I’m a little ashamed to admit it, but I’d never been to New Alliance Audio before. In operation since 1987, it’s one of the Eastern Seaboard’s best-reputed studios — you’ve probably also seen “Mastered at New Alliance East” on a plethora of releases; that’s right next door — nestled into the heart of Cambridge a couple blocks down from The Middle East in a building that also houses the radio station WEMF and numerous other entities of note. The occasion that finally allowed me to sneak a look was Rozamov putting the finishing touches on their first full-length, and I very much appreciated the opportunity to stop by, even more because I got to hear some of their new material than because it granted me a look at the place where they tracked it.

Or tracked most of it, anyway. There was still a bit of work to be done, some vocal overdubs prior to mixing and the like. Guitarist/vocalist Matt Iacovelli met me at the door and gave me directions upstairs — he was stepping out into the August heat for a quick break from recording — and up in the studio itself, I found bassist/vocalist Tom Corino and New Alliance head engineer Jon Taft in the control room past a narrow lobby. The control room itself is spacious enough to record in, a high ceiling, intimidatingly large tape machine, professional-as-hell low wall of preamps, expansive console, ProTools setup, stack of monitors and so on, all dark colors and lights that could probably be turned up if you wanted to make someone uncomfortable or see to clean — unlike many studios I’ve been in, it was clean — and through the window was the recording room itself, which had been arranged to suit the vocals, with partitions arranged to capture the sound just right and give a projected feel. I didn’t get a close-up look at the microphone, but from listening to what came through it in the control room once Iacovelli came back in and got started, it sounded expensive.

Rozamov, after releasing their first, self-titled EP in 2012 and following it up with a second EP, Of Gods and Flesh, in 2013, joined forces with Midnite Collective earlier this year for a two-track split with Deathkings (review here). I’ve seen them play periodically since 2012, and watched Iacovelli, Corino and drummer Will Hendrix (elsewhere for the afternoon) transition from a four-piece to a trio — former guitarist Liz Walshak now plays in Sea — and step forward as one of next-gen Boston’s fiercest heavy bands. They headed into New Alliance a couple weeks ago to start recording their first full-length, and I’d be hard pressed to imagine a better time. With the experience of their two EPs and that split behind them, as well as veteran status for the 2015 Psycho California fest, an opening spot at a Converse-sponsored show for none less than Slayer and tours both behind and ahead of them. They are nothing if not ready for their next test, which of course is the album itself.

Laughing as they listened to a playback of a song called “Serpent Cult” — not to be confused with the Belgian band of the same name — Iacovelli laughed as he pointed out that all their releases so far have had four songs, and the difference this time was that four songs topped 40 minutes. “Serpent Cult” did seem immediately expansive, and the layers of clean vocals he added while I was there — Corino likened them to a harmonized Electric Wizard, Taft to melody-rich locals The Proselyte — did much to make it all the more so. I wouldn’t cheapen their past output by calling it their most complex work before experiencing a finished product, but the ambition was plain to hear. And coming through the New Alliance monitors, even the unmixed crawl of a cut that had the working title “Super Doom” lived up to its name. Jokes were tossed back and forth through the microphone connecting the control room and the recording space, and Taft and the band (and I as well, obviously, though one tries to keep one’s opinion-expressing to a minimum in those instances) listened through each line to make sure it was where they wanted it to be before moving forward.

And it says something about the work Rozamov have put in up to this point that they have such a grip on what they want to do sonically and that they seemed so comfortable in directing the material. The bulk of the recording was done and would be finished before long. They were still working out lyrics — I think it was “Super Doom” that still needed a line — but there was plenty to do while they worked to nail down the finishing touches, and though the original plan had been to start mixing immediately, already more than half the day was gone and lunch had yet to be consumed, so the conversation quickly turned to pressing matters: sushi, Thai, Indian, etc.

