Without retreading what has already been beaten to death here, there, and everywhere else, Black Metal has come a long way. As time marches on we break down the changes into waves, then scenes. USBM, Cascadian Black Metal, Post-Black Metal–they’re all outgrowths of what has come before and the way creativity continues to push artists and musicians endlessly forward. As the mainstream media gradually acknowledges Black Metal and its many-headed offspring, it is inevitable that the genre will bleed into other, more commercial styles. And vice-versa. Tonight’s show at the Echoplex, in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, bridged both sides of the gap.
The Echoplex and its long-running sister venue, The Echo, have seen a surge in metal activity lately. With its black walls and gently dilapidated interior, it’s a fantastic alternative to the glossier venues on the Strip. The sound system is powerful but not pristine; while the bass can be muddy, you feel the bands play. For metal, I couldn’t ask for more. Tonight drew a diverse crowd–mostly short-hairs, a healthy percentage of women, and an awful lot of kids–brought in by the blog-friendly combination of Wolves in The Throne Room and the metal-dabbling avant-pop of Chelsea Wolfe. It felt like something NPR might organize; an intellectual hybrid of metal and indie. If nothing else, a good way to introduce new ears to heavier sounds.
Harassor opened with a blast of noise, courtesy of special guest Hive Mind. The mangled synths added an element of dangerous physicality as waves of low end shook the floor; it felt like the mains would give out any second. Harassor play black metal the nasty way: raw, ugly guitars over stomping drums. You get a whiff of hardcore punk, but the vibe onstage is pure black malevolence. Tonight’s set eschewed theatrics–no fake blood, all members wearing shirts–because the music said enough. These guys have been playing a lot lately, and they’re only getting better.
. . .
The crowd filled in completely by the time Chelsea Wolfe took the stage. Strictly speaking, Wolfe is a singer-songwriter. On record it’s all dark atmosphere, haunted vocals, and tense arrangements not unlike LA contemporary Zola Jesus. But Chelsea’s got a thing for metal. She appropriates not only the imagery, but also an understanding of the mechanics of heavy songwriting, flirting with black metal chords and the occasional blast-beat. Her band treats the material like inverted post-metal: the songs worship the voice more than the riff, but there’s a persistent weight underlining the gothic melodies. Live, you feel the songs churn while the vocal trails off into harmony and dissonance in equal measure. Wolfe pulled the crowd wholly into her world with effortless confidence, and never let go.
. . .
Wolves, on the other hand, were someplace else entirely. The stage was set–black banners with wolves and skeletal trees, fire pit center-stage–but the band never stepped out of the shadows. What might have been an aesthetic choice came off as reticence. Or maybe exhaustion? The band has said its latest album, Celestial Lineage, might be its last heavy record due to changing interests. Personally, I’ve never found them as fascinating on record as a lot of folks, but I had high hopes for a strong live translation. Sadly, endless tremolo picking does not ensure epic adventures of the head-banging variety. A few solid riffs stretch out for minutes, but never deliver the transcendental breakthrough they continually allude to. There is an allure to riff-hypnosis, to be sure, if presented properly. But something in WITTR’s delivery suggests the guitars are meant to be instruments of power, which is undercut by the lack of a driving bass instrument. They keep hinting at the storm, teasing with fickle bursts of thunder, but we never see more than swirling clouds in the distance. Ultimately, it’s go-nowhere black metal. But if the journey is the destination and the countryside is this dull, I’d rather stay home.
. . .
But to look out at the sea of faces bobbing their heads, something was working its magic. Black Metal itself? If Wolves are a gateway drug to the world of harsher sounds, one could do much worse. It would be ignorant to dismiss all those bobbing heads as newcomers; I’m sure a good number are existing fans who simply “get” what I find monotonous. Either way. While the band prepares to abandon Black Metal altogether, at least we’ve got a receptive audience full of new blood ready to fill the void.
Aaron Lariviere comments regularly on Invisible Oranges under the handle Wash Jones.
. . .
“Go nowhere black metal” = IO’s record of the year
It was a poll. Some of us voted for WITTR, some did not. Aaron (the writer of this post) didn’t contribute to the poll. Would you prefer the entire staff agree on, and then not budge from, some “official” stance?
