I had the good fortune Monday night to show up at Lit Lounge in Manhattan just in time for this week’s installment of the ongoing Precious Metal series to kick off with a set from Brooklyn‘s Alkahest. Newly formed and playing their first show, the five-piece spilled off the stage, with screaming vocalist/keyboardist Chris in the front buried among the sizable crowd. When I went to get my second (and final) beer, someone took my spot and I was relegated to watch the rest of the set from the back, so much of his hunched-over performance was lost to my line of sight.

Nonetheless, in actually hearing Alkahest live, as opposed to just listening to the five demos currently posted on their MySpace, I was able to get way more of a sense for their European influences. Think Katatonia, Paradise Lost, etc., and blend that style with the rhythmic tidalism of post-metal. They didn’t play for long, only a half-hour or so, and it was their first show, so while they looked happy to be there no one was bouncing off the walls, but they sounded tight and more importantly, like they were going to get tighter.

Expect to hear more about them in the months to come. With a sound built on a unique combination of elements and a drive to get on stage (and in front of it) and the strength of Brooklyn‘s current metal scene, Alkahest should be well worth keeping on the radar.

Tags: Alkahest, Brooklyn, Unsigned bands

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 8th, 2009 at 11:47 am and is filed under On the Radar. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.