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The Show that Was and Wasn’t and Was Again

The original.Come to think of it, there were as many bands who were supposed to play Europa in Brooklyn last night who didn’t as there were who did. It’s a three-to-three tie! Outlaw Order, If He Dies He Dies and Pristina were nowhere to be found, but When the Deadbolt Breaks, Negative Reaction and Sourvein picked up the slack, and though we standing in the club held our breath awaiting the arrival of the latter, there was a collective exhale when frontman T-Roy Medlin walked in during Negative Reaction‘s set. They’d apparently gotten lost on the way and it had been back and forth as to whether or not The modified.they’d make it the whole night.

Driving from the valley to Brooklyn is a daunting task, and not just because of the traffic. With Manhattan between me and that most “Howya doin’?” of boroughs, it’s like climbing a mountain just to get there. When I showed up and saw the room largely empty save for a sampling of the NYC stoner rock faithful, I was glad I’d made the trip. In a town of eight million people and so few heads around, one is not only just as conspicuous by one’s absence as one’s presence, but also it’s just good to show up and support your friends’ bands.

When the Deadbolt Breaks. The dude second in from the right wasn't at the show.Pristina, who were supposed to open, flaked, so Connecticut doomers Deadbolt started the show with their voluminous assault of Sunn amplified guitars and bloodlusting growls. As ever, the sound in Europa bounced from one wall to the next, but given the horrific atmospheres When the Deadbolt Breaks harness in their music, a balls-out barrage of noise suited them well.

Replete with new bassist Roman Garbacik (ex-Scar Culture; label head of Spare Change Records), who added vocal accompaniment to guitarist Aaron Lewis‘ own, the trio were easily the darkest band of the night, and they hardly stopped for a break in between songs, filling the gaps either with drone, feedback or simply the next riff. It was a set of mostly new material, but as ever with these guys, the focus was on being as loud as possible at all times and even during their sporadic ambient movements, they managed to be heavier than the sum of their parts. I’ve seen them numerous times over the years, am glad to know them personally, and can say with honesty that the tightness beginning to show itself in their songwriting will ultimately be their strongest asset. Though there weren’t too many people there to see it, they kicked ass.

Aside from what I’ve come to lovingly think of as the Ken-E shuffle — i.e., the Curly shuffle as done by Negative Bones himself.Reaction singer/guitarist Ken-E Bones, typically at the end of a set as the frontman writhes on the floor of the stage, bangs his head on his guitar and generally makes a shit ton of noise — highlights of the set by the Long Island sludge mainstays included new song “Shattered Reflections,” “Loathing” from 2006’s Under the Ancient Penalty and the relentlessly abrasive “Worthless Human.” Though he was clearly displeased at the turnout and the entire room was still unsure if Sourvein were going to make it, the joy Bones exuded at being reunited with drummer John “Ol’ Mac” MacDonald made their set a pleasure to watch.

As the long-running outfit made their way through “A Wish to Dream” from their newest offering, last year’s Tales from the Insomniac, the chemistry between Bones, Ol’ Mac and new bassist Aaron Habers boded well for the inevitable next album. Negative Reaction is a band that has seen enough lineup changes for three lifetimes, with all the people they’ve tried in different spots and members leaving and coming back, but as the one they’ve got going now works really well together, as a fan I hope it lasts.

T-Roy holding it down.Like I mentioned before, it was in the nick of time that T-Roy and Co. made it, and using Negative Reaction‘s equipment, they hit the stage with all good haste and left no question as to why they were there. Their Southern beer-bellied sludgecore has gotten no less potent or visceral for its age, and in the wake of the Outlaw Order cancellation, I can think of no one better to have taken that slot than Sourvein. Some people had stuck around, some had left, some more had come in late, but all heads were banging when they got under way.T-Roy‘s voice was a throaty, wrenching growl, like if you were to try and stretch muscle on a loom, and the riffs he sang over were doom boogie of the highest order.

Their trilogy of EPs complete with last year’s Ghetto Angel and Imperial Bastard, let’s hope that next on the docket is a full-length follow-up to 2002’s sought-after Will to Mangle. As I left the show and walked down Meserole Ave. to my car, I thought I could still hear Cool Clyde‘s guitar soloing, but turns out it was just the ringing in my ears. Happens all the time.

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