I really dislike labeling bands.  Alternative metal is where the Apex Theory has been slotted, but let’s get real, it’s a rock and roll band and nothing more. Sure, it incorporates complex guitar riffs and rapid fire drum beats among a wash of volume, but the group’s music is not metal as we know it.  The group was formed out of an ethnic bond as ex-vocalist Andy Khachaturian, guitarist Art Karamian and bassist David Hakopyan are each of Armenian decent.  They solidified in 1999 after finding a committed drummer in Sammy Watson.  Growing up in sunny Los Angeles, the trio listened to music of all types including world, pop, jazz and classical — all of which they continually work into their heavy-handed compositions.  Apex Theory’s major label debut, Topsy Turvy, was a smart mix of metal and emo with a smidgen of spontaneity.  The genre-varied disc had crossover appeal as fans tried to decipher what the band was all about. The departure of Andy Khachaturian in 2004 left the band as a trio, as Karamian took over vocal duties.  After a long wait, the band dumped a new EP, The Lightpost, into the laps of its legions of fan’s in January ’07. — Tony Engelhart



[Hell’s Kitchen, with Low Thin Square, In Lunar Blue, Weight of the World, Wide Eye Panic, Saturday, June 2, 8 p.m., $10, 3829 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]