It was disappointing to roll into Ace of Clubs and find out Valkyrie had pulled out of the show. It was a family emergency, so you couldn’t really hold it against them, and with no shortage of killer bands left on the bill, the night would be more than salvageable. Any evening that gets topped off with an Earthride live set is alright by me.

I was at Alkahest‘s first show, and I’ve seen them three or four times since, and every time I do I get something completely different out of it. This time the guitars were played up in the live mix and the post-metal aspects of their sound were what came through most, but what I think is really fascinating about Alkahest (aside from the complexity of their pedal board arrangements) is how the rhythm section refuses to just do the Isis beat — you know which one I’m talking about — and leave it at that. It brings something new to the sound and makes them less derivative than they’d otherwise be.

Performance-wise, they were more subdued, especially vocalist Chris, who stood still most of the set and seemed to let the music wash over him, allowing for only occasional flareups of turbulent energy. One thing that’s remained consistent about Alkahest these last several months is the drama in their music, so that covers a lot of ground other bands might leave to thrashing around on stage.

Fuckin’ Admiral Browning. I know I’ve seen them before, but this might have been the first time I was lucid enough to actually remember what they were like, and mein gott, they fucking killed. Heavy, technical, grooving, they did it all, and they did it instrumental, and they demolished the unsuspecting Manhattan crowd almost immediately, as though dispatching them with a wave of the hand. It was sick. I reviewed their Magic Elixir EP a while back, but I hereby revise my position: the recording doesn’t do them justice at all. You need to see this band.

Only thing was they went on a little long, but beyond that, they were a highlight of the night. It seems like blasphemy to say any band playing with Earthride might be heavier than they are — because how could such a thing be possible? — but Admiral Browning were the most potent power trio I’ve seen in a long time. Totally righteous, totally unpretentious, just blisteringly heavy and so loud my earplugs seemed to be rendered useless. Yes, yes sir.

It was The Resurrection Sorrow‘s show, and as per usual, they had the biggest crowd of the night. I don’t know where they find these people, or how they get them to come from whatever dance club they were previously at and see at least part of a doom show, but then, their sound borders on a kind of post-Pantera groove metal, so that might have something to do with it. Needless to say, if I knew how to draw people like that, I would be too busy doing so to figure out The Resurrection Sorrow‘s methods.

And what a magical world that would be.

You couldn’t even get close to the stage — hence the faraway picture — and I know I wasn’t about to elbow past the steroid dude with Spartan helmet tattooed all around his head, so I stayed in the back and watched from there as they covered Ozzy‘s “Believer” from Diary of a Madman, bassist Alex Coelho making the most of its stomping lines. They’re obviously not without their commercial aspirations, but The Resurrection Sorrow are good at what they do, and I’m not going to hold that against them just because I prefer bands no one else likes. They played to their crowd and their crowd ate it up.

Earthride vocalist and Maryland doom legend Dave “Sherm” Sherman (Spirit Caravan, Wretched) showed off his new Motörhead tattoo, and the band ran through a monstrously heavy set of tunes from their albums Earthride, Taming of the Demons (the title track was a highlight), Vampire Circus and the latest, Something Wicked. I took some video which you’ll find below. Sherm rode the riffs of Kyle Van Steinburg with his arms up, chopper-style, and indeed, it was the evening’s high point. Yeah, it still was a bummer Valkyrie had to pull out of the last two nights of the tour, but even with some technical problems midway into the set, Earthride more than justified the trip to the city.

How into Earthride was the audience that stuck around? Well, there was moshing, which you almost never see at a doom show (and I would argue rightly so). Chris from Alkahest was headbanging so hard I thought he’d give himself a concussion, and Alex Dementia from The Resurrection Sorrow jumped on stage several times. It was like it was a birthday party for The Riff, and we were all having our cake. Tired from a long day of driving, I didn’t think I’d make it through the whole set, but they kept me there right to the end, and when it over I was glad to have stayed.

True, I’ve not yet sat down and done the math on it, but I’m pretty sure you could get at least three tour names (and one festival!) out of The Resurrection Sorrow‘s forthcoming The Unholy Divine Tour Part II: Doom in June Weekend Warrior Style. That is, to put it mildly, a lot of words. In fact, it’s almost twice as many words as there are dates on the tour. And did I catch a “niner” in there? One imagines that with a title so cumbersome, much doomly havoc will be wrought. The PR wire affirms the supposition:

Soulful doom metal grungesters The Resurrection Sorrow have announced their most recent bout of live shows for the summer throwing a quick one-two punch combo to the upper East Coast this June, on the recently confirmed tour bearing the lengthy tag The Unholy Divine Tour Part II: Doom in June Weekend Warpath Style. The festivities kick off this Friday at the annual Feel Your Boobies Breast Cancer Benefit in State College, Pennsylvania.

