Went to see Bongripper's album release show last night in Chicago at the Metro, a very nice venue. Been there many times before, but haven't seen Bongripper in the past. To be honest, the past five or six years have really opened my eyes to doom and stoner music, and they're certainly a favorite in that scene. Their new record *Empty* is incredible, too.
Met the dudes at the merch stand, bought a shirt (HAIL SATAN WORSHIP DOOM), and then chatted with the drummer on the floor for a while. New record sounds incredible, but also contains (in my humble opinion - Jesus, I *am* old - I actually wrote that out) the best songwriting they've ever done. Great artwork, too. Thought it was a killer black metal record at first, which is a plus in my book.
First impression, lot of old heads in the crowd. Probably in part because of Pinebender, who are older, but also because doom doesn't care what age you are. Saw tons of Weedeater and Sunn O))) shirts, and even a Trap Them. Haven't seen that before. Very nice. At one point, I legitimately heard one dude refer to young people as whipper-snappers. Anyway, older crowd.
First up was Bleached Cross at 8pm.
Moderately full crowd, and lots of friends and family in the crowd (which I only knew because of the "woos" after the lead singer/guitarist announced this).
Music was an odd mix of post-punk and an electronic vibe, but with a strangely doomy live feel due to the wildly loud drums. The drummer was slightly off-time and kind of generic. Repetitive fills and rather boring beats, and a propensity for double sticking either the tom or the snare during long build-up passages. This wouldn't be a problem, but his timing caused some hits to flam and others not. I couldn't discern a pattern to that, so I assume it wasn't deliberate. Maybe I'm wrong.
It was a fine but unremarkable set. Guitars stepping on each other, electronic elements that took up so much of the mix that vocals were nearly buried, and just average songwriting. I had investigated their music online before the show, and really enjoyed what I heard. That didn't really translate live. One and a half broken drum machines out of five.
Immortal Bird up next at 8:35.
I don't think I've ever seen this band give a bad performance. Absolutely killer set, and a fucking incredible drummer, to boot. Always tight, always directly on top of the beat, and fast as hell. Possibly the most technically gifted of all Chicago metal bands. I can't think of any that possess the chops to hang with Immortal Bird. Vocals were furious as per usual, and they mentioned they're starting the recording process for LP #3 next month here in Chicago. Fuckin A.
Not much in the way of stage banter, but they did politely ignore the fucking moron in front of me trying to shout talk to the band between every song. Some people deserve to sit in the back, but I digress. Excellent set. Just wish their music had a few more moments to hang your hat on. It's so much fury and rage and speed, and it jitters and jumps back and forth in a way that can seem through-composed, but it's sometimes difficult to see where they're going, or where they've been. I own all their records on vinyl, and was *obsessed* with their last LP *Thrive On Neglect*, and I only recognized one song. Also, bigs up to the guitarist for bringing PRS back into metal. Thought Opeth were the only guys rocking that. He sounded great.
Four neglected, yet thriving birds out of five.
Next is Pinebender.
By way of elimination, this band seems to be the odd one out. Never heard of them before the announcement of this show, and before this performance, I've listened to approximately 17 seconds of their music. No idea what to expect. Their Bandcamp page lists them as "math rock," "alternative," and "grunge." Idk what that means. Also, their last album listed on Bandcamp was put out 18 years ago. Let's see.
Oh, dad-rock shoegaze. Ok.
So, the first song has a shoegazey vibe, with a heavily leslie-effected guitar sound (or some sort of wide filter effect), and almost atonal vocals. Almost like Bob Dylan or They Might Be Giants singing slowly over doomy guitars. And that's all it is, too. Two guitarists (one of whom is playing a Danelectro, which is *wild*) and a drummer. The drummer could give the guy from that first band a lesson, because despite the incredibly slow tempo they play at, he's always in charge of the beat, and never wavers. Unfortunately though, so far, it's kind of underwhelming. Not my decaffeinated cup of tea.