I’d eaten before I got there, so thought it better to excuse myself rather than double-up, but I was grateful for the slice of new Rozamov that I got to hear and I always feel like you never really know a band until you see them work in the studio — laughing through, “That was bad. Do it again,” and so on — so I’ll look forward to the arrival of their debut even more now having been fortunate enough to swing through while it was coming together. As to when that arrival might happen? Between the inevitable pressing delay, label scheduling and whatever else, I wouldn’t think it would show up before 2016, but you never know. Either way, I’ll let you know when I hear more.

Rozamov & Deathkings, Split (2015)

Rozamov on Thee Facebooks

Rozamov on Bandcamp

Midnite Collective

After two EPs in 2012 and 2013 and a split earlier this year with Deathkings that also marked their debut on Midnite Collective (review here), Boston extreme sludge/thrash trio Rozamov have entered the studio to begin recording their debut LP. If it feels like it’s been a long time coming, that’s only because the three-piece have had their shit on lockdown on stage for a while now, having moved from a four-piece to a trio following 2013’s Of Gods and Flesh and subsequently nailed a visceral attack both scathing and weighted, moving fast while sounding slow at the same time. Also sometimes moving slow. They do that too.

One can only wonder what the context of a full-length album will allow the veterans of this year’s Psycho CA fest to bring to their sound atmospherically, but as they’ve just started on it, seems likely it’ll be 2016 before we find out. In the meantime, they’ve got dates booked this fall with Destroy Judas and Trapped within Burning Machinery, as the following update affirms:

ROZAMOV Begins Work on Debut LP, Touring With Destroy Judas

Boston, MA doom trio Rozamov have begun tracking new material at New Alliance Audio in Cambridge, MA. Once again working with Jon Taft (Morne, Horrible Earth), Rozamov have set their sights on their first LP following the release of their split 7″ with Deathkings available now via Midnite Collective. The album, yet untitled, will boast lengthy tracks containing the heaviest material the band have created to date.

Additionally, the band will embark on a short tour with Destroy Judas and Trapped Within Burning Machinery this October.
Rozamov live appearances:

8/19 – Allston, MA at Great Scott+
10/1 – Richmond, VA at TBD*
10/2 – Philadelphia, PA at Kung Fu Necktie*
10/3 – Brooklyn, NY at Acheron*
10/4 – Baltimore, MD at TBD*
10/5 – Pittsburgh, PA at Mr. Roboto Project*
10/6 – Chicago, IL at Fizz*
+ w/ Ringworm, White Widows Pact
* w/ Destroy Judas, Trapped Within Burning Machinery

The recording session follows up spring live activity that included appearances at Psycho California and Converse Rubber Tracks Live where the band performed with such notable acts as Slayer, Doomriders, Sleep, Earth and Pallbearer amongst others.

http://Facebook.com/Rozamov
http://Rozamov.bandcamp.com
http://midniteclv.storenvy.com/

Rozamov, Live at Psycho CA, May 2015

How exactly Deathkings and Rozamov might’ve gotten hooked up for a split release is something of a mystery. Geographically, it seems an unlikely pairing, with Deathkings based in Los Angeles and Rozamov in Boston, but I seem to recall the latter have been out west before, so they could have run into each other then. Or Midnite Collective, which is releasing the limited 7″ pressing of their combined effort could have been the catalyst just as easily. Both are on the lineup for Psycho California 2015, so that could have done it. Or one band could’ve heard the other on this new thing called the internet and sent a message over. The possibilities, roughly, are endless, but however it happened, they complement each other well. The 14-minute Deathkings and Rozamov split arrives in an edition of 150 black vinyl copies with one song from each outfit, both delighting in an extreme take on sludge and doom, but each group with a nuance of its own to offer something just slightly different from the other. They are a fitting combination, Deathkings offering the 7:54 “Solomon” to push the limits of how much a 7″ can hold and Rozamov answering back with the 6:44 “Ghost Divine,” pummel a uniting factor between the two as they offer up a slaying sampler of their wares to those on either coast who’ve already gotten or might get on board with their darkened visions.

