The forthcoming Pillars of Ash by Savannah, Georgia, trio Black Tusk represents their final recorded work with bassist/vocalist Jonathan Athon, who passed away a year ago following a motorcycle accident. The hard-touring outfit — who’ve since recruited Corey Barhorst, formerly of Kylesa and who just released a new record called Heading East (review here) with his other band, Niche, as their third member — will no doubt hit the road in the New Year to support the new album, but preorders are up now and nothing has yet been announced for shows.

Jan. 29 is the release date, Relapse is the label, Joel Grind of Toxic Holocaust the producer. Details and the new song “God’s on Vacation” follow from the PR wire:

BLACK TUSK ANNOUNCE ‘PILLARS OF ASH’ LP & PREMIERE NEW SONG

Savannah, GA’s Black Tusk have established themselves as one of the hardest working bands in rock since their formation over 10 years ago. After four full-lengths, numerous splits and EP’s and thousands of shows under their belts, the punk/metal power trio was faced with an immense and unexpected tragedy in late 2014 when founding bassist/vocalist Jonathan Athon passed away after a motorcycle accident in his hometown. Now, as a testament to his profound and lasting legacy on the heavy music scene, the band are releasing Pillars of Ash, their final recordings with Athon, on January 29th, 2016 via Relapse Records. Recorded with Toxic Holocaust’s Joel Grind behind the boards and featuring gorgeous artwork by Jeremy Hush (Skeletonwitch, Rwake), Pillars of Ash is the culmination of three brothers-in-arms’ blood, sweat and tears, and is Black Tusk’s finest accomplishment to date.

Formed in 2005 by Athon, guitarist Andrew Fidler and drummer James May, Black Tusk hit the ground running and toured relentlessly on their first EP, When Kingdoms Fall. They kept up a manic pace, recording two more demos (2006’s untitled demo and 2007’s The Fallen Kingdom). Hyperrealist signed on to release their debut LP, 2008’s Passage Through Purgatory, and 2009 saw them churn out a trio of splits with the likes of The Holy Mountain, ASG, and Fight Amp. Soon after, the band signed to Relapse and formed a partnership that lasts to this day, first collaborating on their 2010 breakthrough Taste the Sin and then on their highly ¬anticipated 2011 follow up, Set the Dial. Since then, Black Tusk have released a pair of EP’s—2013’s Tend No Wounds and the digital¬-only 2014 EP Vulture’s Eye—and kept pounding the pavement in the United States, Europe, and the UK alongside bands like Red Fang, Kvelertak, Down, Municipal Waste, Fu Manchu, Inter Arma, Intronaut, and so many others, as well as being hand¬picked to appear on Metallica’s Orion Festival in 2012.

In 2014, Black Tusk hit the studio with their old friend and accomplished audio engineer, Joel Grind, to work on Pillars of Ash. Before they could get their new record into stores and jump back up in their big white tour van, though, the band suffered a setback beyond what most could even imagine. In November, mere weeks before the band was due to kick off their biggest tour yet, Athon was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident. Several days later, on November 9, 2014, he passed away at the age of 31, leaving behind hundreds of friends, family members, and his beloved dog Cutter as well as his brothers in Black Tusk. Support poured in from fans, friends, and fellow musicians from around the world; stunned, Andrew and James laid down their instruments and tried to process the loss. For a few weeks, the band’s future was uncertain, but ultimately, the remaining duo made the difficult decision to soldier on and carry on in Athon’s memory. Athon himself could have chosen no better successor than Corey Barhorst, a longtime friend and veteran musician who heads up his own project, Niche, and previously held down the low end for Kylesa. Barhorst initially joined the band as a live member in time for their European tour with Black Label Society, but after that, was welcomed into the fold as a full-blooded member of Black Tusk.

Black Tusk have lived through the kind of hardship and heartbreak that would cripple a lesser band, but it’s that dedication, gumption, and pure bullheaded stubbornness that’s taken them around the world and as far away from the lacey Spanish moss and sweltering streets of Savannah than any of them could’ve dared dream.

Look for Pillars of Ash to be available January 29th, 2016 and stay tuned for more news coming soon.

