thePULSEA Magical Night of Sludge, Doom and the Kings of the 90s
Kylesa, Crowbar, Saint Vitus, and Helmet
By Jillian Locke
Although The Palladium was not nearly as packed for this stellar line-up on 3/24 as it should have been, the dedicated fans who came to see the 2011 Metalliance Tour got to see and hear a menagerie of staple bands from various walks of metal life, including Atlas Moth, Red Fang, Howl, Kylesa, Crowbar, Saint Vitas, and Helmet, who headlined.
By the time I arrived (blasted early weeknight shows!), Kylesa had transformed the venue into a swirling spiral psychedelic playground, compliments of some crazy lighting effects which emphasized the art work for their latest endeavor, Spiral Shadow. The double drummer assault coupled with both male and female vocalists truly provides a unique experience, something Kylesa executes for a stunning aural and visual effect. One walks away from a Kylesa performance with the feeling that this is THEIR universe ~ we are merely witnesses to their creation.
The next band was the reason many retired show-goers crawled out from under their respective rocks for the night: the mighty Crowbar! The legendary band (who originally went by the name “Slug”) of filthy, sludge scraping, doom-driven bulldozer metal showed the fresher faces in the audience whom they have to thank for the existence of the bulk of today’s metal scene.
Touring to support their latest release, Severe the Wicked Hand, the foursome delivered tracks spanning their musical career, including “Obedience Thru Suffering,” “All I Had I Gave,” “To Build A Mountain,” “I Have Failed,” and “The Cemetery Angels,” to name a few. The doomage, the pummelage, the sludgery, the furious beard rock ~ Crowbar’s delivery and legacy is unmatched in depth, fierceness, and throat-raking delivery; they remain the true ruling masters of the spiraling sludge and grit of down-tuning.
The next band capped the night for doom-revivals: Saint Vitus, the L.A. doom pioneers of the 80s, picked up where Crowbar left off, delivering a trippier, more doom-punk vintage onslaught that dipped into some sounds of Black Sabbath and Motorhead. With local metal bassist Eric Tavares of Thy Will Be Done in tow, the veterans delivered a performance that captured all the youth and spirit of a band just learning to walk, but with years of experience and musicianship bridging the gap and keeping them poignant and relevant. In layman’s terms, it was a real treat to bear witness to such a classic, influential band.
With that said, the kings of the 90s, the revered alterna-metal pioneers Helmet, took the stage and did what they set out to do ~ they played their 1992 platinum album, Meantime! Paige Hamilton’s signature style and vocals created a time warp, transporting us all back to a time when the pants were baggy (hella baggy), we skated everywhere proudly wore chain wallets, The Crow was the coolest movie with the most badass soundtrack, and life was just a little simpler. Classics like “In the Meantime,” “Give It,” “He Feels Bad,” “Role Model,” and of course “Unsung” brought the night of stoner-sludge-doom-alternametalskatemusic to a close, leaving us all a little lighter, a little happier, and high on the magic of these completely underrated and insanely amazing bands.