For Deathkings, the split marks the four-piece’s first physically-pressed outing since their 2012 debut full-length, Destroyer, though they also had a single out at the end of 2014 digitally, and Midnite Collective reissued Destroyer on vinyl last year as well. They’re not strangers to extended forms, and use their space effectively, an undercurrent of post-metallic ambience and repurposed Neurosis influence in their vocal arrangements adding to the density of some of the open spaces of “Solomon,” which launches the 7″ at a tense but quiet rush, tom hits from drummer Sean Spindler setting the pace soon joined by gravely vocals before the full tonal breadth of guitarists Daryl Hernandez and Mark Lüntzel and bassist Nicolas Rocha kicks in. Interplay between them becomes prevalent in a quieter break after the halfway point, but before they get there, Deathkings course through a doom inflicted with some blackened elements and a linear structure pushing forward into weighted plod and seeming to relent only to give the vocals appropriate room to urge the listener to “die now” on top of some suitably ritualistic background chants. Resurgence hits after the 5:30 mark and drives through frenetic turns toward an overarching lurch of a groove, Spindler‘s snare cutting through the mix to punctuate all the while a stomp that Rozamov will soon enough echo in “Ghost Divine.” That stomp serves as Deathkings‘ apex, however, and “Solomon” caps with just a short rumble that fades out quickly no doubt for spatial consideration of the medium. They’ve had a lineup change since recording the LP, though I’m not sure that accounts for the three years between releases, but the stylistic breadth and ambition in their songwriting makes Deathkingssound like a band actively seeking an open creative form, and “Solomon” reaps the benefits of that search.

While shorter, Rozamov‘s “Ghost Divine” is perhaps even more given to extremity. Like Deathkings, the Boston trio have undergone a lineup shift since their last recorded output, their 2013 Of Gods and Flesh EP having included guitarist Liz Walshak, who can currently be found in newcomers Sea. As the trio of guitarist/vocalist Matt Iocovelli, bassist/backing vocalist Tom Corino (also of Kind) and drummer Will Hendrix, Rozamov are rawer on “Ghost Divine” than they were on the EP, but that rawness feels intentional. A feedback swell fades in to an immmediate thrust of blastbeaten grinding and fast-paced sludge churn, their sound having long since grown out of most of its initial High on Fire influence but retained a penchant for thrash. Iacovelli and Corino answer each other vocally over the central riff with an affect more in line with a hardcore punk cover of Vital Remains than anything particularly doomed, but the ambience remains heavy all the same, and only adds weight as it slows into a solo section, fluidly pushing toward its halfway point with grand, echoing lead notes over slamming hits that seem (in context) in direct conversation with those Deathkings brought to bear, the vocals returning to command the tumult ably before dropping off to a quieter stretch of atmospheric noodling, layered-in piano from Iacovelli and persistent drumming to hold the tension. They build back up, and as one might hope, churn their way back to the rush that typified the first half of the track, ending strong with sustained, layered screams/growls and amplified crackle, the confidence with which they present “Ghost Divine” doing as much to convey the extremity as the actual riffs themselves. They sound like a band ready to put together their debut full-length, and so they are.

No doubt it will be too extreme in its base of influence for some, but Deathkings and Rozamov‘s split is nonetheless efficient in conveying where each band is at, and its curated feel in how well one contribution feeds into the next is not to go unnoticed. As far apart as they might be on a map, the two groups draw a quick line between them of shared viciousness, and revel in their variations on the theme.