Pillars of Ash, track listing:
1. God’s On Vacation
2. Desolation of Endless Times
3. Bleed on Your Knees
4. Born of Strife
5. Damned in the Ground
6. Beyond the Divide
7. Black Tide
8. Still Not Well
9. Walk Among the Sky
10. Punk Out
11. Leveling

http://www.relapse.com/blacktusk/
https://blacktusk.bandcamp.com/album/pillars-of-ash
https://www.facebook.com/BlackTusk/
https://www.instagram.com/tcbt/
https://twitter.com/blacktusk

Black Tusk, “God’s on Vacation”

The prevailing vibe is vibe, and the vibe is its own excuse for vibing. In the first 20 seconds of their third album, Heading East, Savannah, Georgia’s Niche offer a glimpse at Thin Lizzy meeting up with Queen for summertime harmonies. Plus heavy. Plus Mellotron. Really, it’s the kind of launch that so immediately soothes, there’s little to do but throw up your hands and admit to yourself you’re hooked for the duration. Fortunately, Niche do not disappoint from there. Instead, they build on the pastoral feel with liberal doses of organ and a persistence of melody that comes not in contrast to tonal or rhythmic weight, but in collusion with it.

Dual-guitar leads from Justin Dick (also vocals) and Kristopher Maedke-Russell (also also vocals) ring through a crisp classic heavy rock dogwhistle to those clued in to the aforementioned Irish pioneers, but with the organ/key work of Corey Barhorst and the fluid rhythms of bassist Michael Redmond and drummer Lee Vallier, a song like “When I’m Gone” digs into its own creative space, sounding rich but not overcooked as it meanders through an extended instrumental jam in which all five parties involved take advantage of an opportunity to shine. “When I’m Gone” is one of two longer (over eight-minute) inclusions on Heading East — they’re arranged one per side; the other is closer “Days to Come” at 9:21 — and as far out as it goes, it leaves room to come back to the chorus at the end, Niche keeping songwriting at the fore even as they deliver highlight performances.

“On Down the Line” is a reminder of how Steely Dan‘s hits happened, an inviting vocal arrangement at the forefront, but like with the guitars of “Exiled to Islands,” Barhorst‘s keys do much to enrich the proceedings. Barhorst is a former Kylesa bassist (currently also in Black Tusk), and Heading East was recorded by that band’s Philip Cope at The Jam Room in Colombia, South Carolina, and released on Kylesa‘s Retro Futurist Records imprint, but there’s little sonic comparison between the two to be made. Niche‘s sound is progressive in its way, but the earthy psychedelia they exude as “On Down the Line” Mellotrons its way toward the conclusion of side A is geared toward establishing an organic, classic-styled flow.

And while vinyl is the clear intent in the album’s structure, “Sweet Dear Anne” picks up with a logical continuation of the spirit of “On Down the Line,” moving into even more peaceful stylizations, reminiscent of some of what Night Horse did on their second record in terms of patience with a core of memorable craftsmanship behind it, but the pace gets a boot in the second half and that sets up “Tough and Mean” still to come. They never go so far as to start issuing threats, but Niche get a big thicker on the six-track offering’s penultimate cut, shifting from the quiet final measures of “Sweet Dear Anne” into a swell of lead guitar and cymbal wash that builds over the course of its first minute into the bed for a proto-metallic chug. They’re still having a good time, but the mood is a discernible turn from the song preceding, and in true side B fashion, it expands the context of the album overall, even as it underscores a lot of what has tied the whole release together in a toss-off reference to “the boys” as it winds to its ending.

Somewhat grander in its purposes, “Days to Come” closes out more in a classic prog vein, the early vocal melody in league with late-period Hypnos 69 likely by coincidence, but still, and seems less of a mind to provide a summary of what’s come before it than to expand on it with something even more lush. The one works just as well as the other might, honestly, given how in control of their sound Niche have been all along. The essential difference between “When I’m Gone” and “Days to Come” is that the closer doesn’t make that return to the verse, instead thrusting into more open spaces on propulsive soloing in an entirely instrumental second two-thirds that builds in pace and energy until an inevitable big rock finish brings “the set” to a close. Even in that moment, Niche remain wholesome, and if the last 15 seconds or so of their record is a bit of an indulgence, it’s one well-earned by Heading East‘s 38 minutes prior.

