It's been far too long since I've covered a show on this site, simply because of moving and working on other projects, you know how it goes. So, here we stand with another concert, an epic metal evening featuring three of the most exciting bands in heavy music right now. I drove with a friend all the way up from Philadelphia for this gig, so that gives you some indication as to how stoked I was for the madness that was to come. This is what metal is all about, poor choices and fast friends, what more could you ask for in this crazy old universe of ours?
Now, I'd seen SubRosa back at Hellfest and let me just say, it was a truly magnificent set, they would be hard pressed to defeat that here. Yet somehow they did, with only two songs the band transported me to a strange new world, something that reflected my own bitter humanity. It was great to see this band I love so much, a band made up of my friends rocking the stage for hundreds of people in a city they had never played before. Though they played first, they were the highlight of my night, their set was in a word, transcendent. There is something truly majestic about their mix of chaos with order, dark with light. This is a band who are not going to be easily stopped, their star will only climb, for now at least. SubRosa know where it's at, and have the potential to go very far.
Atlas Moth were up next, I was actually really into their set too. Focusing mainly on song from their new record, they put together a performance that was exciting and filled with cool twists and turns. A particular highlight for me was when they played my favorite track off The Old Believer, Sacred Vine. It's cool to watch a band with three guitarists and two vocalists at work. There were all sorts of interesting layers going on here. I particularly like when they add cleans at the same times as growls, it creates an interesting aural effect, allowing the listener to get lost in the waves of sound. The way their pieces come together as fabulous interlocking epics really only clicks when you see them play live, these guys are incredibly talented musicians, and this show simply proved it.
Now, I had originally not intended to watch all of Boris, they had an hour and a half set after all! Then at the last minute, Kim Pack from SubRosa told me too because I would get "Drawn into it." After mere minutes watching them play I realized she was right. Now I had had pretty minimal exposure to the band in the past, but here I found myself loving every minute, lost in the waves of sound and the weird woops their drummer would occasionally let out during a particularly exciting passage. Though the only song I actually recognized was Taiyo No Baka I still had a great time. I found whole chunks of time passing without me realizing it, these guys are great performers and create a very interesting experience for the listener to fall into.
In closing, this was one of the best nights I've had in a good long while. I got to see lots of good friends, my favorite band on the scene right now, and two other acts who I very much enjoyed. Though SubRosa stole the show for me, Atlas Moth proved to me that they had all sorts of cool idea which makes their discography merit another few spins. Boris too made me want to dig deeper into their discography, their weird and beautiful harmonies had me fully engaged from start to finish, and all I can think is "When do I get to see any of these fabulous bands again?
Find the bands on Facebook!
SubRosa: https://www.facebook.com/SubrosaSLC
Atlas Moth: https://www.facebook.com/theatlasmothband
Boris: https://www.facebook.com/borisheavyrocks
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