Zeal & Ardor

As the first band took the stage at Roseland Theater, the crowd was anxiously shrouded in darkness. In fact, we remained in darkness even after the music started. All the performers wore black hooded jackets and when there was only enough light to illuminate their faces. That made for a very dramatic start to their set, to say the least.

The opener, “Sacrilegium 1,” sounded like techno mixed with chanting. The mash-up of electronic sounds and droning voice with percussion was intriguing and grabbed my attention.

I should let you know (though you’ve likely guessed by now) that Zeal & Ardor was a new name to me coming into this assignment. In fact, I don’t think I’d heard anything quite like this before. I was gratified to find, after some further research, that my musical take on their sound was pretty much on the mark.

I discovered that Manuel Gagneux, lead vocals and the man behind the band’s creation, would post music on 4Chan for feedback and would ask users for suggestions of two musical genres to combine, then proceed to create songs in a half an hour. One of those suggestions was to fuse spiritual music to black metal.

That creative exercise was Manuel’s inspiration to create Zeal & Ardor. He wanted to answer the question, “What if the slaves had embraced Satan instead of Jesus?“ in 19th century America. What would that have evolved into musically?

I heard a distinct southern blues influence mingled with Gospel and the sound of chains clanking. Talk about thinking and creating outside of the box! Hearing this combination of sounds live was transfixing. I read that Manuel was influenced by musician parents, in addition to being steeped in grindcore, technical metal, and melodic death metal – all which are evident in the sound he has created with Zeal & Ardor.

“Devil is Fine” was stripped down to mostly vocals, joined only by the clanking of chains and some percussion. The harmonizing was well blended and totally had the feel of a Spiritual. Drawing on my own points of reference from the local scene, Robots of the Ancient World tap into a have a similarly anthemic quality (the opening phrase of “Bad Trip,” for example) and there are hints of Hozier, too.

I look forward to my next chance to see Zeal & Ardor. It was a unique experience and one I look forward to having again.

Deafheaven

Next up was Deafheaven and they opened with "Brought To The Water.” There was a quiet, gentle beginning that blossomed into heavy guitar thrumming and George leaping about with explosive energy.

George Clarke’s voice was something otherworldly. It did not sound human. It sounded like a demonic wild cat of some kind with a leaning towards Gollum from Lord of the Rings.

Deafheaven took full command of the stage, doing what they deliver best: music that’s blisteringly fast, but supremely melodic. I have always loved when guitars sing (fan of Joe Satriani right here) as it always ups the emotional weight of a song. Shiv Mehra and Kerry McCoy sound like their guitars are singing and that wail penetrates.

I felt like I would connect with the lyrics based on how the melody made me feel but I found I couldn’t make them out. I went online to discover them and was glad to see that I did indeed connect with them as I would have hoped. The words are beautiful and poetic when seen on the page but not recognizable (for me) onstage.

Held my breath and drove
through a maze of wealthy homes.
I watched how green the trees were.
I watched the steep walkways and the white fences.
I gripped the wheel. I sweated against the leather.
I watched the dogs twist through the wealthy garden.
I watched you lay on a towel in grass that exceeded the
height of your legs.

I gazed into reflective eyes.
I cried against an ocean of light.
Crippled by the cushion. I sank into sheets
frozen by rose petal toes. My back shivered for
your pressed granite nails. Dishonest and ugly through
the space in my teeth. Break bones down to yellow and crush
gums into blood. The hardest part for the weak was stroking
your fingers with rings full of teeth. It’s 5AM and my heart
flourishes at each passing moment. Always and forever.

That night, we experienced the juxtaposition of lyrical beauty with the harsh, visceral sounds onstage. Perhaps the clash of those two aesthetics is the point of the Deafheaven musical perspective. Maybe the marriage of beauty to harsh reality is the message, as real life is most definitely a mix of those things.

George Clark was in constant motion. He threw his hair with reckless abandon and filled the air with tiny droplets of moisture, which almost looked like rain and they remained suspended, shining in the beams of light as they flashed across the stage.

Baroness

Baroness took the stage under low blue light and performed that way through most of the first song, lending an air of mystery and doom.