Today I have the pleasure of hosting “When I’m Gone” from Heading East as a track premiere. Please find it on the player below, followed by more about the record from the PR wire, and enjoy:

With two previous self-released albums under their belt — So Be It and The Other Side Of The End, which were both recorded by their good friend Chris Adams — in December 2014, NICHE went to The Jam Room in Colombia, South Carolina to record their third album with longtime friend Phillip Cope of Kylesa at the helm of producing the album, the first release with their current lineup. Titled Heading East, the album catapults six new tracks with nearly forty minutes of mega rich, perfectly hazy, psychedelically-induced classic rock fueled and jacked-up for modern times, completed with beautiful, kaleidoscopic artwork by Samantha Muljat.

Offers NICHE’s Michael Redmond about the new release, “The music scene in Savannah has always been a family to me; we work, play, live, love, cry and party together. We help and support each other. I could not be happier that something I’m so proud of will be released by friends and musicians here in Savannah.”

Heading East will see release through Retro Futurist on digital and CD November 13th with a vinyl pressing to follow in early 2016.

NICHE Live:
12/11/2015 The Jinx – Savannah, GA w/ Caustic Casanova

Niche on Thee Facebooks

Niche on Bandcamp

Retro Futurist Records website

Retro Futurist on Bandcamp

Retro Futurist on Thee Facebooks

Yeah, yeah, Kylesa have a new album coming, that’s very cool. Look at that frickin’ list of tour dates! Kylesa don’t need to be touring like that at this point. I mean, there are breaks in there, but if they wanted, the Savannah, Georgia, outfit could probably take it down a little bit in terms of the road work. People know who they are, have a pretty good idea of what they do — as much as one can as regards Kylesa from one album to the next — so it’s not like they’re going door-to-door-punk-rock spreading the word two ears at a time. Point is it looks like a lot of shows. I guess they’ve found a way to make it sustainable. Not everyone does.

And while the album title Exhausting Fire — which is the follow-up to 2013’s Ultraviolet (review here) — doesn’t do much to capture the energy they bring to the stage, no doubt it will prove of its own merit, Kylesa having yet to stagnate in what seems a creative progression as unrelenting as their touring cycle.

The PR wire brings album details, tour dates and the new song “Lost and Confused” for previewy enjoyment:

KYLESA announce new album, ‘Exhausting Fire’

Savannah’s genre-defying quintet KYLESA have announced a new album titled ‘Exhausting Fire’, to be released by Season of Mist on Oct. 2. The band are streaming the first track from the new record titled “Lost and Confused.” Pre-orders for ‘Exhausting Fire’ will be available across several CD and LP formats at the Season of Mist E-Shop.

Regarding the new album, KYLESA vocalist/guitarist Phil Cope comments: “‘Exhausting Fire’ is an album we really put our hearts on our sleeves for. We’ve always done that, but emotionally, it’s probably the most honest and raw album we’ve ever done.”

Guitarist/vocalist Laura Pleasants continues, “No band sounds like us and we don’t sound like any other band. After all these years of experimenting with different styles and sounds, we’ve really developed our own thing and I can faithfully say that we sound like us. With this album, we’ve successfully made a record that incorporates all the elements we’ve always played with into a record that works on its own.”

The album artwork and track list for ‘Exhausting Fire’ can be found below:

Track List:
1. Crusher
2. Inward Debate
3. Moving Day
4. Lost and Confused
5. Shaping The Southern Sky
6. Falling
7. Night Drive
8. Blood Moon
9. Growing Roots
10. Out Of My Mind
11. Paranoid (bonus track)

KYLESA have announced a tour across the U.S. The tour, which begins on August 29 sees the band traveling throughout August and September, before concluding in Seattle on November 22.