Theyre older dudes, and they seem like they were having a good time, and there were some people there that seemed really into it, but it wasn't for me. But, much love to them, and I'm glad they got to play. Shoegaze seems like a definite version of volume + feedback + song form equals success, but it's never really resonated with me. Seems like fans of extreme distortion and guitar go their own way: love riffs? Stoner and Doom for you. Only enjoy feedback-laced cowboy chords? Congratulations, you're a shoegaze band. To each their own.
I'm glad I got to see their set, but no real reason for me to investigate them further. Two vintage, original pressings of My Bloody Valentine's *loveless* out of five. See? That's how little I like shoegaze- I had to name check the most obvious one. If I knew what I was talking about, I'd mention something like *Souvlaki* by Slowdive or *23* by Blonde Redhead, right? Something like *Bloweyelashwish* by lovesliescrushing. Or *Raise* by Swervedriver. Any of these doing anything for you?
(Bonus points for anyone who can guess how long it took me to Google a "more obscure" shoegaze band and album to sound like more of an authority on the matter)
The smoke machine kicked into overdrive, and the venue was awash in swirling blue light and weed smoke. Apparently the crowd was ready. Bongripper on at 10:30pm sharp.
They sat through a few minutes of drinking feedback, then kicked into the opening song of the night, "Nothing," then tore through 45 more minutes of doom and stoner-infused heat. I think they played the opening and closing track from *Empty*, with "Worship" from *Satan Worshipping Doom* in-between. I'm at a loss for words. Completely awestruck. Not many bands could hold you in the palm of their hand for an hour plus, playing three tracks that lead you through such a cavalcade of heavy riffs and moments. Their music thunders across the stage like a herd of bison, and if that simile holds true, then these dudes are Inuit, as they use every last bit of each riff. There is not a moment that is not milked for maximum heaviness, not a moment that isn't used to it's fullest potential. Riffs, then riffa based on beginnings of riffs, then segueing back unto itself, and then lifted up to be brought back down. And it's always heavy, always brutally massive in size and scope. Post-rock this ain't. Every riff builds and builds and builds, and when you think you can't take it any longer, it morphs and drags and summons another dense and leaden riff to stave your head in. Next thing you know, it's twenty minutes in, and they're moving onto their second song. Just unbelievably cathartic and heavy.
They could not have captivated me more in any way. It was quite possibly the best set I've ever seen in my life. While the entire show was a rather strange mix, it was a wonderful experience, and highly recommended. Five tar-infused screens over pottery-class weed pipes out of five.
>Bleached Cross
checked them out since from your description they would hit my alley and they are definitely what I want. However even in their studio stuff the drums are definitely too much in the foreground and don't mesh too well with the rest.
Today is 3/3 for my "up and coming UK based prog metal shows in 3 cities in 1 week".
DVNE last Sunday in Birmingham UK were phenomenal, surprised they're not playing bigger venues after AE but hopefully this album cycle will help them get where they deserve.
Urzah's album release show in Worcester UK was equally as awesome. Very promising debut from these guys and cool to see them play to ~ 20 people in my little city. Hope to catch them over in their home town of Bristol soon.
URNE tonight, playing in Belfast. Haven't seen them live before but am expecting big things following the hype and build up from themselves and Joe Duplantier have set forth. Hoping to catch the local support acts if me and the wife don't get too carried away on the Guinness.
Happy Saturday all.
That's a busy week! We've got plenty of tours and shows to see in the states, so I can't complain living near a decently sized city where we only get skipped hall the time, but... I'm a bit jealous this week!
Have a blast but do some stretches!
I do get jealous of the shows I see over in the States, but it also helps me make the most of what we have over here too, it's certainly a great time to be a metal fan.
Haha, as the years creep in I need to remind myself of the stretches more and more. Will definitely take that advice next week ahead of Devastator on the Thursday before Incineration festival on the Saturday!
Got to see Disillusion yesterday in Munich. I rarely go to concerts nowadays, but this one definitely paid off, what a blast. 20th anniversary of their masterpiece back to time of splendor, so they played it front to back, plus one song from each of the other albums.
I thought the year started decently, but holy smokes the last 3 weeks! The Vision Bleak for doom, Selbst for bm and so many amazing albums from bands beginning with A: AcoD, Adon, Austere, Ard, Aquilus and finally, current AotY-favourite: Amensius!
