Two Guys Metal Reviews: Monolord w/Salem's Pot, Enos in Paris (@Glazart, 26/02/2015)

Under the pouring rain and greyness of our february skies, doom and stoner enthusiasts gathered once more at the ever-welcoming Glazart to enjoy yet another fine lineup of bands brought to us by our friends at Stoned Gatherings.

First up on our roster was the band Enos, whose labeling on the gig flyer caught my attention, due to the fact that it juxtaposed two words that it combined to words that I loved yet never thought I'd see once day juxtaposed into a single term: SPACE DOOM! The 4 piece from Brighton hit the stage and hit things off with what may be one of the best opening shows I've seen so far this year. The band gave us a superb performance combining some old-school bluesy rock n' roll riffs drenched in the fat, earthshaking low end of fuzz-heavy distortion. Think of some epic old-school space rock from the likes of Hawkwind crossed with the hard-hitting intensity of stoner rock.
The thick sound and ecstatic reverberated leads, modulating and twisting under the control of a wah pedal were simply ecstatic. The vocals had a deep flanger effect on them to add to the trippy, mind-bending sound and were handled by the guitarist, who delivered a great performance as well, switching between clean singing and powerful yelled vocals. Whereas I would rather label the music as "Space Stoner", the band did have quite a few tinges of doom scattered all throughout their well-balanced set.
If the words "Epic Space stoner" is not enough to convince you to check this band out, I don't know what will. For the rest of you, get ready to sit back, fasten your seatbelts and get ready to rock out.

The second band lined up for this fine evening was yet another great surprise and superb live experience. Going by the name of Salem's Pot, this Swedish band hit the stage wearing what appeared to be Venetian masks, ceremoniously placing a lit candle holder unto a table at the center of the stage while a preachy country song chanting "Satan IS REAL" was being played in the background. In store for us was a superb set of heavy metal from the genre's very early days, delivered with a theatrical and cinematic vibe revolving around 70's occult-themed horror flicks.
The bands' overall live sound made for a nice change by being significantly more focused and precise while still keeping a decent amount of punch. Respect must be given where it is due; this was a superbly mixed live setup, pulsating on the rhythm of the punchy kick drum that managed to stay thick without ever overpowering the bass guitar sound.
As for the setlist, Salem's Pot made sure to balance out their 50 minute set with a good deal of diversity, putting the bands' creative talent on full display: we got some absolutely wicked doom metal songs but also some lighter yet still occult themed blues-inspired hard rock tunes.
Drawing inspiration from a time when psychedelic rock slowly drifted into dark, sinister new territories, it seems clear that Salem's Pot are here to bring some of the Wickedness of 70's hard rock and heavy metal music back to the musical foreground. Armed with some superb stage presence and a set of eerie yet diverse, well-composed songs, Salem’s pot are a refreshing, exciting act you SHOULD be paying close attention to.

Last but certainly not least, Monolord stepped to stage to close the evening off with their headlining set. The Gothenburg based outfit, who is just about to release their widely anticipated sophomore release Vaenir next month, have been building up quite a bit of momentum ever since their excellent debut release Empress Rising hit the shelves last year.
Having to keep up with the top quality opening acts preceding their set, Monolord were faced with quite a bit of pressure in order to bring this evening to its deserving climax. However, not only did this gig meet our expectations with great ease, the band simply went all-in and gave us one of the best stoner metal shows I've ever seen. Armed with a set of slow, dirty and ferocious tracks (including a couple of new ones off their upcoming release), Monolord thrashed out and shook every single audience member to their core with their earth-shattering formula of doom metal blended with the buzzing, booming aggression of stoner metal from the likes of classic early-day Electric Wizard. It did not take very long for our headlining act to conquer the venues' entire audience, turning the crowd into a mass of heads swaying back and forth to the grooves of the Swedish doom. Headbanging was absolutely not optional.
During the course of the band's relentlessly heavy set, buzz saw fuzz timbres and thick, punchy bass vibrations filled the venue with a perfect balance between jaw-dropping intense distortion and sonic clarity to allow the bands' brilliant writing skills to shine through.

As Monolords' magnificient set drew to a close, so did this equally magnificent evening, leaving us satisfied yet at the same time craving for more, hooked if you will. Whether you're a doom or stoner metal fan, I can only hope you were at the right place at the right time last Thursday, as this show has a very good shot at being crowned as the best stoner/doom concert of the season. For those who're unlucky enough to have missed out on the sure, be sure to check out each and every one of these terrific bands.

Robin

PS: I'd like to yet again send my thanks to Stoned Gatherings for making this review possible. Be sure to visit their website to find out about their upcoming shows.

Enos Setlist