Deathkings & Rozamov, Split (2015)

Deathkings on Thee Facebooks

Deathkings on Bandcamp

Rozamov on Thee Facebooks

Rozamov on Bandcamp

Midnite Collective’s webstore

Boston trio Rozamov are keeping busy in a number of righteous ways as they make ready to release a new split 7″ with Deathkings on Midnite Collective. This weekend they’ll head south to Brooklyn and Baltimore to play alongside the noisy/sludgy likes of Godmaker and Wizard Eye, respectively, and next week, they open for Slayer and Doomriders, which isn’t a line that’s going to hurt their CV in the slightest, at a Converse Rubber Tracks show at The Sinclair in Cambridge, MA, that will no doubt vibrate the walls of Harvard dorms down the way. Oh yeah, and then next month they head west to go play Psycho California alongside Pentagram, Sleep and about a million others. Clearly not a bad month to be Rozamov.

The band sent a rundown of their killer doings via the PR wire, including a preorder link for that Deathkings split:

Rozamov Playing Pre-Psycho Fest Shows Including Converse Rubber Tracks w/ Slayer

Rozamov will be performing select dates ahead of their performance at Psycho California, beginning this weekend in Brooklyn and Maryland. Included in this string of shows is an appearance at The Sinclair in Cambridge, MA for Converse Rubber Tracks Live with Slayer and Doomriders. Rubber Tracks Live is a free event but fans must enter to win tickets beginning this Monday, April 20th.

Rozamov recently announced plans to unleash a split 7-inch vinyl with Deathkings via Midnite Collective on May 12th. Rozamov’s track “Ghost Divine” will debut later this month, Deathking’s track “Solomon” is being streamed at CVLT-Nation now.

Rozamov Live Dates:

April 24 – Brooklyn, NY – The Acheron w/ Livver, Godmaker, Dead Empires
April 25 – Baltimore, MD – The Circuit w/ Fortress, Wizard Eye
April 29 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair – Converse Rubber Tracks Live w/ Slayer, Doomriders
May 8 – Northampton, MA – 13th Floor Music Lounge
May 16 – Santa Ana, CA – The Observatory – Psycho California

Rubber Tracks Live Ticket Link: http://www.converse-music.com/boston
Pre-Order Rozamov/Deathkings Split 7-inch Vinyl: http://midniteclv.storenvy.com/products/12489843-deathkings-rozamov-split-7

https://rozamov.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Rozamov
https://midniteclv.bandcamp.com/album/deathkings-rozamov-split

Rozamov, “Ghost Divine” teaser

True to their word, it’s Jan. 15 and Psycho California 2015 has announced the headliners for what looks like the best American festival lineup I’ve seen since the days of Emissions from the Monolith. That’s not to take away from the hard work anyone else is doing, but just look at the list of bands. It’s unreal. You’d want to be everywhere at the same time to see all of it. Absolutely wild.

Sleep and Pentagram were pretty clear choices to headline. Not only for being legends in the heavy underground, but for also being just about two of the only bands left. Sweden’s Cult of Luna were something of a surprise, but for a festival already showing a European reach in bringing aboard the likes of Samsara Blues Experiment and Stoned Jesus, they make sense. Hell of a bill. Kudos to anyone who actually gets to go to the thing.

Announcement follows, courtesy of the PR wire:

PSYCHO CALIFORNIA ANNOUNCES HEADLINERS: SLEEP, PENTAGRAM AND CULT OF LUNA

WEST COAST METAL FESTIVAL HAPPENING MAY 15, 16 & 17 AT THE OBSERVATORY IN SANTA ANA

FIRST WAVE OF ARTISTS ANNOUNCED INCLUDED KYLESA, EARTH, OM AND RUSSIAN CIRCLES

Psycho California, the west coast’s first annual metal festival and a must see for fans of doom, heavy psych and sludge, has announced the headliners for this year’s event: Cult of Luna (May 15), Sleep (May 16) and Pentagram, who will perform First Daze Here in its entirety (May 17).

“2015 is going to be a slow year for Cult of Luna. However as much as we are musicians we are also fans,” said Cult of Luna’s Johannes Persson. “Evaluating if the offer to play Psycho California was worth dusting off our instruments was not hard after looking on the line-up. Being on the same bill as Pentagram, Sleep and a festival packed with the best bands around is a privilege in itself and we’ll try to live up to that honor.”

