High School Headbangers Rapid Fire Hit the Music Scene Hard

After asking the sound engineer if he wanted a siren, Derrick Schneider leaned into the microphone. His voice started in midrange and smoothly glided up to an intense banshee wail easily rivaling metal icons like Ronnie James Dio and Rob Halford.

Minutes later, his bandmates Austin Blau and Zack Kressaty kicked into gear with chugging power riffs and pummeling percussion driving odd time signatures and soaring melodies. Drummer Blau looked like a cartoon octopus, attacking the skins with wide, flailing swings. Bassist Kressaty swung his four string around with manic showmanship, while pounding out intricate basslines.

It was an epic display of precision and aggression. In other words, it was totally metal.

Making it more impressive: none of the three metal mechanix responsible for the onslaught are old enough to drive.

At 15, Blau, a student at Dayton, is the youngest of the power trio, while Schneider, of Rockaway, and Kressaty, of Montville, are both 16. They met at the School of Rock in Chatham, and quickly bonded over musical interests ranging from classic (Priest and Metallica) to progressive metal (Dream Theater) and Swedish (Opeth and other bands you’re likely to have never heard of).

The band’s name is derived from the leadoff track to Judas Priest’s classic album British Steel. Despite how that album is almost twice as old as he is, Rapid Fire lead singer and seven-string ace Schneider named Halford and Co. as instrumental in Rapid Fire’s musical cosmology.

“I’m a big Judas Priest fan,” the scrappy rocker said. “Rob Halford was a huge influence on my vocal style.”

Not surprisingly, considering their musical abilities and the novelty of their youth, Rapid Fire has already met with considerable success. Last year, the group bested 500 competitors to win a spot in Jersey rock festival Bamboozle where they played alongside bands like Motley Crue and the Gaslight Anthem. They’ve rocked crowds at venerable Jersey rock institutions like the Stone Pony. They’ve been warmly received and praised by members of the rock hierarchy like former Judas Priest frontman (and subject of Mark Wahlberg movie Rockstar) Tim “Ripper” Owens and Little Angels singer Toby Jepson.

Despite their taxing rock schedule, the fellows assure me that they’re keeping up with their class work and aren’t tempted by the unsavory side of the metal lifestyle. The larger problem, they say, is finding peers who share their interest in schools where social scenes are centered on athletics and not screaming metal.

“It’s hard to find people to relate to in school,” Blau said, adding that he's been able to connect with some fellow musicians in Springfield and network to other aspiring rockers through institutions like the School of Rock.

They seem to be taking their nascent metal stardom in stride. Under questioning, they admit that they’re putting up something of a front.

“It’s fun doing it,” Blau said. “We try to make it seem like it’s not a big deal. But it’s a really big deal to us.”

Rapid Fire play at Fright Fest at Six Flags in Jackson tonight, Oct. 7. On Saturday, Oct. 8 they open for the tribute band Almost Queen at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville. More information is available on their Facebook page.