Fort Worth-based metal band Lockjaw – one of RockMental’s first featured bands – made their way to West Texas last week as The Monster Inside Tour came to the Rock House in El Paso.
The five-piece band pumped up an intimate crowd of metalheads with their signature bangers “I Can’t Escape,” “Control the Chaos,” and their latest single “The Monster Inside.” They even threw in a few surprises with their awesome cover of Alice in Chains’ “Them Bones” and even an unrecorded song that they aim to release later this year!
Hearing these tracks live was so awesome! The energy lead singer Joe Ortiz channels with each lyric and scream was contagious, and the guitar mastery Jeff Ogle and Justin Paul was on full display with roaring riffs and expert solos. Add in bassist Gabe Ayala’s thumping grooves and backup vocals, as well as heart punches from Scott Letz on drums, this concert proved that metal is alive and well in the Lone Star State!
If you remember, we interviewed Jeff on Beyond the Pit where he talked about how their songs “I Can’t Escape” and “Living in My Head” have a ton of mental health themes. Jeff explained how Joe incorporates his own experiences and struggles with depression, toxic relationships, and negative self-talk into his lyrics, things all of us can relate to. Layered in with the awesome songwriting from Jeff and Justin, Lockjaw’s music is rising to the level of quality we expect from the likes of Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed, and Slipknot.
After the show, the guys met each and every fan in attendance and made sure everyone got a chance to take a photo and grab merch. These dudes are the nicest, kindest, most bad ass group of guys I’ve met – exactly the kind of rockers us fans look up to.
Up next for Lockjaw: Jeff and Justin hinted to us that the band is in the process of recording some new music. Stay tuned, RockMental will bring you the latest singles and album drops from Lockjaw!