The lineup for Psycho California is: Sleep, Pentagram, Cult of Luna, Kylesa, OM, Earth, Russian Circles, Bedemon, Conan, Wrench, Eyehategod, Indian, Earthless, Pallbearer, Stoned Jesus, Old Man Gloom, Cave In, Acid Witch, Truckfighters, Tombs, Bang, Electric Citizen, Coffinworm, SubRosa, Eagle Twin, Mammatus, True Widow, Anciients, Bellwitch, Dead Meadow, Lord Dying, Death By Stereo, Radio Moscow, Ancient Altar, Samsara Blues Experiment, Atriarch, Elder, Mothership, The Well, Deathkings, Wo Fat, Rozamov, Destroyer of Light, Highlands, Bloodmoon, Slow Season, Goatsnake, Crypt Trip, Wrench, Lords of Beacon House, Tumbleweed Dealer, Sinister Haze, Blackout, Red Wizard, Banquet and Loom.

Festival interludes will be provided by Housecore Records’ artist Author & Punisher and vinyl DJ set from Bob Lugowe (Relapse Records) and Sean Pellet (Last Daze Here).

Previously announced early bird tickets sold out immediately. Tickets for the festival are on-sale this morning with both a 3-day pass ($149.50) and a 3-day VIP pass available ($256.66)

VIP packages include a 3-day festival pass, a signed screen print concert poster by David D’Andrea, express entry via artist check-in booth, access to artist VIP lounge, a limited edition Thief X Obey festival tee, a Psycho record bag and patch as well as access to a complimentary craft tequila bar, premium microbrews and artisan snacks.

www.psychoca.com
www.facebook.com/psychocalifornia
https://www.facebook.com/Thiefpresents

Sleep, “The Clarity/Dragonaut” Live in Chicago, Aug. 28, 2014

The list of bands, quite frankly, is astonishing, but even more astonishing is the fact that  Thief Presents‘ Psycho California 2015 (formerly Psycho de Mayo) hasn’t announced its headliners yet, because these sure as shit look like headliners to me.

A three-day festival set to take place at The Observatory in Santa Ana, CA, Psycho California will feature the following acts:

Here’s that list again: Kylesa, Om, Earth, Russian Circles, Orange Goblin, Bedemon, Conan, Indian, Pallbearer, Cave In, Old Man Gloom, Tombs, Earthless, Truckfighters, Bang, Eyehategod, Crowbar, SubRosa, Lord Dying, Acid Witch, Electric Citizen, Coffinworm, Eagle Twin, Stoned Jesus, Mammatus, True Widow, Bell Witch, Death by Stereo, Radio Moscow, Samsara Blues Experiment, Anciients, Elder, Mothership, Ancient Altar, The Well, Deathkings, Wo Fat, Rozamov, Destroyer of Light, Highlands, Bloodmoon, Slow Season, Crypt Trip, Lords of Beacon House, Tumbleweed Dealer, Sinister Haze, Blackout, Red Wizard, Banquet, Loom.

Plus interludes by Author and Punisher.

God damn.

Not only does it cover both coasts, huge bands, legends and up and comers, but the reach is international. Take special note of Conan, since their appearance means that Maryland Deathfest won’t be their only US date, and also Samsara Blues Experiment and Stoned Jesus — two killer European bands that you don’t even go after unless you know what the fuck you’re doing. That also hugely extends the possibilities for headlining acts. It’s an assemblage that’s beyond impressive, and if you haven’t already looked up flights to Southern California, I don’t know what to tell you. As I write this it’s after one in the morning on Sunday night, and you know I wouldn’t be doing that if my mind wasn’t leaking out of my ears at the thought of experiencing this thing.

Stay tuned for more to come, since as the poster says, headliners will be announced on Jan. 15. I’ll be looking forward to finding out who else is in store.

