Slow And Low, That Is The Tempo
July 23, 2011
Thursday July 21st 2011. Jacksonville, Florida. Over 90 degrees at show time. Warehouse 8B. As I walked up to the “venue,” the streets were abandoned except a lone van. The kind of place to showcase only the most stripped down, brutal kind of music. My kind of show. Tonight, Yob, Dark Castle, featuring Hollow Leg and House of Lightning.
From Winter Haven, Florida; A band I haven’t heard before came up and played a solid 4 song 30 minute set. A cross of 80’s Metallica riffage, brutal down-tuned drums and keyboards. They weren’t a typical doom band perse, but there were shades of The Damned, X, and Harvey Milk. A very pleasant surprise. They are currently on a short tour taking them to stops in New Orleans and Austin.
I had checked out a video from a show in a tattoo shop from these guys and I immediately couldn’t wait to see Hollow Leg! Hailing from Jacksonville, they treated this hometown crowd to nothing short of a quagmire ladened set of raw power and doom. After hearing their latest CD, “INSTINCT,” they are still one band to catch live. One of the stand out songs was “The Return” in the set whick took the sweat dripping crowd to the lengths of their collective exhaustion. These guys are steam rolling the South right now and if you miss them, you should kill yourself right now. Period.
After a short break, the blows kept coming with Stevie Floyd (Vocals, guitar) and Rob (Drums) as the one-two punch started with “Seeing Through Time” from their latest album, “Surrender to All Life Beyond Form”. Watching a sea of heads swaying to Dark Castle‘s hypnotic demise was a constant ebb and flow throughout their set. Ending with dredging the bottom with a true doom classic, “Awake in Sleep”. Dark Castle is currently on tour with Yob with plans for an European tour later this year. If you’ve never heard of Dark Castle, you are missing out on one of the most original bands I’ve heard in ages. I’m a fan for life.
Yob:
To end the evening in grand fashion, Yob took the stage. This was my first time experiencing Yob and they truly are amazing! On this tour, Mike Scheidt (Vocals, Guitar), Aaron Reiseberg (Bass), and Rob on drums (Dark Castle). Once Mike played the first notes of “Quantum Mystic”, the crowd erupted. Yob rarely tours and this was their first time in Jacksonville. It felt like I went through 12 rounds with Wladimir Klitschko and I came out beaten down, dehydrated, and thoroughly rocked. Pick up their new album, “Atma” on tour or at a record shop near you.
[Retired] Your words speak from eons of ignorance, and I have wasted enough time with your hate. Pass me the hot sauce, your soul will taste oh so sweet...