The band are also hammering out the dents on a 10-date tour running from July 22 to August 1st, with the actual routing of this venture and other live excursions to be announced shortly.

After the recent departure of skinsman Louie Gasparro, The Resurrection Sorrow have enlisted the help of longtime friend Bill Angelini — also a previous bandmate of TRS bassist Alex Coelho in NYC act Malstrom — rounding out the TRS lineup by vocalist Alex Dementia and guitarist Zak Gross.

The Resurrection Sorrow Unholy Divine Tour Part II: Doom in June Weekend Warpath Style
6/11/2010 The Feel Your Boobies Breast Cancer Benefit @ State College VFW – State College, PA
6/12/2010 Lotsa Metal Club (behind Lotsa Pasta) – Clifton Heights, PA
6/18/2010 Legends Rock Bar – Gales Ferry, CT
6/19/2010 The Electric Company – Utica, NY
6/24/2010 St. Jerome‘s Bar – New York, NY (Smell the Glove/Midnight Dreams party, no TRS set)
6/25/2010 Crazy 8’s! – Seaford, DE
6/26/2010 Krug’s Place – Frederick, MD

…(Alex knows I’m just breaking his balls.)

New York‘s sludgy testosterone rockers The Resurrection Sorrow kick off the first part of their Unholy Divine tour tomorrow, March 10, and the PR wire would like you to know all about it:

Still steadily promoting the hell out of their debut full-length Hour of the Wolf, thunderous New York rock quartet The Resurrection Sorrow will kick off the first leg of their three-part Unholy Divine tour tomorrow in Wilmington, Delaware.

The Resurrection Sorrow ‘s The Unholy Divine tour, Part I:
3/10/2010 Mojo 13 – Wilmington, DE
3/11/2010 The Smiling Moose – Pittsburgh, PA
3/12/2010 The Depot – York, PA w/ Backwoods Payback, Wrath of Typhoon
3/13/2010 The Black and Red Bar – Washington DC w/ King Giant
3/14/2010 The Brighton Bar – Long Branch, NJ w/ The Ominous Order of Filthy Mongrels
3/15/2010 Lit Lounge – New York, NY w/ Maegashira

New York doom rockers The Resurrection Sorrow, whose album, Hour of the Wolf (review here) boasted the kind of testicles that get in the way while you’re trying to do household chores, are heading out on the road and have let it known via the PR wire exactly what path their chaos will take. Witness:

With a steady stream of local and regional shows played over the last few months TRS are now booking the rest of the winter and spring months with more gigs, including Part I of the band’s three-part The Unholy Divine Tour. The next segment will be announced shortly. But next up is this Saturday’s brutal stoner throwdown at Ace of Clubs alongside Black Pyramid, Hull, Maegashira and Archon.

2/13/2010 Ace of Clubs – New York, NY w/ Hull, Black Pyramid, Maegashiria, Archon
2/27/2010 Social Pariah Festival @ Holiday Inn – Fishkill, NY
3/05/2010 Sounds Asylum – Goshen, NY
3/06/2010 The Electric Factory – Utica, NY w/ Malice in Underland, Structural Integrity Compromised

The Unholy Divine Tour, Part I
3/10/2010 Mojo 13 – Wilmington, DE
3/11/2010 The Smiling Moose – Pittsburgh, PA
3/12/2010 The Depot – York, PA w/ Red River Revival, Backwoods Payback, Wrath of Typhoon
3/13/2010 The Black and Red Bar – Washington D.C. w/ King Giant
3/14/2010 The Brighton Bar – Long Branch, NJ w/ The Ominous Order of Filthy Mongrels
3/15/2010 Lit Lounge – New York, NY w/ Maegashira, Archon

In a word: Ballsy.

As much as I?ve tried to come up with other descriptors for Hour of the Wolf, the self-released (through their own Midnight Dreams Productions) full-length debut from New York?s The Resurrection Sorrow, they all boil down to the same thing. This is testosterone driven doom rock that stands out like a high five across the table at a fancy restaurant. Think C.O.C., BLS, Crowbar, some Borgo Pass-style sludge, etc. So yeah, like I said: ballsy.