Psycho California on Thee Facebooks

Thief Presents on Twitter

Thief Presents on Thee Facebooks

Of the more-than-several local shows I’ve been to since moving to New England now more than a year ago, this one had probably the strongest front-to-back bill. It was Elder‘s return gig to US soil. They and Rozamov and Summoner would head south the next day to appear Brooklyn’s Uninvited festival, and partnered with Worcester four-piece SET, it was night at the Middle East‘s upstairs room that highlighted some of the best Boston’s next-gen has to offer. Phrases like “all killer, no filler” were invented for evenings such as these.

To put a personal spin on it, I’ll say as well that it was a cap for me for my first year of living here. 13 months ago, I attended Elder‘s farewell at the Great Scott prior to their going on hiatus (Rozamov played that as well). I had lived in the area for barely two weeks, it was my first show in town as a resident. I was confused and uncomfortable in more than just that I’m-out-of-the-house kind of way. I’m not sure I’d have found the Middle East without the Maps on my phone, but at least when I got to Cambridge, I knew what to expect and where I might find parking. A work in progress, yes, but little things make a difference.

SET opened, and went on a couple minutes after 8:30, kicking off in raucous form. I wasn’t the only one who knew to show up early — upstairs at the Middle East isn’t a huge room, but it’s big enough that if you weren’t going to draw, it would look empty — and SET pulled a decent crowd. It was my third time seeing them behind shows at the Dragon’s Den (review here) and the Stoned Goat fest in Worcester (review here) and I was pleased to be more familiar with songs like “Valley of the Stone” and “Wolves behind the Sheep,” the balance of thrash and heavy rock within which threw down a heavy gauntlet for the other three bands to pick up. If they played it, I didn’t catch “Sacred Moon Cult,” the closer from their spring 2013 Valley of the Stone outing, but seeming to decide to do so off the cuff, they finished out with a convincing take on Pentagram‘s classic “Forever My Queen,” giving double-guitar thrust to the rawness of the original’s riffing.

In addition to being a strong bill, it was also fairly diverse within a heavy scope. That became apparent as Summoner, who played next, made ready to take the stage with both a sound and a character far disparate from that of SET, trading out that’s band’s harsher edge and grittier presence for smoother, more progressive heaviness. What the two bands had in common was a clear thread of tonal heft — Rozamov and Elder followed suit in that regard as well — but Summoner‘s influences, more in the Mastodon/Baroness vein, were spaced out wide enough from the preceding act that they were immediately distinguished. This was also the first I’d seen them since the release of their second album, 2013’s Atlantian, on Magnetic Eye Records, and while I knew from prior experience they delivered live, it was interesting to see them do so as a more mature, established outfit than they were late in 2012 when I caught them in New York.

They pummeled and stomped and dug themselves into their material neatly, clearly enjoying the process as well, guitarists AJ Peters and Joe Richner tilting their heads back across various leads and riffs while vocalist/bassist Chris Johnson kept a consistent, sincere smile across his face no matter how hard he also happened to be slamming the song at the time, and behind, drummer Scott Smith propelled their neo-metallic stomp. Much of what they played came from their 2012 debut, Phoenix, but “Horns of War” represented Atlantian well and “The Interloper” and “Winged Hessians” seemed to rouse no complaints from the increasingly full room there to watch them. When Rozamov went on, the trio would be a turn back toward darker, rawer vibes, but a propensity for big tones remained firm. I stood in front of bassist Tom Corino and could just about have swam through the density oozing out of the speaker cabinet.

It was a bit much, apparently, since part-way through the Rozamov set the bass cut out, leaving drummer Will Hendrix and guitarist/vocalist Matt Iacovelli to fill the time while the problem was discovered, analyzed and ultimately remedied. Blown tube. It didn’t take long, but Rozamov‘s dark, thickened-thrash had built a good head of steam by then and they essentially had to put their momentum back together from scratch. To their credit, they did. By the end of their set, which was a little longer than SET or Summoner‘s had been, it was easy to forget there had been an interruption at all. Much of their material seemed newer than 2013’s Of Gods and Flesh EP, and I’m not sure what they might have in the works, but I think the only Boston band I’ve seen more in the last year is Gozu, and I’ve yet to emerge from a Rozamov set less than impressed.