KYLESA tour dates:
8/29 Durham, NC @ Motorco
8/31 Charlottesville, Va @ The Southern
9/1 New York, NY @ Gramercy Theater
9/2 Montreal, QC @ Cafe Campus
9/3 Toronto, ON @ Mod Club Theater
9/4 Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s
9/5 St. Louis, MO @ Ready Room
9/6 Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
9/7 Augusta, GA @ Sky City
10/6 St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theatre
10/7 Miami, FL @ Grand Central
10/8 Orlando, FL @ The Social
10/9 Savannah, GA @ Jinx
10/10 Asheville, NC @ New Mountain
10/13 Columbus, OH @ The Basement
10/14 Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
10/16 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
10/17 Pittsburgh, PA @ Altar Bar
10/19 Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
10/20 Philadelphia, PA @ Black Box @ Underground Arts
10/23 Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry
10/24 Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
10/25 Atlanta, GA @ The Drunken Unicorn
11/6 Pomona, CA @ The Glass House
11/7 Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
11/8 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
11/10 San Diego, CA @ The Irenic
11/11 Phoenix, AZ @ Club Red
11/13 Austin, TX @ Red 7
11/14 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
11/15 Dallas, TX @ The Prophet Bar
11/17 Colorado Springs, CO @ The Black Sheep
11/18 Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
11/19 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
11/20 Boise, ID @ Neurolux
11/21 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
11/22 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
11/6 Pomona, CA @ The Glass House
11/7 Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda Theater
11/8 San Francisco, CA @ The Filmore
11/10 San Diego, CA @ The Irenic
11/11 Phoenix, AZ @ Club Red
11/13 Austin, TX @ Red 7
11/14 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
11/15 Dallas, TX @ Prophet Bar
11/17 Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep
11/18 Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
11/19 Salt Lake City UT @ The Complex
11/20 Boise, ID @ Neurox
11/21 Portland, OR @ Hawthrone Theater
11/22 Seattle, WA @ Crocodile

http://shopusa.season-of-mist.com/predefined-search?id_list=65
https://www.facebook.com/KYLESAmusic
http://season-of-mist.com/

Kylesa, “Lost and Confused”

Almost nothing is certain, and when it comes to doubly-drummed Georgian progressive sludgers Kylesa, even less than that. Yet when it comes to approaching their sixth full-length and second for Season of Mist, the 11-track Ultraviolet — or really any new Kylesa album — the one thing the listener can be sure of going into it is that it will be a step beyond its predecessor. At this point, I don’t think the band would release a record that wasn’t. Ultraviolet‘s predecessor was 2010’s Spiral Shadow (review here), which changed their course from jagged, crunching sludge to a more smoothed out and progressive sound — a shift that they’d built toward on 2009’s Static Tensions (review here) in some ways but come nowhere near materializing as completely — and one that, as ever, divided their fanbase into those who could get on board and those who couldn’t. This seems to happen on a nearly per-album basis with the Savannah natives.

While we’re talking about expectation, I’d anticipate no less for Ultraviolet in the long run, but Kylesa have never had a problem picking up new fans along the way to fill the spots of those who couldn’t get past one period or another of their ongoing progression; they’ve maintained a reputation as a hard-touring band for years and rightly so. Rooted in the work of guitarists/vocalists Phillip Cope (also theremin and production) and Laura Pleasants, there are consistencies of sound to be heard between full-lengths, and sure enough between Spiral Shadow and Ultraviolet as well, but save for very few moments throughout the latest, the band would be all but unrecognizable to anyone who jumped from 2005’s To Walk a Middle Course or 2006’s Time Will Fuse its Worth right to it, and no doubt that’s the intent: Progress. Joined by drummers Carl McGinley and Eric Hernandez and bassist Chase Rudeseal (the latter of whom may or may not have actually played on the recording), Pleasants and Cope have never failed to draw a distinct line from one outing to the next, and though it’s an outgrowth of elements from Spiral Shadow like the pop hook of “Don’t Look Back” or the dreamy ambience underlying “To Forget,” that’s no less true of Ultraviolet than it has ever been.