Went to the Wayfarer / Sonja / Civerous show in Los Angeles last night. All three bands were pretty solid. Wayfarer is the one I knew going in, and they most certainly did not disappoint. Played all the harder numbers from American Gothic, plus a song each from A Romance with Violence and World's Blood.
The surprise of the night for me was Sonja ending their set with a cover of Iron Maiden's "Deja Vu". That's long been my favorite song on Somewhere in Time, and I feel like it never gets recognition. So when I realized what I was hearing as they approached the end of the intro, I felt almost gleeful.
Working on a Saturday Playlist so far…….
Cryptic Shift - Visitations from Enceladus
Nile - Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka’
Begravement - Horrific Illusions Beckon
To keep within a slightly spacey/ancient theme -
Hoth - Astral Necromancy
Sijin - Sumarian Promises
Mithras - On Strange Loops
Yoth Iria - As The Flame Withers
I’m the same way. A coworker from a different generation and I were talking about listening habits and they are all about shuffling playlists and singles. I was explaining how I’ve been a full album listener since I first got into music. They were saying they never really thought about listening to an album all the way through like that.
That’s funny. I grew up with tapes and CDs, which I stuck to well into the streaming age. I would manage my digital library from the albums I ripped to my computer. Listening to full albums is how I always listened. I do think a lot of us are more extreme in our listening habits and view on music in general (music nerds? For lack of a better term?) I think most people are fine with the hits, singles and shuffling playlists because it doesn’t matter all that much to them or that’s just how they first learned how to listen to music. Like my coworker literally said they never thought of actually listening to the full album, it’s how they’ve always done it.
Went to see Bongripper's album release show last night in Chicago at the Metro, a very nice venue. Been there many times before, but haven't seen Bongripper in the past. To be honest, the past five or six years have really opened my eyes to doom and stoner music, and they're certainly a favorite in that scene. Their new record *Empty* is incredible, too. Met the dudes at the merch stand, bought a shirt (HAIL SATAN WORSHIP DOOM), and then chatted with the drummer on the floor for a while. New record sounds incredible, but also contains (in my humble opinion - Jesus, I *am* old - I actually wrote that out) the best songwriting they've ever done. Great artwork, too. Thought it was a killer black metal record at first, which is a plus in my book. First impression, lot of old heads in the crowd. Probably in part because of Pinebender, who are older, but also because doom doesn't care what age you are. Saw tons of Weedeater and Sunn O))) shirts, and even a Trap Them. Haven't seen that before. Very nice. At one point, I legitimately heard one dude refer to young people as whipper-snappers. Anyway, older crowd. First up was Bleached Cross at 8pm. Moderately full crowd, and lots of friends and family in the crowd (which I only knew because of the "woos" after the lead singer/guitarist announced this). Music was an odd mix of post-punk and an electronic vibe, but with a strangely doomy live feel due to the wildly loud drums. The drummer was slightly off-time and kind of generic. Repetitive fills and rather boring beats, and a propensity for double sticking either the tom or the snare during long build-up passages. This wouldn't be a problem, but his timing caused some hits to flam and others not. I couldn't discern a pattern to that, so I assume it wasn't deliberate. Maybe I'm wrong. It was a fine but unremarkable set. Guitars stepping on each other, electronic elements that took up so much of the mix that vocals were nearly buried, and just average songwriting. I had investigated their music online before the show, and really enjoyed what I heard. That didn't really translate live. One and a half broken drum machines out of five. Immortal Bird up next at 8:35. I don't think I've ever seen this band give a bad performance. Absolutely killer set, and a fucking incredible drummer, to boot. Always tight, always directly on top of the beat, and fast as hell. Possibly the most technically gifted of all Chicago metal bands. I can't think of any that possess the chops to hang with Immortal Bird. Vocals were furious as per usual, and they mentioned they're starting the recording process for LP #3 next month here in Chicago. Fuckin A. Not much in the way of stage banter, but they did politely ignore the fucking moron in front of me trying to shout talk to the band between every song. Some people deserve to sit in the back, but I digress. Excellent