Ok, yeah, another show review, sorry. Then again, since the uploaded MP3s get a minimum number of downloads, are you actually here for the writing for serious? Hm!
Anyone into the whole post-Neurosis/"atmospheric sludge"/"post-metal" sort of schtick (which I still haven't heard a satisfying catch-all genre name for) knows that this is a sort of dream line-up. Pelican and Isis? And these Tombs cats getting all sorts of buzz about 'em? For $20?
Tombs didn't quite slay me as hard as I was told they were going to, but they nonetheless played an enjoyable set of doomy black metal, which managed to keep things interesting by actually slowing down once in a while, throwing in some noise & ambient(ish) passages and generally being solid musicians.
Pelican, after finally micing their drums properly (make your own joke making fun of their drummer now, I know a lot of you folks hate the man) did their usual sludgy, riff-heavy instru-metal that, in [mentally] sober retrospect was pretty same-y, but in a live environment, it just straight-up rocks, for lack of anything more articulate. Heavy as hell, supertight musicians; great metal, great time.
Also in the "better live than on record"-category this evening (2 out of 3!) are the headliners, the almighty gods ov sludge (or so I'm led to believe), Isis. I can't really articulate why their set was so amazing (which is a bit worrying, considering I'm pursuing an English degree and all, but I digress), but these cats have perfected their craft and are a rock-solid physical entity in the concert hall. Not shying away from "quieter" moments for the live set, they made brilliant use of heavy/soft, loud/quiet dynamics, something the preceding band should make notes about, and something the crowd should recognize and mosh accordingly to; if moshing is ever appropriate at an Isis concert, it certainly isn't during the intro to "Dulcinea", you stupids. The set was mostly new material, but it was the old stuff that really slayed: the aforementioned "Dulcinea" was amazing, and the definite highlight was Panopticon's "In Fiction."
I daresay this was the best show of the year so far. This statement may not last the month, though: Sonic Youth on June 30th? Fuck. Yes.
(P.S. The Eternal is pretty cool. Needs more listens. "Antenna" an immediate favourite. Fragments efficient.)
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