicated. It is all about putting your heart to it, enjoying all the minutes on the stage and there is nothing else to add!

As it always happens in shows hosted at The Bottom Lounge, the lights went out precisely as scheduled and Johhny Cash’s “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” started playing from the stage speakers. The almost Blues groove and Cash’s legendary timbre got everyone clapping and pumped up for the MOB-sters. The trademark movie score from “The Godfather” came next bringing the band members one by one onstage. And then… boom the band started their setlist with “Psychosane” putting the pedal to the Metal sending waves of energy to explode on our faces. There was a lot of happening in front of us and the stage was looked too small to host the five piece band who looked absolutely psyched. And then I understood why the monitors were placed upon boxes in front of the stage; to give more space to the band for the adrenaline fueled show. Paul DiLeo and Rich Ward were literally on fire. Rich was jumping up and down in any given chance while Paul was following his lead into stage posing clearly having absolute fun totally relaxed. In fact, everyone was looking happy without egos getting in the way giving the impression that they were just friends jamming along. “Psychosane” is a great concert opener with a driving groove and some Zakk Wylde inspired guitar vibrato riffs. Russell’s voice fits like a glove to the music implementing his relaxed singing profile like he did in his solo album “Atomic Soul” (great album!). As Portnoy told us one hour before the show, they would play the entire not yet released album in its entity, so it was kind of challenging for a band to win a crowd with new tracks. But man, they did that and then added some more! The fact that there was no pressure from a big band name or by the -always- demanding fans gave the degrees of freedom a musician wants to flourish. Mike did his thing behind the massive drum-kit without showing off (not that he needed that) and after a couple of songs, he started following the others’ more relaxed mentality since this band has nothing to prove. On the other hand, we have to give him some kudos for dealing with the pressure due to the recent DREAM THEATER fuss and the harsh and ridiculous attitude by some DT fans.

“We are going to slow things down a little” said Russell as he was placing the mic stand in the middle of the stage introducing “All On The Line”. Mike Orlando took over the classic guitar and along with Russell served us with a nice mid tempo track that featured some great emotional singing. Of course, this ‘slow’ break did not last long and “Hit The Wall” brought back the heaviness and the faster tempos with some more nice guitar vibrato and another insane solo during which Mike Orlando stepped over the monitor boxes shredding the fretboard in less than a spitting distance from the front rows leaving us watching in awe. The vocals lines in this track are amazing and so it was watching Russell singing them during the mid tempo part hitting the higher notes at ease. There was more jumping and even more sweating during the last track coming from the yet unreleased album.

“Ok, we played all the tracks we have for the new album so I guess it’s time to leave” added Russell that was also backed up by Portnoy who followed his lead. “Do you want more?” was a rhetoric question and after the loud screams the singer added “I guess we can do some covers”. And so they did; the first one was BADLANDS’ “High Wire” kicking in a killer riff and a nice Hard Rock vibrato. Russell nailed the vocals revealing his wide octave range proving how the vocal chords should be considered as a musical instrument (and one of the most difficult to master). Without stopping the band continued with DIO’s “Stand Up And Shout” that everyone into singing, shouting and jumping up and down joining the band into sweating. “Mob Rules” was the fitting to the band’s name cover and it would not be too much to change the lyrics a little and say “The ADRENALINE MOB rules” since they did. During this song I had the chance to watch left handed Paul DiLeo doing justice to the bass lines playing a right handed bass…

“Do you want one more or maybe two or three?” asked Russell and the he added “Or just one long one?” and then they did the massive and always fun to sing along “War Pigs”. Who can say no to a SABBATH song especially from the golden Ozzy era? “No one” is the answer and that exactly happened. Everyone inside the venue accompanied Russell into singing the legendary lyrics that still send shivers down our spine with the “Satan laughs and spread his wings” part. This was a great ending to an impressive performance that I have to say got me off guard. There was no holding back with the onstage energy and ADRENALINE MOB gave us the final blow sweating their arses off one more time.

The band came in front of the stage for the final bow as the curtain fell for this impressive show. ‘Mixing’ great musicians with no artistic boundaries leaving aside the personal egos gives excellent results that in this case listen to the name ADRENALINE MOB. We slowly left the venue under the “The Godfather” trademark melody, feeling absolutely satisfied by what we watched that night. Now we are totally psyched for the full length album!

Will you resist the MOB? Chicago did not!

ADRENALINE MOB setlist:

01. “Psychosane”

02. “Feelin’ Me”

03. “Undaunted”

04. “Down To The Floor”

05. “Indifferent”

06. “Believe Me”

07. “Freight Train”

08. “All On The Line”

09. “Hit The Wall”

10. “High Wire”

11. “Stand Up And Shout”

12. “The Mob Rules ”

13. “War Pigs”

Posted on Aug 5th 2011 11:00AM by Chris Epting

As was reported by Noisecreep this week, Mike Portnoy’s new project, Adrenaline Mob, is not just releasing a new five-song EP on August 9th – they’re also hitting the road this month on their first headlining tour across the US.

In an exclusive interview with Noisecreep, Portnoy shared some of his thoughts on the tour as well as some of what fans can expect to experience at the shows.

Did you expect Adrenaline Mob be doing a headlining tour this soon in the game?

Actually, after the one NYC “unveiling” we did at the end of June, we weren’t planning on doing any more shows until the album came out – and then the offer came in to do these Godsmack dates, which of course we couldn’t pass up!

However, the Godsmack shows are all in the secondary markets that they didn’t hit on the Mayhem Festival, so we figured being we were already going to be up and running, we’d fill in the off-dates with some shows of our own in some of the major markets we could get to while out touring with the Godsmack shows.