And Elder. Well, Elder are world-class at this point. They hadn’t played in the States since that farewell show last August, but they did a run of European gigs and their third album is reportedly in the can headed for a 2015 release. One might expect a band in their circumstance to be a little rusty — guitarist/vocalist Nick DiSalvo, bassist Jack Donovan and drummer Matt Couto all live in different states as well — but there wasn’t anything I could’ve asked from Elder‘s set it didn’t deliver, including a glimpse at their new stuff. The song “Compendium” from the new record was the only new one aired, the rest of what they played drawn from 2012’s stellar Spires Burn/Release EP (review here) and 2011’s Dead Roots Stirring (review here), but it offered a sense of progression nonetheless, a forward motion in its central riff acting as a kind of launch point from which the trio boomeranged, pushing as far as they could before snapping back to the initial movement in the manner that has become as much a part of their style as Donovan‘s head-spinning bass fills or Couto‘s unmitigated swing.

To that, I’ll just note that, including this show, I’ve seen Couto play drums in three different bands/iterations in the last month — with Kind in Worcester, with Darryl Shepard‘s Blackwolfgoat in Allston, and here — and while those were a formative act and a sit-in jam, I think it’s still worth pointing out that with Elder, it was a different level of performance entirely. Locked in with Donovan and DiSalvo, he seemed decidedly in his element, and that goes for the other two members of Elder as well, the three of them air-tight on the expansive “Release” and Dead Roots Stirring‘s “Knot,” which rounded out the album and this set alike. It seemed we might get an encore, but I think venue curfew was a factor — it was getting on midnight, and it’s not like it was a Tuesday or anything — and the house lights came up in the universal sign of get-the-hell-out. I’d wanted to pick up a copy of Elder‘s Live at Roadburn, since I hear one or two of my photos is included, but it was packed over there and I had writing to do, so I split into the fall air to start the not-inconsiderable hike back to my car and home.

More pics after the jump. Thanks for reading.

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It wasn’t a house show exactly, and it wasn’t a secret show exactly. Dragon’s Den is a studio/arts space in a building somewhere in South Boston that prefers its exact location to be kept quiet and that does shows sporadically with the hope of not attracting too much attention. It is decorated like an arts space and has a theatre-style stage, deep and wide, that, in the case of a show like this one with The Body, Whitehorse, Rozamov and SET, held audience and band alike. Still, it was a small, personal space, so while it wasn’t a house show, it had that vibe, and while it wasn’t a secret show, neither was it one promoted to bring out as many people as possible. It was somewhere in between.

The start time was listed as 7PM sharp, and fool that I am, I believed it. I left at 4:50 for what’s usually a half-hour trip and sat in two solid hours of traffic to get into town, thinking I was pushing it as I walked into the building. Not quite. Neither SET, nor Rozamov, nor half the people volunteering their time to run the gig were there yet. I found a chair and sat in it and killed time on my phone while The Body and Whitehorse loaded in their merch, set up on long tables to my left — The Body with a vinyl collection all their own and a tote bag to put it in and Whitehorse with a limited tape recorded on the other side of the planet in their native Australia. I thought about doing some shopping, refrained. I’d paid for parking already and cash is scarce.

A little over an hour passed before SET went on, shortly after eight. At that point, it was still less than a week since I’d last (and first) seen the Worcester four-piece at The Eye of the Stoned Goat 4 (review here) in their hometown, so although I hardly know their stuff, songs like “Valley of the Stone” and “Sacred Moon Cult” — Tom from Rozamov doing an impromptu guest spot on vocals for the latter — rang familiar nonetheless. They had left one of the Stoned Goat fest’s most favorable impressions, particularly as one of the few acts on that bill I’d never caught before, and Dragon’s Den found them no less impressive, a little more stoned-out than thrashing, maybe, but still with a subtly complex blend of Sleep-y impulse and more metallic tendencies. They’d struck me as a quality band the first time out and they did so again, which is always reassuring.

