Every week, I randomly select a venue at which I review the local opening act. This week I drew the Paradox from my hat. The band was the Entropy Project, which was set up in a "community" manner--the drummer alone on stage, and the rest of the band on the floor, in front. The people in the crowd formed a semi-circle around the band, so singer Chris Jahn didn't have to actually jump off the stage in order to flail around wildly among them, as he did throughout the show. None of the kids seemed to be moving with him, which gave his performance an eerily cagey effect. Though stone still, the audience was rapt.

Jahn announced the name of the first song: "Because I'm a Fucking Pirate, That's Why," and the band launched into a hardcore assault that was at times viscerally gratifying and at other times exhaustingly repetitive. The music, as expected, was constantly punctuated by violent swells of angst, though it was hard to discern what all the fury was about (the words were mostly inaudible).

The music was easy to pin down. Bassist Lance Latimer played low, pulsing rhythms to expertly ground the band's onslaught, and drummer Cam Jahn (Chris' brother) was heavy-hitting and aggressive with galloping fills. The two guitarists--mathematical in relation to the rhythm section, and moody--seemed to be leading the band, moving from straightforward hardcore-by-numbers progressions into more dramatic emo/metal-infused bits that were genuinely engaging.

"Stop lying to me!" Chris shouted on the final song. It was a clue to some of the anger he was feeling: Does anyone really like being lied to? Perhaps the Entropy Project is going to evolve as it reacts to a recession and a nasty president--stuff that's more universal to "rage against." This band is certainly not without talent.

Meantime, some of the wordless screaming at the ceiling felt sadly dated and meaningless. Chris gave a speech between songs: "People spout off a lot of values and claim to have a value system," he said. "But when you have a value system, it should at least be consistent... when you look in the mirror, you should at least be able to respect yourself."

Most of the audience applauded.