A major metamorphosis takes place when Shuvel's Jeff Hollinger takes the stage.

Chatting with him in the back of Shuvel's tour bus, Hollinger is mellow to an extreme. We have to almost strain to hear him, and he has a completely placid demeanor. If you've seen Shuvel live, or, for that matter, if you've even seen pictures of Hollinger, he doesn't look like someone you want to run into in a dark alley. It makes his calmness all the more startling.

Once Hollinger hits the stage or gets into his stage mentality, he becomes a formidable and dominant presence to be reckoned with. He and co-frontman Isaac Ayala seethe with a mix of raw energy, anger and pain. Their control of the stage is absolute. With Jeff's brother/drummer Kyle and bassist Carlos Sandoval churning out an onslaught of rhythmic intensity and guitarist Ryan Stuber busting out with chops galore, the dervishes that are Isaac and Jeff are free to create a universe of their own through their back-and-forth attack that ensnares the helpless audience.

Having seen them at Ozzfest, we knew what sort of live show we were in for. We weren't prepared for what Hollinger would be like in-person. With his short dyed-blond hair hanging loosely and keeping his eyes somewhat hidden, he presents something of an enigma - how does this quiet, self-assured guy turn into the dynamo that we saw at Ozzfest? The source comes through easily: passion. Hollinger is passionate not only about the music, but also about the brotherhood that is Shuvel. He also tells of the deep passion that he and his band mates feel for their fans. "Those people are the reason we do this," Jeff tells us. "And we'll do what we can to show that we appreciate it. Tickets, promos, autographs, whatever."

One thing is certain; he means it.