Single-word titles on five of the 11 cuts on the 39-minute album — namely opening trio “Exhale,” “Unspoken,” “Grounded,” and closing duo “Quicksand” and “Drifting” — would seem to hint at some stripped-down sensibility or simplicity of approach, but the fact is Kylesa have never been so melodically switched on or engaged. Cope and Pleasants trade vocal parts immediately and effectively on the insistently-riffed “Exhale,” chugging distortion creating a jabbing tension topped by call and response shouts before a swirl takes hold that the drums(s) underscore with a thud less frantic than it has been in the past, but still indicative of two players at work. I suppose on a structural level, Ultraviolet‘s opening salvo is somewhat simplified, but the atmosphere becomes more complex as “Unspoken” opens with subdued guitar and a wash of effects, Cope coming in as the song kicks off with a semi-spoken line that Pleasants — whose ascent as a vocalist continues unabated — answers back with layered melodies. The most memorable stretches of Ultraviolet are still to come, but the momentum “Unspoken” helps create and its prog-toned guitar solo in the second half act as a precursor to some of the album’s most intriguing moments, giving way to the familiar winding structure of “Grounded”‘s central riff, readily accessible to anyone who’s followed the post-Mastodon course of Southern US heavy metal, Pleasants handling the verse and Cope taking what probably would be the ensuing chorus if it was ever repeated. Instead, they build on the instrumental for a bit and round out with layers of Pleasants‘ vocals, ending with just her voice to set up the shift to the more thickly toned and aggressive “We’re Taking This.”

Read more »

Bringing with them the diverse bill of mystic doomers Blood Ceremony, cult psych heroes White Hills, and Atlanta-based instrumental spazzoids Lazer/Wulf, Savannah, Georgia’s Kylesa are starting what will most likely be a lengthy tour cycle in support of their new album, Ultraviolet. Expected May 28 on Season of Mist, Ultraviolet is Kylesa‘s first record of new material since 2010’s Spiral Shadow, which saw them greatly expand their melodic reach and progressive sensibilities.

As much as I’ve been looking forward to hearing the LP, Kylesa have always been an excellent live act, so it’ll be great to catch the Ultraviolet songs in-person as well. The PR wire has info and the rather considerable list of dates:

KYLESA ANNOUNCE SPRING TOUR

ULTRAVIOLET PRE-ORDERS AVAILABLE NOW

Kylesa kick off their first North American tour in support of Ultraviolet (May 28, Season of Mist) on May 10 in Gainesville, Fla. at the High Dive.

“It’s been a while since we’ve done a headlining tour in the US or Canada,” explained singer/guitar player Laura Pleasants, referring to the near two-year gap since the Savannah band’s last run. “We are looking forward to doing a proper tour supporting Ultraviolet. It will be good to see friends and fans (old and new) and hit these once familiar landscapes again. “

Spin premiered “Quicksand,” a new song from the 11-track album, earlier this week (http://www.spin.com/articles/kylesa-quicksand-ultraviolet-stream) describing the song “joins the melodies of ‘90s shoegaze with the churn of modern sludge.” Ultraviolet pre-orders are available now via Season of Mist’s e-shop (http://e-shop.season-of-mist.com/en/predefined-search/37879).

Tour dates:
April 19 Savannah, GA The Dollhouse (Free show)
May 10 Gainesville, FL High Dive
May 11 Orlando, FL Backbooth
May 12 Miami, FL Churchhill’s
May 13 Tampa, FL The Orpheum
May 15 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jack’s
May 16 Houston, TX Walters
May 17 Dallas, TX Trees
May 18 Austin, TX Mohawk
May 20 Albuquerque, NM Blackwater
May 21 Denver, CO Marquis Theater
May 22 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
May 24 Santa Cruz, CA Catalyst
May 25 San Francisco, CA Slim’s
May 27 Portland, OR Star Theater
May 28 Seattle, WA Chop Suey
May 29 Vancouver, BC Electric Owl
May 31 Calgary, AB Dickens
June 1 Regina, SK The Exchange
June 2 Winnipeg, MB The Pyramid
June 3 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock Social Club
June 4 Iowa City, IA Gabe’s Oasis
June 5 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge
June 6 Grand Rapids, MI Pyramid Scheme
June 7 St. Louis, MO The Firebird
June 8 Columbus, OH Ace of Cups
June 9 Lexington, KY Cosmic Charlies
June 11 Toronto, ON Lee’s Palace
June 12 Ottawa, ON Maverick’s
June 13 Montreal, QC Il Motore
June 14 Brooklyn NY Northside Fest (Music Hall of Williamsburg)
June 15 Albany, NY Bogie’s
June 16 Boston, MA Middle East Downstairs
June 18 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts
June 19 Washington, DC Rock & Roll Hotel
June 20 Asheville, NC Asheville Music Hall
June 21 Atlanta, GA The Earl
June 22 Savannah, GA The Jinx

Opening for Kylesa will be Blood Ceremony, White Hills and Lazer/Wulf. “I think the package will deliver the goods as well; a little mix in the stew for everyone who digs our sound,” commented Pleasants. Tickets are available next week.

