by Chris Stelmak
Staff Writer
L7 ground out its harsh style before a capacity crowd Wednesday, but many fans were stuck outside due to the size of the small club on Emo's lucky seventh anniversary.
The band was promoting The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum. The album is far better than L7's less-than-adequate previous effort, Hungry for Stink. L7 previously received some deserved radio play for its best album, Bricks are Heavy.
Free and cheap shows are what L7 does best. The band gained many Houston fans a few years ago when it played in the Perpetual Park Party on campus.
After several shallow appearances, L7 showed its true talent at Emo's.
This time, the band is traveling down the stretch without long-time bassist Jennifer Finch, who left to return to college.
During the two-hour set, the band ran through most of the songs off The Beauty Process. One of the better songs, "Drama," takes full advantage of L7's unharnessed style. The swinging metal song "Off the Wagon" added to the energy as well.
On "I Need," vocalist Donita Sparks cut her harsh voice into the short, simplistic guitar grinds that fought with the heavy bass and highlighted drums.
The softer side of these ladies was represented too, with songs like "Moonshine" and "Non-Existent Patricia" to add a little variety. The songs are not quite lullabies, but they are toned down as much as a metal band can be.
L7 has made a significant improvement from its previous efforts. The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum is a surprisingly complete album, and it was easy to see by the size of the crowd at Emo's that it has met with much approval.