Right. It was a poll. Some people voted for one thing, and some people voted for another thing. But since Wolves’ Celestial Lineage was named IO’s record of 2011 I would think a lot of your staff voted for it–not just “some.”
So yeah it’s kind of wacky to invite someone here to badmouth the band this staff thinks crafted the best record of 2011. Or maybe this is just in the spirit of “community?” We’re all part of the same “tribe,” etc…
Whatever the case, congrats. I appreciate cognitive dissonance. Great post. Why I come here, etc.
There is no requirement among the staff that we all have the same opinions on everything–why would anyone instate such a policy, A; or listen to it, B.
HHH, this isn’t intended to be contentious, but if it sounds that way, I apologize.
I don’t have the spreadsheet in front of me, but if I remember correctly, a little less than half the staff recognized WITTR somewhere on their individual ballots. I believe it was a No. 1 finisher on one ballot. (I had it at 6 or 7 on mine.) The staff doesn’t “think” or agree on anything collectively. We’re a bunch of people with opinions that conflict and concur and everything in between and beyond.
For lots of obvious reasons, Wolves in the Throne Room are a band worthy of discourse and coverage. It’s not as though I solicited Aaron to write something negative (“invite someone here to badmouth the band”). He attended the concert on his own dime, wrote his review and asked if I might consider it for IO. I found his analysis compelling, even if I don’t have the same reaction to the band.
But we’re not trying to undo the results of our poll, nor do I expect Aaron’s feelings about WITTR to carry more (or less) weight than Doug Moore’s, Greg Majewski’s or my own.
It’s not about community or tribe, just an evolving conversation about music, involving many unique voices.
“Why I come here” is Sundae’s trademark, for what it’s worth. Glad I could get a thorough trolling on my first outing!
So that isn’t really Hunter Hunt-Hendrix, and our diversity of opinions is not in fact why he comes here? DAMN YOU, INTERNET!
It’s a pretty sad reflection of (some) people’s ideas about media outlets when publishing diverse opinions on any given topic is seen as detrimental.
Fucking A, I love me some Chelsea Wolfe. I think she’s very much Zola’s superior. I’m glad to see her playing to both audiences, indie and headbanger. Now i just want Ana Calvi to tour with Horseback.
Great job, Wash, even if I love seeing WITTR live.
Chelsea Wolfe is an awesome singer songwriter.
….too bad she has to play with WITTR…boredom at it’s best!
Don’t know Harassor, but the fact they’re guitarist is rockin an Akitsa shirt will probably convince me to check em out
err, it’s early. their
Sounds like WITTR missed an opportunity to do the ‘walk barefoot on hot coals’ dance, which is something everyone must try when an open firepit presents ittself (use beer as a lubricant).
Skull Mic!
Fair enough; mileage varies on this, and any, band. I saw their Vancouver show, and I thought that they slayed, but I’ve loved this band for a long time. I think that Wolves fits in with the larger black metal picture pretty neatly; I have always thought that they may receive just a little too much credit for originality (I think of them as a mix of old Immortal, Drudkh, and, of course, Weakling), but on the other hand, receive way too much grief for not being black metal enough. Anyway, I think it will be our loss if they move on from black metal, but at least we’ll always have their albums.
Kirk Windstein’s “Down” tattoo on his knucks is mispelled? Ouch.
Speaking of my experiences seeing Wolves in teensy holes, endless tremolo picking and riff hypnosis are transcendant.
I don’t know what kind of place this is, but I could see where not being right at the source of the noise and a distance of feet from the band might not work.
That’s Pete Majors. And his knuckles say Doom.
Chelsea Wolfe is excellent and she has some really good songs. WITTR have always bored me and I just can’t get into it.
WITTH were pretty solid in San Francisco…heavy, tight and glorious in their ’swirling clouds’ of sound.
I alway enjoy seeing them perform. There is something about ‘never stepping out of the shadows’ that works for me. I’ve seen them many times and I enjoy the dark mystery and the punishing wall of sound. It adds to their feel and overall bm attitude for me.