This one should be interesting. It’s been three years since Savannah, Georgia, metallers Kylesa released Spiral Shadow (review here), their first album for Season of Mist and easily their most progressive outing to date, pushing their intricate, dually-drummed arrangements further than ever while also showing periodic affinity for a strong pop chorus. What will Ultraviolet bring three years later? As I haven’t yet had a second to check out the new track “Unspoken” via the link below, I haven’t the foggiest, but with this as the first word that the album is coming May 28, I’m excited to find out.

One thing about Kylesa records though is that no two are ever the same. Not knowing what to expect only makes it more fun.

The PR wire takes it from here:

Kylesa is set to release Ultraviolet, one of the most anticipated hard rock releases of the year and the follow-up to their critically-acclaimed album Spiral Shadow, on May 28 via Season of Mist (May 24 in Europe).

“Whereas Spiral Shadow was a warm album suggesting concepts of hope, Ultraviolet is a bit colder and darker,” explains songwriter/guitar player Laura Pleasants. “All of our studio albums have their own unique identity and we’ve always been a band who strives for something different than what current fads suggest. With Ultraviolet, we took a step inward and wrote music that we felt we had to write; this album centers around the multiple themes of loss and you can feel it in the music. Everyone goes through it during their lifetime and this record reflects that experience.”

“Unspoken,” a new song from the eleven-track album is available now for Season of Mist newsletter subscribers (www.season-of-mist.com/news/kylesa-2013-02-26).

The Savannah-based quintet recorded Ultraviolet at The Jam Room in Columbia, SC with the band’s guitar player/songwriter, and sought-after producer, Phillip Cope (Baroness, Black Tusk) once again overseeing production.

Kylesa released a rarities collection in November titled “From The Vaults, Vol. 1,” which featured unreleased, new and alternate versions of songs spanning the band’s catalogue as well as one new song titled “End Truth.” Cope and Pleasants spent over a year going through their archives preparing the release.

Kylesa will return to the road in May with more details forthcoming.

I don’t know about you, but for me, the news that Savannah, Georgia, progressive sludgers Kylesa will release a new collection called From the Vaults Vol. 1 begs more questions than it answers. I mean, I didn’t know Kylesa had vaults. How many vaults do they have? Are they man-sized like Dick Cheney‘s was? What do they keep in them? Are they room temperature or refrigerated?

While we wait for the answers to those questions and one or two others, here’s this from the PR wire:

Kylesa Rarities Collection, From The Vaults, Vol. 1, Set For Nov. 20 Release Via Season Of Mist

Twelve-Song Release Features One New Song, Previously Unreleased And Alternate Versions Of Songs From Band’s Catalogue

Kylesa is set to release From The Vaults, Vol. 1,  a twelve-song collection featuring unreleased, new and alternate versions of songs spanning their catalogue including one entirely new song (“End Truth“) as well as the band’s legendary cover of Pink Floyd’s “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” on Nov. 20 (Nov. 16 in Europe).

“This project has been a labor of love,” explained guitarist/singer/producer Phillip Cope. “We have spent over a year going through old songs, covers, etc. and collected those we felt went well together; remixing and finishing them up.  We didn’t want to release something just thrown together so we put a lot of thought and time into it.  I am really happy about how this came together.  I think it is a good representation of Kylesa’s different styles from early on to present day.”

The Savannah-based band recently wrapped up a European tour, which included stops at the Wacken Open Air and Area 4 Festivals,  and will enter the studio to begin work on a new album for 2013.  Kylesa’s most recent release, 2010’s Spiral Shadow, was revered by fans and critics alike as a “record that trashes everything you might expect from the genre” (Pitchfork) and  is “as sweaty as a south Georgia summer” (Spin).  Singer/guitarist Laura Pleasants was recently featured on the cover of Decibel Magazine‘s inaugural Women in Metal issue.