People were starting to fill up the room. Most of those who’d show up for the show were there by the time Rozamov went on, BYO’ing sixers in brown paper bags for liberal enjoyment on some found-looking furniture in front of the LED lightboard or off in some corner, otherwise standing around, chatting amiably about the shifting of this or that paradigm in the way that young white people do when they’re in it, of it. I flipped through photos and waited for Rozamov, who — also at Stoned Goat (review here) — had demonstrated trio proficiency the weekend prior and whose more brutality-minded metallurgy served as a fitting transition from SET‘s opening push into the two touring acts who’d cap the night.

Also making a highlight of “Famine” from their 2013 Of Gods and Flesh EP, Rozamov rounded out with the same new song that had left a mark the weekend prior, their blend of thrash, sludge and periodic stoner groove hitting like an adjustment of the balances at work in SET‘s aesthetic, both bands using two vocalists to their advantage, guitarist Matt Iacovelli and bassist Tom Corino — who traded out instruments smoothly mid-song after breaking a string — perhaps most effective in driving Rozamov as they worked in tandem screams on the aforementioned closer, drummer Will Hendrix holding a steady, quickened pulse behind. For an evening that held the promise of overwhelming volume, Rozamov fit right in.

My understanding is that Whitehorse were/are in-country to play Maryland Deathfest. So be it. I had missed them at Roadburn, and while I dig The Body, I’ve seen them before, so along with the locals, Whitehorse were what drew me to the show. Playing almost completely in the dark, the Melbourne six-piece unleashed a vicious, molasses-toned barrage of extreme sludge, lurching groove topped with burly growls. Their appeal was as immediate as their rumble, two guitars, bass, noise, drums, vocals all working toward a single goal of sonic annihilation. In decibels and extremity, they were every bit a match for The Body, and their huge, slow-running tones only made the material more consuming. Fucking heavy. Very fucking heavy.

There were three, maybe four photographers taking pictures up front, where I also was, most of them using flashes to do so. I’ll admit I turned mine on to try and get a couple shots as well, it was so dark. About three songs in, impressively-bearded Whitehorse vocalist Peter Hyde pointed to two or three photographers and me — literally, pointed his finger — and said they’d had enough of the flashes, told us we needed to leave so that people who actually wanted to see the show could move forward. It was belittling and humiliating, a first for me, and it felt utterly needless. I’d sat in an awful lot of traffic to show up an hour early for somebody who apparently didn’t want to see the show, and if the flash photography was a problem, an easy fix might’ve been to ask for no more flash. I guess that wouldn’t have been punk rock enough. Melbourne to Boston is a long way to go to make someone feel like an asshole for liking your band.

I bummed out pretty quick and pretty hard, made my way to the back and would’ve headed out the door but for reminding myself of those two hours I’d spent getting to the show, so I stood instead and watched Whitehorse finish and waited for The Body to go on. I took a couple pictures of the Portland-by-way-of-Providence duo, stayed for maybe three songs and then left, feeling mostly like a jerk for having shown up in the first place. Still audible from the ground floor outside the Dragon’s Den building, The Body were delivering the aural punishment that has served as the basis of their well-earned reputation, but any chance I had of being into it had evaporated. I was glad I got to see SET and Rozamov again, Dragon’s Den was a cool space and if I caught wind of another gig there, I’d go. I guess that after the Stoned Goat fest and the Floor show earlier in the week I was behind on my quota of unnecessary bullshit, but whatever. Some you win, some you lose. At least the roads were clear on my way home.

Some more pics of SET and Rozamov after the jump. Thanks for reading.

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