Bassist Alex Coelho (Tides Within) and vocalist Alex Dementia (After Dark) form the songwriting core of the band, and work tightly together. There is rarely a moment wasted on Hour of the Wolf; a well-suited straightforward approach gives the album an aggressive feel without being silly losing focus. The catchy opener, ?Resurrect the Sorrow,? walks a thin line between heaviness and accessibility that makes it clear audience is a consideration for The Resurrection Sorrow, however there is no real pandering to be found there or elsewhere. Likewise, ?Buried Dreams? and slower-paced later cut ?Plague of the Dying Sun? don?t feel dumbed down or like they should be doing more than they are. They?re well-written pop songs, and they accomplish everything they should on that level.

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Man, was it crowded. I’m talking about “can’t breathe because if you do your gut’s gonna wind up pushing someone out of the way” crowded. “Can’t get a beer because of the swarm of humanity” crowded. “Too many fucking people in the room” crowded. The saving grace? Scumbags outnumbered hipsters at least four to one — a rarity in that borough these days. And, you know, good for the bands too, though I guess when you say “Members of Type O Negative” to a certain faction of Brooklyn headbangers, a crowded room is inevitable. No, they didn’t play “Black No. 1.”

Or maybe they did. To be honest, I had to leave before it was over. Staying was only going to lead to more drinking, and with more drinking, I wasn’t going to be able to go anywhere, so by the end of the night, it was get or be got. A question of DWI-less survival. Amazing how often these things come up.

Seventh Void. Yeah, it was fun to see Kenny Hickey and Johnny Kelly walking around the Trash Bar (as much as anyone could walk anywhere with so many people) like they weren’t two of the four dudes who put out October Rust, but really, I was there for The Resurrection Sorrow‘s CD release show for their first album, Hour of the Wolf. After the years I’ve seen frontman Alex Dementia (After Dark) and bassist Alex Coelho (Tides Within) put into the NYC underground, showing up seemed the least I could do.

Their set was what I’ve come to expect particularly from Dementia over time, and by that I mean insanely energetic. Guitarist Zak Gross and drummer Louie Gasparro filled out the lineup and fit in well with Coelho and the vocalist, who seemed to be doing laps between the front and rear of the stage for a goodly portion of their time, smiling wide and busting through tunes from the record. The crowd was into it, undulating and shifting in a way that might make a beery stomach seasick, but fortunately there were no incidents. At two intervals, I had to go into the front room for air. Have I mentioned it was crowded? Good. It was.

Ditto for Seventh Void. I remember reviewing their Heaven is Gone record a while back and digging it well enough, though I never actually bought the thing until the show, figuring I’d find it used somewhere along the way — that I didn’t is indicative of something, I suppose. They were loud, they rocked, everyone loved them. Not really much else to say about it than that, which is perhaps why I waited so long to pick up the album. They’re good, Brooklyn sure as hell likes them, and that’s that. I wasn’t blown away, but by then my mind was on the drive back to the valley anyway and thinking about how good the cool air would feel outside the venue. I’d give them another shot under different circumstances, to be sure.

And I hope to catch The Resurrection Sorrow again in the near future as well. Along with meeting the venerable Seldon Hunt and telling him how much I liked the artwork for the Ol’ Scratch record, their heavy riffs and thick chugging were an easy evening highlight. Better than the drive home through Manhattan, no contest.

It’s been extra-slow news-wise around here the last week or two, but NYC‘s The Resurrection Sorrow (MySpace here) have an update on their new record, Hour of the Wolf via the PR wire that will hopefully kick off a flood of updates. If you’re reading this and you’re in a band, by the way, please feel free to email any news to jj(atsign)theobelisk.net and I’ll post it. Obelisk-appropriate local bands welcome. Me likey unsigned acts.

Using stone-heavy handed riffing, barbaric percussive destruction and brooding, occult-inspired vocals, The Resurrection Sorrow boast catchy hooks and infectious grooves not easily ignored. With homage being paid to the oracles of 1970s England, the Bay Area of the 1980s and those of 1990s Seattle and American swamplands, the band has taken the torch from its predecessors and are just taking it further into the cave.

The New York City-based unit features a cast of musicians who have collectively spent time in NYC acts Murphy’s Law, Tides Within, After Dark, Malstrom, Supervillain and more, bringing years of both studio and on-stage expertise to the table. The Resurrection Sorrow ‘s self-released debut full-length Hour of the Wolf was recorded by veteran NYC engineer Joe Hogan (Nebula, The Atomic Bitchwax) and features intense artwork by Seldon Hunt (Pelican, SunnO))), Made out of Babies).

In celebration of this album’s unveiling, the band will play a record release show on November 21st and Brooklyn‘s Trash Bar alongside Seventh Void (featuring Johnny Kelly and Kenny Hickey from Type O Negative and Danzig), as part of the Second Annual Trash Bar Music and Arts Festival.