Valdur @ Three Clubs

Immediately upon meeting me for the first time, Thor offered to buy me a drink. He’s that kind of guy. I politely declined, since I don’t drink. Besides, bands shouldn’t buy drinks for their fans. That’s all backwards. Thor hasn’t learned that yet. Immediately upon meeting me for the second time, he offered to buy me a virgin drink. He’d remembered my teetotaling from when we first met. He’s that kind of guy.

Thor is the singer and guitarist for Valdur. He is twentysomething, blonde, and babyfaced. He likes hacking the sleeves off shirts and notching V’s into their necklines. This reveals a rugged physique topped by tousled, neck-length hair. He comes across like a big, friendly puppy that could kill you real quick.

“Berserrker”
[audio: VALDUR_BERSERRKER.mp3]

Valdur and Urgehal are perhaps the best guardians today of the Norwegian black metal sound. With Urgehal, that’s logical – they’re Norwegian. With Valdur, it’s also logical, even though they’re from California. That’s because Thor is Norwegian. How he ended up in Mammoth Lakes, CA is a mystery to me. Evidently one day he got off the bus there and set about starting a black metal band. Mammoth Lakes has about 5,000 people. It’s so small that locals, including Thor, will see any live music there. Beggars can’t be choosers. Yet Thor found musicians to play black metal – and they’re damn good.

Tonight they’re anxious. Drummer LS has broken a bass drum head, and has no spare. His double kicks are crucial to Valdur. It’s about 8:15 pm. Valdur go on in a few hours. They discuss solutions – taping the head, playing with just one bass drum. The only sure fix is a new head. Thor invites me along for the ride to Guitar Center. He’s that kind of guy. I get in the back of the band’s cluttered station wagon – they have no van and hauled their gear and themselves in two cars – and we’re off to West Hollywood’s Guitar Center.

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It’s closed. The store closes at 8 pm on Sundays. The Valdur guys are in disbelief. In the heart of America’s second largest city, Guitar Center is closed. The Sam Ash across the street is closed, too. Thor guesses that this is because all the stores’ employees are out playing gigs. That’s probably true. LS looks deflated. I tell him a story I heard about Debbie Abono, manager to bands like Possessed, Forbidden, and Obituary. Once when Forbidden were touring in Europe, drummer Paul Bostaph broke his hand during a personal dispute. Not only did Abono get him fixed up at the hospital, she made him play that night – and the rest of the tour – with one good hand. As a result, Bostaph became one of metal’s best drummers. I’m not sure if this story is relevant to LS’ predicament. Maybe I’m an asshole for telling it. But he seems less bothered now. We head back to the venue.

“Gravlagt I Morkets Natt!”
[audio: VALDUR_GRAVLAGT.mp3]

Three Clubs is my favorite concert space in Los Angeles. Not only is it intimate, its layout also makes for a mixed crowd. It has two rooms. One is a bar. The other is a performance space, which also has a bar. The bar-only space attracts “normal” people. The performance space attracts rockers. (Lemmy is known to frequent Three Clubs. Presumably he falls into the latter category.) Only a swinging door separates these spaces, so these crowds often mingle. There are few joys like seeing well-heeled women in Friday night frocks partaking of black metal.

That joy is in full force tonight. When Valdur finish setting up, they look absurd. The band’s drums and amps take up the entire stage, which is but a semicircle blister. Thor and bassist William stand on the floor. This is practically a basement show, except with professional bartenders, a disco ball, and collared shirts amongst the bullet belts. Bands do fit on Three Clubs’ stage, but only without Dream Theater-esque drum kits like LS’. I’d make fun of him for it, but he uses the whole thing to great effect

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The drum head is not a factor. LS is not an Achilles heel. In fact, he runs the show tonight. When the lights dim and the storm starts, real life keeps intruding. The room is so small, Thor is standing in front of both the bar and the door. Everyone bumps into him. It’s hard to summon black metal force when Friday night frocks are walking into your guitar. Thor’s headstock almost decapitates a few. It’s funny but frustrating. The best black metal is a continuous flow of energy. I’ve seen Valdur conjure that before. Thor is trying mightily to do that again. He growls, he rasps, he attacks his guitar mercilessly. But then he has to duck under some Tom Collins and start anew.

So LS and William pick up the slack. William draws big chords from his bass, making the trio sound like an army. LS is a one-man marching regiment. His snares and toms rat-a-tat explosively. Left and right, he moves across his kit, setting off charges. Black metal’s biggest weakness is its lack of rhythm, but LS turns that on its head. While Thor and William carpet bomb, he strafes and sharpshoots. The set is an uphill battle. The strain of the musicians is palpable. They have driven hundreds of miles to try to make something from nothing. When they finish, I feel dazed. The lights go up. Valdur are soaked in sweat, as collared shirts maneuver around them.

Valdur @ MySpace
Valdur @ Facebook
Buy new 7″ ‘Demon Wisdom’
Buy new CD ‘Raven God Amongst Us’

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