But honestly, this all came about sooner than we had planned! The original plan was to wait until the album came out (which at this rate wasn’t going to be until the beginning of 2012). This all also played into us moving things forward quicker than expected and getting the EP out NOW, so we could do this tour and have a product out that was available to the public and for people to get to know some of the music immediately rather than waiting for the traditional three-to-four month “set-up period” record companies usually need to get a release out.

Will you be playing most of the album live?

We will indeed be playing all five songs from the EP live – as well as many other Adrenaline Mob songs that will appear on the full length album. And at the headlining shows, we will inevitably fill out the set with some fun covers as well, like we did at the NYC show this past June.

How do you see your role onstage as compared to other bands you’ve been in – are you the de facto front man given your history?

Well with Dream Theater live, I may have been a bit of a focal point because I absolutely live for the energy on stage and having interaction with the audience is absolutely crucial to me – regardless of how some others have described it! (laughs). So my character and stage presence may have stuck out a bit with those guys who are maybe slightly more reserved than I. However in Adrenaline Mob, there are five guys that are ALL absolutely insanely energetic performers each of their own right. It’s like a five-ring circus on stage! I absolutely am NOT the “de facto front man” in The Mob – that title surely goes to Russell Allen who is one of the best front men in the business. I am just happy to be part of the band, and not necessarily leading it.

What can fans expect at these shows?

Crushing riffs and grooves, some shredding, memorable songs and seriously high energy performances. There is a reason why the word Adrenaline is part of the band’s name!’

Tour dates are as follows:

Aug. 14 Allentown, PA, Crocodile Rock

Aug. 16 N. Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues *

Aug. 17 Springfield, VA Jaxx

Aug. 18 Clifton Park, NY, Northern Lights

Aug. 19 Worcester, MA, The Palladium

Aug 20 LaFargeville, NY, Can-Am Motorsports Park *

Aug 21 Hamilton, ON, Copps Coliseum *

Aug 22 Chicago, IL, Bottom Lounge

Aug 23 Dubuque, IA, Five Flags Arena *

Aug 24 Bloomington, IL, US Cellular Coliseum *

Aug 26 Casper, WY, Casper Event Center *

Aug 27 Grand Junction, CO, Rock Jam *

Aug 28 Denver, CO, Marquis Theater

Aug 29 Lubbock, TX, Wreckers

Aug 30 Dallas, TX, Trees

Sept 3 San Francisco, CA, The Independent

Band To Hit The Road on First Ever Tour Starting August 14th 

Also Opening for Godsmack on Select Tour Stops

(New York, NY – August 2nd, 2011) – The hard rock music genre is finally getting a long overdue injection of aggression when Adrenaline Mob releases their self-titled debut EP on August 9th. The EP will available via iTunes as well as sold in physical form at the band’s upcoming shows and online store.  Self-produced by the band, Adrenaline Mob features 4 original tracks as well as a blistering cover of the Dio-era Black Sabbath classic, “The Mob Rules.”  From the opening riff of “Psychosane” through the over 6 minute epic sounding “Hit The Wall,” it is clear that Adrenaline Mob are in class all their own as musicians.

“Releasing the EP gives fans around the world a chance to get a taste of the Mob NOW without having to wait until the full length album comes out at the beginning of next year,” states Portnoy.

Comprised of some of rock music’s most notable faces and names, one thing Adrenaline Mob is not is a side project.  The band is made up of the powerful and soaring vocals of Russell Allen, the shredding guitar attack of Mike Orlando and the rock solid rhythm playing of Rich Ward, the driving bass groove of Paul DiLeo and the legendary drumming of Mike Portnoy.

Hot on the heels of the release of Adrenaline Mob, the band will be heading out on their first ever headline tour on August 14th, which runs through mid-September. The tour kicks off in Allentown, PA and will be making stops in various markets including Chicago, Denver and San Francisco to name a few. A live video of the band performing “The Mob Rules” from their debut live show can be viewed here and is approaching 120,000 views since it was put up a month ago.  The band has also been tapped to open for Godsmack on select dates of their upcoming tour.

Adrenaline Mob formed in 2011 when Orlando approached Allen with some song ideas.  Allen and Orlando refined those ideas at which time Allen reached out to long-time friend Portnoy to see if he had any interest in playing with them.  Portnoy jumped on-board and soon thereafter, DiLeo and Ward were recruited to join the family.  From the very first note, the chemistry was apparent and the beast that is known as Adrenaline Mob was born.

A full-length release is planned for 2012.

Adrenaline Mob track listing:

1. Psychosane

2. Believe Me

3. Hit The Wall

4. Down To The Floor

5. The Mob Rules

http://www.facebook.com/adrenalinemob

twiiter.com/adrenalinemob

For more information on Adrenaline Mob, please contact:

Kevin Chiaramonte – PFA Media – 212-334-6116

kevinc@pfamedia.net

TOUR DATES

DATE CITY VENUE

Aug. 14 Allentown, PA Crocodile Rock

Aug. 16 * N. Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues

Aug. 17 Springfield, VA Jaxx

Aug. 18 Clifton Park, NY Northern Lights

Aug. 19 Worcester, MA The Palladium

Aug 20 * LaFargeville, NY Can-Am Motorsports Park

Aug 21 * Hamilton, ON Copps Coliseum

Aug 22 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge

Aug 23 * Dubuque, IA Five Flags Arena

Aug 24 *  Bloomington, IL US Cellular Coliseum

Aug 26 * Caspar, WY Casper Event Center

Aug 27 * Grand Junction, CO Rock Jam

Aug 28 Denver, CO Marquis Theater

Aug 29 Lubbock, TX Wreckers

Aug 30 Dallas, TX Trees

Sept 3 San Francisco, CA The Independent

* Date opening for Godsmack