"Abandoned" No More: Pillärs Go on Tour

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Cleveland’s Pillärs (note the umlaut) rock the fuck out. That’s more or less all you need to know. Formed from the ashes of frontman Zach Germaniuk’s hairy riff-rock outfit Red Sun, this is a band that knows what it takes to get heads banging with the quickness. Their formula is simple but effective: half of it is real d-beat, like Skitsystem or Totalitar, with none of the navel-gazing pretentions that have overtaken crust over the past decade. The other half is Southern sludge, with big bluesy riffs the size of the Louisiana sun at midday in June. It’s what a friend of mine refers to as “dick-swingin’ music,” and frankly, if you’re gonna let whatever parts you got hang, Pillärs has the soundtrack to hang by. Swedish punk attitude mixed with slow Southern steel is a good way to be.

Pillärs’ first full-length album Abandoned landed back in January. Since 2010, even good sludge has been depressing and nihilistic as hell; to wit, Primitive Man is not a band one “rocks out” to. But Abandoned is designed to RAWK: the punk attacks of “Last Rites” and “Through the Storm” are instant mosh classics, and I defy you not to play air guitar to the Bower-style licks on “Nothing Left.” When Pillärs does get introspective, as on “When Towers Fall,” it’s in keeping with the Kylesa practice of keeping one eye towards rock. Massive guitar tones and an excellent mix that gives every instrument space while avoiding a blurry blend of sounds — it seals the deal.

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Pillärs is touring the East Coast in support of Abandoned starting in April. Do yourself a favor and check them out when they do.

4/11: Cleveland, OH @ Now That’s Class
4/12: Rochester, NY @ The Bug Jar
4/13: Toronto, ON @ Sneaky Dee’s
4/14: Montreal, QC @ Atomic Café
4/15: Boston, MA @ O’Brien’s Pub
4/16: New York City, NY @ St. Vitus
4/17: Philadelphia, PA @ Century Tavern
4/18: Pittsburgh, PA @ Black Forge
4/19: Columbus, OH @ Rhumba Café
4/20: Canton, OH @ Buzzbin

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