From The Vaults, Vol. 1 track listing:
1.  Intro  **
2.  Inverse  **
3.  111 Degree Heat Index ***
4.  Between Silence and Sound II ***
5.  Paranoid Tempo  **
6.  End Truth *
7.  Bottom Line II ***
8.  Wavering **
9.  Bass Salts **
10.  Drained **
11.  Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun **
12.  Drum Jam **

* New
** Previously unreleased/limited availability
*** Alternate Version

I don’t remember the last time I looked forward to a tour the way I looked forward to the Irving Plaza, NYC, stop of Metalliance. Usually, I’ll get down with a couple bands on a bill, maybe even three or four on a great night, but this lineup was insane. Helmet playing Meantime, Crowbar, Saint Vitus, Kylesa, Red Fang, Howl and The Atlas Moth. Even the bands I was ambivalent about seeing I wanted to see. It’s been a while since that was the case for a single show.

The difference, I suppose, is that Metalliance is essentially a traveling festival. That means shorter sets — 20 minutes each for The Atlas Moth, Howl and Red Fang, then gradually more for Kylesa, Vitus, Crowbar and Helmet — but still, the thought of seeing this many bands on one bill made the show an absolute must. It’s been on my calendar for months. Whatever else happens, Metalliance.

There was a meet and greet before doors and I was invited for that, so I went and chatted awkwardly for a couple minutes with the bands, mostly the dudes in Red Fang about bassist/vocalist Bryan Giles‘ recent interview, but also got my picture taken with Wino, which was cool despite the lengths at which I’ll protest about hating that kind of thing (both having my picture taken and my picture taken with dudes in bands). The conversation steadily fizzled and everyone, myself included, went about their business. I grabbed the first of the evening’s several $8 Guinnesses, made my way upstairs to stake out a spot. It’s Irving Plaza instinct. I’ve seen more shows from that balcony than I can remember to count.

It was early, though. The Atlas Moth didn’t go on for maybe another 20 minutes, and the place was still basically empty, so the beer went fast. When they took the stage, I went downstairs to take the first of the evening’s many, many photos, and check out their set. I had been served a digital promo of their Candlelight Records debut, A Glorified Piece of Blue Sky, when it came out, but it must have slipped through the cracks. They were post-metal, and apparently down one of their three guitarists, but not terrible. They said from the stage that they’ll have a new album out in the fall. Maybe I won’t have my head up my ass about it this time. No promises, but it could happen.

If I’m not much familiar with The Atlas Moth, I’m a little more directly “take it or leave it” on Howl. The Rhode Islanders don’t really do it for me musically, but even they put on a good show, and I heard from several showgoers over the course of the night how much they enjoyed their set. They were heavier than I recalled them being, but just tipped to the far side of the doom/metal equation, and watching them made me feel old. Think I’d be used to that by now.

Part of my “meh” factor for Howl‘s set might also have stemmed from anticipation for Red Fang. Having never seen them before and so thoroughly dorked out over their forthcoming Murder the Mountains Relapse debut (second full-length overall), I was more or less dying to see their set. They opened with a couple tracks from their self-titled, and hit the new single “Wires” before closing with “Prehistoric Dog.” I felt justified in my excitement by their performance, as they more or less ripped through the material — not in the sense of rushing it — just making it all sound meatier and meaner. They were the first of the night’s several killer acts.

As I mentioned, with Kylesa, the set-times began to lengthen, but even a half-hour of stuff from them seemed short. Bathed half in darkness by the projected art of their Spiral Shadow album, the dually-drummed five-piece were also much heavier than the production on their record might lead you to believe. “Running Red,” from 2009’s Static Tensions, was a particularly welcome inclusion, and though the vocals were high in the mix, everything still came through well enough.

With the double-guitar/double-vocals of Laura Pleasants and Philip Cope, it’s probably really easy for some of Kylesa‘s complexity to become a wash in a live setting (I’ve seen them before but not yet on this touring cycle owing to January’s ridiculous snowfall) depending on who’s working the sound. I think they got a decent treatment at Irving Plaza and was glad to get the chance to have “Don’t Look Back” from Spiral Shadow injected straight into my head from the amps as opposed to the CD. I also got a new appreciation for bassist Corey Barhorst, who I think is a much bigger part of what makes Kylesa so damn heavy than anyone gives him credit for, myself included. I know they tour like bastards, but I was glad to see them this time around, especially after enjoying the album so much.

