Holidaze of Doom

This is going to be a bit of a shorter live review since I have a slight hang over and will eventually have to go by the parents for turkey feasting this afternoon, thus going back to bed seems favorable at the moment. However, since all three bands that played were quite good it seemed best to give them a little shout out, even though they are just unsigned bands from my neck o' the woods here in Wisconsin.

Firstly, the gig was held at Frank's Power Plant, which is a long running and rather cool bar in Bay View, Wisconsin that has a lot of themed nights, most notably a Monday metal night where some rad dudes bring their records and spin them for us boozers. Unfortunately, I very uncooly almost always work Monday nights and miss out on all the fun, but hopefully I can remedy that situation soon. Anyway, Frank's isn't the biggest bar in the area, nor is the stage or the sound, but it certainly works and its generally a pleasure attending gigs here. In fact, I'll be back there on Saturday for another massive gig.

Gravedirt:
Up first was three piece band, Gravedirt, which at least for this show featured Mike from Architects of the Aftermath as guitarist. These guys play absolutely soul crushingly heavy doom with both slow dirge parts that have tons of feedback and droning qualities as well occasionally the music shifts to more groovy and catchy territories. A superb set! I'm not sure if Gravedirt has any recordings available just yet as I believe they are a relatively new band, but they are certainly on their way to something great. As a side note, I was told the band is seeking a full-time guitarist so if anyone from around here is interested definitely get in contact.


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Asatta: Five piece band, Asatta, brought more heavy doom with a bit of sludginess to the crowd. The singer, had a lot of effects placed on his voice during the cleaner sung parts, which was a bit weird, though he also did some occasional screams to toss it up a bit. The band also had a synth player, though her input seemed to be minimal and only audible at certain points, but I have a feeling it would sound interesting on a studio recording amongst such rumbling sloth-ish heaviness. Generally enjoyable, though sometimes bands that play so slow can lull you a bit, especially during longer sets. To my knowledge, Asatta, only has a four track self-titled album available, which I'll have to listen to later on.


Mooncurse: My friend had warned me of Moon Curse's awesomeness before this show, and man was he ever spot on. This three piece band played mostly straight forward traditional doom metal that was both heavy and crushing, but also rifftastic and headbangable in its delivery. Moon Curse recalled the best parts of Saint Vitus, Pentagram and Black Sabbath in one glorious and highly entertaining package, though their album also features a Hammond organ, which gives it a bit of a psychedelic vibe, though that wasn't heard during this set. Generally though if you like heavy doom with superb musicianship, great vocals and tons of fun than you'll want to listen to these two guys and one gal. Check 'em OUT!


With that said, have a happy turkey day!