Not only is Blaked DeKalb spelled backwards, it’s a local band on the rise.

Blaked, which will perform at 10 p.m. Friday at Otto’s Niteclub, 118 E. Lincoln Highway, is comprised of singer/guitarist Rob DeShazek, guitarist Steve Wright, bassist Aaron Gudmunson and percussionist Steve Smith.

The band’s first release, “Opus,” a “lo-fi” three-song EP, combines the explosiveness and sheer power of Hum and Tool but also manages to incorporate the melodic tones of the Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana.

Lyrically, the EP is quite a leap for DeShazek.

“It was all about the girls [in the beginning]; now, it’s the underlying theme that humans can be better – avoiding complacency,” DeShazek said. “My lyrics are incredibly personal. If anyone finds something in them, I’m connected to them in a personal way.”

Fresh off a recent opening gig for Chicago rockers Chevelle at the Metro, 3730 N. Clark St., Chicago, the band has several shows lined up for the coming month, including CAB-sponsored shows at noon and 8 p.m. April 25 at the Holmes Student Center’s Diversions Lounge. The band also is in the process of booking shows for an upcoming tour that would take it across the midwest.

Blaked is eager to hit the road and win over new fans. Traveling is something that DeShazek has mixed feelings about, but touring is another matter altogether.

“It’s the experience – I’ve traveled a lot, and I hate traveling alone,” DeShazek said. “It’s so much better when you have company with you to share experiences.

“We want to play every day – not flood the market [by playing in the same place too much]. The only way to get serious is to hit the road.”

Those experiences have led DeShazek and the band to stockpile about 20 songs, most of which will make up the band’s full-length debut, which should be recorded in the near future.

Being in a band isn’t all glitz and glamour, and most people don’t realize that being in a band is work – hard work. So just what possesses four guys to climb into a van and hit the road?

“It locks you together,” DeShazek said. “Playing and touring puts a band together – that’s what I live for.”

Blaked’s show at Otto’s Friday will be a 21-and-older show. The Pimps and Mulligan Stu also will perform.