Their first song, “A Horse called Golgotha,” was a crowd fav, from their second album, Blue. The set list was a mix of all of the albums leaping through time from Blue and Purple to Yellow & Green and Red. I would feel a surge in the crowd as a collective favorite was played. It was a sonic buffet with a little something for everyone.

I picked up on hints of Led Zeppelin when John Baizley sang the line, “Kill the lights” in “If I Have To Wake Up” and the cry in his voice reminds me of Pink Floyd from time to time. I have seen references to Kyuss, as well. It should be noted that though I cite these bands as having some similar sounds, I certainly don’t mean to reduce Baroness down to them. Baroness is a complete and amazing entity unto themselves.

Later in the set, Baroness played “Fugue” – a mellow, stripped down number. It was slower, with a fuzzy, funky feel that harkened back to an earlier era. I was impressed with the variety of their body of work. The Savannah band truly weave a tapestry with each piece by employing different tones, rhythms and textures.

“March To The Sea,” for example, starts out with folky guitar plucking but then morphs into a heavy, hard sound. An online comment left on “Cocainium” by a certain Ant M says it best: “This makes me want to headbang and breakdance to it at the same time.”

It was fun and uplifting to see the playful interaction between band members on stage. There was joy and comradery amongst the heaviness and it made me smile. A lot of love radiated back at the stage from the fans, too. All of the bands noticed it, appreciated it, and remarked on it. Roseland is an intimate venue and I’m glad the PDX crowd there gave all three bands a Rip City welcome.

Shifting my weight from foot to foot against the north wall of the Roseland I waited nervously while Hatebreed cleared the stage. I had just witnessed the biggest and most vigorous circle pit so far and sweaty bodies went in all directions when the house lights came up. There were smiles all around me and a great energy in the air.

THE BERSERKER BLOTHAR

BEEFCAKE THE MIGHTY

PUSTULUS MAXIMUS

BÄLSÄC THE JAWS ‘O DEATH

BONESNAPPER

I started noticing other photographers with hanging badges. They made their way over to where I was standing so I knew they were waiting for their time in the pit like me. I was asked if I was shooting. When I said “yes,” I was asked if this was my first time. I admitted that it was. This seemed to amuse the group and I didn’t know what was so funny. I hadn’t done my research and though I knew the band dressed up in crazy costumes I didn’t know about the spraying of fake blood and other fluids. The other photogs enlightened me on what was about to happen. Needless to say, I was spooked and very concerned about my camera. I only have the one so I couldn’t afford for it to get damaged.

When the house lights went down we marched single file into the pit. I didn’t know the best place to stand but I picked a spot near center stage. To my right was a security guard wearing black garbage bags as a poncho and hoodie and my fear factor ratcheted up a few more notches. When the band hit the stage I started shooting but would lower my camera between shots, not knowing when I might need to duck or run. I learned the hard way that when the blood started flying ducking isn’t good enough. I felt streams and droplets raining down on my back and over my arms. I cradled my camera like a baby, shielding it with my body. Some drops landed on the body but thankfully not the lens. I ran to the edge of the stage and mopped up the best I could in the dark.

Behind me, rabid fans were lifting their faces to the onslaught and screaming with excitement and joy as they were bombarded with the blood from severed heads. I now also understood why there were so many shirtless guys and people in plain white t-shirts. As embarrassed as I was that I didn’t know what a GWAR show entailed I think being unaware until I was in the moment added something to the experience. Everything was spontaneous and a little scary. My blood was pumping, my heart was racing and not knowing what was going to happen next was thrilling.

I shot every second that I could in the pit and then joined the crowd, admittedly toward the back. Due to taking pictures my focus is visual at a performance. The music, however, was great, fast, loud and high energy. People were crowd surfing and spilling over the barrier into the pit. I think it is cool that each tour has a different story that is performed like a play. That makes every show a unique experience that unfolds for the audience while still incorporating the things that make fans go to the show for, namely blood and carnage! I can honestly say I can’t wait until the next opportunity to see and experience GWAR. It was a night I will never forget!