Courtesy Lokey has survived many incarnations, but the band says this is its final lineup (left to right): Terry %Anderson (vocals), Jimmy Bell (bass), John %Frugia (drums), Brad Jones (guitar).

THE BAND: Lokey

THE MEMBERS: Terry Anderson, lead vocalist; Brad Jones, guitar; Jimmy Bell, bass; Jon Frugia, drums

THE SOUND: Hard-driving metal. “The music is extremely brutal but quirky at times,” said Anderson, the man behind the growl. “We try to use a lot of solid chugging rhythms, straight-forward riffs that are easy for the audience to grab onto.”

Lokey's newest album, released in March, is the heaviest one yet, Anderson said. “We had decided we were going to stop focusing on problems and preaching and start just trying to tear it up, reconstruct who we were. Lyrics, members, everything,” he said. “We weren't being who were are. Now we're writing from our hearts.”

April marks the band's 10-year anniversary (although Anderson and Jones are the only original members left), and a few of the songs reference their struggle along the way: “Greedy Little Monkeys” is about bad band promoters, and “Long Time Coming” is about musicians taking a stand. “Sink or Swim” is about overcoming personal adversity.

But as always on Lokey's albums, there is some humor. “Thank You Come Again” is a hidden track about strippers — “Not the good kind, the bad kind,” Anderson cautioned.

WHY THEY'RE DIFFERENT: “We're a metal band, but we like to have a lot of fun. We feel metal has come to this point where people only see it as this mean, ugly, brutal trip to hell. We're trying to show there's another side to it,” Anderson said. “We have songs that are very serious, but we like to take people away every now and then and make them smile.”

THE WEB SITE: myspace.com/lokey

THE ALBUMS: Seven Weeks in a Day (1999); From the Inside (2001); A Black Thing (2002); Beautality (2004); Reconstruction (2008)

WHERE TO SEE THEM: Friday, April 18, at Club Fyve; April 26 at Bonds 007; May 1 with Otep at the grand opening of Scout Bar, 19314 U.S. 281 N.

THE 210 TAKE: If you want a taste of true San Antonio metal, Lokey is a must-see.

Jessica Belasco | 210SA Contributor