I remember seeing 1349 in full corpse paint jump around the stage and high five audience members. What? Yes, it was full of energy and speed, but in my opinion, not what I wanted to see from a black metal band.
And a Type O Negative tattoo on his elbow. I think this live review of WITTR mirrors my opinion of Celestial Lineage. The closest album we got to Diadems was Black Cascade, fans of that WITTR have to be disappointed with the direction (going nowhere black metal) they’re going in now.
I saw WIITR in Sheffield Alabama of all places. While I have tremendous respect for the band, their ethics, and the impact they’ve had on the metal community I went into it knowing it’d probably be the last time I ever saw them play. I was fine with that, they’ve accomplished a lot throughout their tenure and I believe they’re making a logical close to their journey.
The lack of bass did throw me off this time around, and while it worked it didn’t have the same effect as when I saw them with Will Lindsay. Something was lacking, and as the show went along the monotony just got boring towards the end. I guess that’s just the nature of their beast.
An NPR Metal Showcase is an intriguing concept.
That’s funny, I find WITTR boring on record but live they were epic and surreal. I do think the atmosphere played a large part in this, though.
Alright, now I was at the LA show as well and here’s my take of it.
Harassor/ Hive Mind – I really need to see Harassor on their own terms. The first time I saw them they played after a rather unpleasant showing of a heavy bondage film by hollywood hippies and post-modern relativist hipster sorts. That certainly clouded my perception. Again here, I appreciate the want to do something different, but I really didn’t dig the 25 min noise piece. Felt more like something showing at the Museum of Modern Art, which I say a big “fuck that” to. Another day then.
Chelsea Wolfe – Alright, I LOVE old school post-punk/goth rock and Wolfe’s latest album taps into that truly dormant strand of music (I really can’t name that many groups from the last 20 years that pull it off). Live it was something else, with the bass and drums hitting you in face. A top act and one I look forward to following (hopefully she doesn’t totally abandon this style).
Wolves in the Throne Room – I’ve liked this band for a while (ever since Diadem) and in general have enjoyed everything they’ve done including the latest album (screw those who say Black Cascade is better… that album lost most of the atmosphere). This was finally my first time seeing them live (after being unable to get indoors to see them at the first Scion Fest because the place was packed). It was disappointing, but I don’t know if I should blame that more on the venue. It seemed like a sea of 7 foot tall goliaths were in front of me, leaving only a view of the stage that could glimpse the band’s heads and the top of their banners (I didn’t even know they had fire/candles on stage). That in mind I think being right up at the front of the stage would of helped keep one engaged (a few beers might of helped too), but with a diminished view (I also think they were further back on the stage, where as Chelsea Wolfe was right at the front) and the music working more like a atmospheric black metal water bed, my mind began drifting off during their whole set. I think a venue with a more intimate view (like The Roxy or Whiskey) would of made a big difference.
Great post Wash, I look forward to seeing more of your writing on here! As far as my take on WITTR, I saw them a few years ago with Ross Sewage and Will Lindsey and they sounded engaging and energetic, so I think a full line up can make a difference. I need to check out Chelsea Wolfe too, sounds cool.
TOTAL BULLSH!T I was at this show. I’d say that HALF of the audience were young, long hair metal heads with leather jackets and sh!t. You scum in the press just want there to be all indie kids at metal shows these days so you can have something to write about. Oh the controversy! And the band does have bass. They sequence bass under the guitars. Or maybe you watched half a song and went and had a PBR and a parliament and didn’t hear the huge bass kick in. So what do YOU look like? do you have long hair and a huge thrash/death vinyl collection? I bet not. Reviewers need to be made to post their photo with their review when they complain about metal shows having short hairs in attendance.
you should not be allowed to write reviews because you lie.
Oh, I totally have short hair. I wasn’t complaining about the lack of long-haired dudes, I was describing what I saw. Yeah, there were some dudes with glorious heathen locks, but not that many. Clearly my memory differs from yours. Cheers.
BLOOD, you should surf around for a photo of “Wash Jones;” he looks just like every other “metalhead” that writes for IO.