It's been almost an entire week since I've been to a show, doesn't that seem a little bit unreal? Well, tonight I more than made up for it, with three top notch doom and sludge bands who captured my heart. A night of rad doom metal madness was ahead, with plenty of drinking, debauchery and more. I got in three great video interviews (Two for Hellfest who I work for and one for this blog) including a particularly special one with Kirk Windstein. This was an evening that got to the spirit of true doom in a way that few other shows in my experience have.
First up was Tombstones, a band who have a lot of exciting and innovative ideas, yet play in memory of a fallen band member. These guys have a certain triumphant, antediluvian power behind them that shows a true understanding of the doom metal ethos. Their riffs were simply triumphant and the way they were structured really got the fans into it. Part of their appeal for me was the sense that they were held together by sheer empathy, as if they could not follow the normal rules of music, but had to craft their own. Tombstones bring something fresh and exciting to the table, adding a healthy dose of older rock and roll to a more up to date doom metal format.
Witch Mountain were up next and they were a very exciting group. Their singer, Uta, has the voice of a god, singing down upon the people like some sort of doom metal Messiah. Nate on drums brings it hard and heavy, his attack is loud and proud, giving an impressive drive to Witch Mountain. As for the strings, these guys know how to bring it, covering the listener in cosmic riffs and bone rattling bottom end. These guys know how to put on a show too, falling into the void of sound they created was wonderfully easy and there was a certain sense of enlightenment that encapsulated their all too short set. This is definitely a band I'm looking forward to seeing when I move back to Philly.
Finally it was time for the almighty Crowbar. Fronted by Kirk Windstein and his magnificent beard, these guys really got the groove going. Playing classics like Planets Collide alongside newer pieces, I was impressed with the energy and raw vitality that 49 year old Kirk brought to the stage. His band did a great job too, falling into the infectious rhythms and bringing the entire audience into a sort of sludge communion. These guys have a certain genre spanning appeal, a sheer humanity that can entertain thrash kids alongsides doom metallers. It speaks to the long history of Crowbar as well as their mind rattling skill. What more could a guy want from his favorite sludge band?
As I left the venue I started to contemplate the triumphant doom metal apocalypse I had witnessed on this night. Each of the three bands I watched are at very different points in their career, and so each brought something special. Tombstone are starting to make a name for themselves and just beginning to do full scale European tours. Witch Mountain are getting somewhere special, their intercontinental tours are capturing the hearts of thousands. Meanwhile, Crowbar are simply reveling in their rightful place as lords, masters of metals slowest, and perhaps heaviest, genre.
Find the bands on Facebook!
Tombstones: https://www.facebook.com/tombstonesoslo
Witch Mountain: https://www.facebook.com/witchmountain
Crowbar: https://www.facebook.com/crowbarmusic
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