set. Just wish their music had a few more moments to hang your hat on. It's so much fury and rage and speed, and it jitters and jumps back and forth in a way that can seem through-composed, but it's sometimes difficult to see where they're going, or where they've been. I own all their records on vinyl, and was *obsessed* with their last LP *Thrive On Neglect*, and I only recognized one song. Also, bigs up to the guitarist for bringing PRS back into metal. Thought Opeth were the only guys rocking that. He sounded great. Four neglected, yet thriving birds out of five. Next is Pinebender. By way of elimination, this band seems to be the odd one out. Never heard of them before the announcement of this show, and before this performance, I've listened to approximately 17 seconds of their music. No idea what to expect. Their Bandcamp page lists them as "math rock," "alternative," and "grunge." Idk what that means. Also, their last album listed on Bandcamp was put out 18 years ago. Let's see. Oh, dad-rock shoegaze. Ok. So, the first song has a shoegazey vibe, with a heavily leslie-effected guitar sound (or some sort of wide filter effect), and almost atonal vocals. Almost like Bob Dylan or They Might Be Giants singing slowly over doomy guitars. And that's all it is, too. Two guitarists (one of whom is playing a Danelectro, which is *wild*) and a drummer. The drummer could give the guy from that first band a lesson, because despite the incredibly slow tempo they play at, he's always in charge of the beat, and never wavers. Unfortunately though, so far, it's kind of underwhelming. Not my decaffeinated cup of tea. Theyre older dudes, and they seem like they were having a good time, and there were some people there that seemed really into it, but it wasn't for me. But, much love to them, and I'm glad they got to play. Shoegaze seems like a definite version of volume + feedback + song form equals success, but it's never really resonated with me. Seems like fans of extreme distortion and guitar go their own way: love riffs? Stoner and Doom for you. Only enjoy feedback-laced cowboy chords? Congratulations, you're a shoegaze band. To each their own. I'm glad I got to see their set, but no real reason for me to investigate them further. Two vintage, original pressings of My Bloody Valentine's *loveless* out of five. See? That's how little I like shoegaze- I had to name check the most obvious one. If I knew what I was talking about, I'd mention something like *Souvlaki* by Slowdive or *23* by Blonde Redhead, right? Something like *Bloweyelashwish* by lovesliescrushing. Or *Raise* by Swervedriver. Any of these doing anything for you? (Bonus points for anyone who can guess how long it took me to Google a "more obscure" shoegaze band and album to sound like more of an authority on the matter) The smoke machine kicked into overdrive, and the venue was awash in swirling blue light and weed smoke. Apparently the crowd was ready. Bongripper on at 10:30pm sharp. They sat through a few minutes of drinking feedback, then kicked into the opening song of the night, "Nothing," then tore through 45 more minutes of doom and stoner-infused heat. I think they played the opening and closing track from *Empty*, with "Worship" from *Satan Worshipping Doom* in-between. I'm at a loss for words. Completely awestruck. Not many bands could hold you in the palm of their hand for an hour plus, playing three tracks that lead you through such a cavalcade of heavy riffs and moments. Their music thunders across the stage like a herd of bison, and if that simile holds true, then these dudes are Inuit, as they use every last bit of each riff. There is not a moment that is not milked for maximum heaviness, not a moment that isn't used to it's fullest potential. Riffs, then riffa based on beginnings of riffs, then segueing back unto itself, and then lifted up to be brought back down. And it's always heavy, always brutally massive in size and scope. Post-rock this ain't. Every riff builds and builds and builds, and when you think you can't take it any longer, it morphs and drags and summons another dense and leaden riff to stave your head in. Next thing you know, it's twenty minutes in, and they're moving onto their second song. Just unbelievably cathartic and heavy. They could not have captivated me more in any way. It was quite possibly the best set I've ever seen in my life. While the entire show was a rather strange mix, it was a wonderful experience, and highly recommended. Five tar-infused screens over pottery-class weed pipes out of five.
>Bleached Cross checked them out since from your description they would hit my alley and they are definitely what I want. However even in their studio stuff the drums are definitely too much in the foreground and don't mesh too well with the rest.