What can I possibly say about Saint Vitus? I felt like life was doing me a personal favor by their reuniting at Roadburn 2009, and I’ve seen them twice now since then, and I feel the same way. “Dying Inside,” “Born too Late,” “Clear Windowpane” — they were all fucking fantastic. The only challenge I had was trying to decide which I was most into (I finally settled on “Dying Inside”), but the whole set was earth-shakingly heavy. I don’t know how Crowbar felt about having to follow them, let alone Helmet, but I know I certainly wouldn’t want to. They also played the new song “Blessed Night” from the impending whatever-they’ll-put-out, and it was even better in-person than on the YouberTubes clips of it I’ve seen.

I’ve done plenty of worshiping at the altar of Saint Vitus before, but it’s worth noting that even just in terms of the chemistry between the members of the band, they’ve got it down. Even since I saw this lineup — Scott “Wino” Weinrich, vocals; Dave Chandler, guitar; Mark Adams, bass; Henry Vasquez, drums — in Brooklyn late in 2009, their time on the road has made them tighter as a group, and the songs sounded all the more killer for it. Vasquez, who came aboard as a replacement for founding drummer Armando Acosta owing to the latter’s failing health (Acosta died last Thanksgiving), does an excellent job driving the material, and watching Adams, Chandler and Weinrich on stage is like calculating a geometrical proof to discover why the word “legendary” so often appears directly before the band’s name.

If they’d been the only band of the night, I still would have made the trip into the city for the show, but to then have Crowbar follow them was when things really got surreal at Metalliance. It’s like one of those “But wait — there’s more!” infomercials, except that instead of useless, easily-broken shit you get high-grade metal. Crowbar were in sludgy fashion, and the guitar sound, which I bemoaned after their set at the Championship Bar and Grill in Trenton this past December, was much improved coming through the Irving Plaza P.A. They ran through a smattering of the highlight cuts from their career, offering a post-“Planets Collide” mini-encore in the form of latest single “The Cemetery Angels,” from their first album in six years, Sever the Wicked Hand.

It was interesting to compare the Saint Vitus and Crowbar sets in that the two long-running (admittedly Vitus longer running than Crowbar) acts have very different stage presences. Crowbar guitarist Kirk Windstein is clearly the star of the show. It’s his band all the way through, he’s the last of the founding members, the only songwriter and not to disparage the contributions of his band, because they sounded good, but you could probably have any number of musicians up there filling those roles. In terms of presence, Chandler is one of two very strong focal points in Saint Vitus, the other being Wino. Bassist Mark Adams, while a founding member of the band, is overshadowed personality-wise by the guitarist, and from the look of it this past Friday, that suits him just fine, but still, Saint Vitus — even apart from the aura their decades of influence carries with it — are more of a total band experience, where with Crowbar, it’s Windstein‘s gig and everyone knows it.

What that rounds out to, at least as regards Metalliance, is two unmistakable, diverging roads leading to a killer set. The place cleared out a lot after Crowbar with Helmet still to go, but those who stayed were ultimately rewarded for their effort. The truly unfortunate thing about Helmet is how their dissonance got bastardized in the later part of the ’90s by the nü-metal movement. That’s not to say their own burgeoning commerciality didn’t have a role to play, but the sound they became known for fostering wasn’t necessarily the way they actually played. As Meantime nears its 20th anniversary (originally released June 23, 1992) and Helmet has become a more melodically-centered band — the staccato riffing of guitarist/vocalist Page Hamilton taking a back seat — the songs themselves remains eerily relevant.

Hamilton is without a doubt the central figure, though, even more so than Windstein is to Crowbar. Though he’s had roughly the same band with him since 2006, Helmet is his band. All the same, their rendition of the Meantime album was welcomed by those who stuck around to see it, and an appropriate salvo to the evening’s unbelievable gait. When I left, it wasn’t yet 11PM, but I was already dead tired. Six hours of show will do that to you.

Feels redundant to even say it, but if Metalliance hasn’t hit where you are yet, you need to cancel whatever it is on your plate and go. As I noted previously, I took over 2,100 photos at the show, and most of them were crap. About 280 weren’t, and if you want a small sampling of that batch, click the “Read More” link below. Special thanks to Steve Seabury for making the night happen.

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