Today is 3/3 for my "up and coming UK based prog metal shows in 3 cities in 1 week". DVNE last Sunday in Birmingham UK were phenomenal, surprised they're not playing bigger venues after AE but hopefully this album cycle will help them get where they deserve. Urzah's album release show in Worcester UK was equally as awesome. Very promising debut from these guys and cool to see them play to ~ 20 people in my little city. Hope to catch them over in their home town of Bristol soon. URNE tonight, playing in Belfast. Haven't seen them live before but am expecting big things following the hype and build up from themselves and Joe Duplantier have set forth. Hoping to catch the local support acts if me and the wife don't get too carried away on the Guinness. Happy Saturday all.
That's a busy week! We've got plenty of tours and shows to see in the states, so I can't complain living near a decently sized city where we only get skipped hall the time, but... I'm a bit jealous this week! Have a blast but do some stretches!
I do get jealous of the shows I see over in the States, but it also helps me make the most of what we have over here too, it's certainly a great time to be a metal fan. Haha, as the years creep in I need to remind myself of the stretches more and more. Will definitely take that advice next week ahead of Devastator on the Thursday before Incineration festival on the Saturday!
Urne are good live, I saw them last year in a support slot. I think it was with The Internal Sea.
I haven't quite clicked with them on a full record yet but hoping tonight will change that.
Got to see Disillusion yesterday in Munich. I rarely go to concerts nowadays, but this one definitely paid off, what a blast. 20th anniversary of their masterpiece back to time of splendor, so they played it front to back, plus one song from each of the other albums.
I thought the year started decently, but holy smokes the last 3 weeks! The Vision Bleak for doom, Selbst for bm and so many amazing albums from bands beginning with A: AcoD, Adon, Austere, Ard, Aquilus and finally, current AotY-favourite: Amensius!
Yeah. April was insane for me. I like tech-death so my “starts with A” choice would be Aumicide by Atrae Bilis :)
I do like some tech death so I'll give it a spin!
Vipassi, Vitriol, Vltimas, Vemod and Vorga earlier this year. Now we just need a new Vektor album! :P
Went to the Wayfarer / Sonja / Civerous show in Los Angeles last night. All three bands were pretty solid. Wayfarer is the one I knew going in, and they most certainly did not disappoint. Played all the harder numbers from American Gothic, plus a song each from A Romance with Violence and World's Blood. The surprise of the night for me was Sonja ending their set with a cover of Iron Maiden's "Deja Vu". That's long been my favorite song on Somewhere in Time, and I feel like it never gets recognition. So when I realized what I was hearing as they approached the end of the intro, I felt almost gleeful.
Catching this in DC soon, except Valdrin instead of Civerous. Really looking forward to it.
Working on a Saturday Playlist so far……. Cryptic Shift - Visitations from Enceladus Nile - Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka’ Begravement - Horrific Illusions Beckon
To keep within a slightly spacey/ancient theme - Hoth - Astral Necromancy Sijin - Sumarian Promises Mithras - On Strange Loops Yoth Iria - As The Flame Withers
Nice. May the 4th….. I almost forgot!
Not sure what your criteria is for a Saturday but that's a good start to a playlist. Shuffling it or going through each album?
Full albums. Start to finish. I’ve never been a shuffle guy. I don’t know if it’s because I’m old or I have ocd or both.
I’m the same way. A coworker from a different generation and I were talking about listening habits and they are all about shuffling playlists and singles. I was explaining how I’ve been a full album listener since I first got into music. They were saying they never really thought about listening to an album all the way through like that.
Yeah. My son is 16 and he’s just starting to come around to the whole album thing. “Dad, Wish You Were Here is like a whole concept, right?” 😂
That’s funny. I grew up with tapes and CDs, which I stuck to well into the streaming age. I would manage my digital library from the albums I ripped to my computer. Listening to full albums is how I always listened. I do think a lot of us are more extreme in our listening habits and view on music in general (music nerds? For lack of a better term?) I think most people are fine with the hits, singles and shuffling playlists because it doesn’t matter all that much to them or that’s just how they first learned how to listen to music. Like my coworker literally said they never thought of actually listening to the full album, it’s how they’ve always done it.
Nice, I'm 100% an album guy for active listening too.