I was not sure about going to this show, but after listening to Primitivity's new songs on their website, I made up my mind. I was mainly amazed by how closely they were able to mimic the sounds of electric guitar riffs and shredding on the cello, and the parts that actually sounded like cellos added a symphonic element, which I always love to hear in metal. I didn't want to miss seeing them live.
They played at the Mansion at Strathmore, which in case you don't know is not a usual metal venue ;) It's a small concert hall in what seems to be an old mansion, with ancient wood paneling and a fireplace behind the stage. There were about 100 chairs set up, and most of them were occupied when we got there right around 7:30 (advertised start time).
The band came out a few minutes after 7:30, and after a bit of tuning and fidgeting, launched into the first song of their new album. They announced at the start of the set that they would play the new album from start to finish, all original songs, no covers. It was nice that we got to hear all the new songs but "Symphony of Destruction" would have been cool as an encore! ;)
Live, they did not sound as much like electric guitars as on their recordings, perhaps because in a live environment, the textured sound of the cello is unavoidable. Quick staccato notes on the lowest string did sound like bass guitar riffs, there was a pizzicato part that was a bit guitar-like and some of the higher bowed notes did sound electronic, but not really like electronic guitar, but more like some other spacier instrument. For the most part it sounded like cellos played in a rock or metal style, which was still pretty cool.
I most enjoyed "Convergence" with its beautiful melody over a heavy background. "Pyscho Logic" was very riffy and got me nodding vigorously, almost really headbanging. "Emergence" also got very wild near the end. There were a few discordant moments during the set, and I was not sure if that was how it was supposed to be, or someone messed up. The musicians also hesitated a bit at the start of each song, as though not sure who should start - I suppose they might not be used to playing live, since I haven't heard of their shows before. At the end of the set, they played a "surprise" last song, "Prayer," the last track off their album, which was introduced as "acoustic." That didn't make sense until I realized they were playing without amplification, straight up chamber music style. All pretense at rock, metal or imitating electric guitars was gone; it was simply a cello triad, with the drummer beating on something that I couldn't see. "Prayer" was a very calming and mesmerizing piece - at first I thought I was getting sleepy, but what ended up happening is that I got sucked into the music.
Overall, I enjoyed the show. It was cool to see the dynamic between the band members - there seemed to be some competition between Loren and Devree (hope I'm getting the names right) in the fiercer moments - and how they alternated leads - it seemed that Loren had most of the melodic leads, while a lot of the fierce ones and also a lot of the "bass guitar" like parts went to Devree. The drums seemed too loud at first, but when the cellos really got going it was fine. No one else was really moving. I saw a couple people slightly bobbing their heads, but I couldn't help bobbing energetically and even threw the horns a couple times (I mean, I'm sure the band wants us to show our appreciation, right?) and jostled Steve a few times. Everyone else seemed cowed by the proportion of old people and the formal surroundings. Still, it was a good turnout and very appreciative crowd, with vigorous clapping and cheering after each song and two standing ovations. I hope it encourages the band to perform more and keep going with original, metal compositions - hopefully next time to be aired somewhere we can move around a bit more ;)
I was also fortunate to have the chance to review the new album that they played at this show for DC Heavy Metal, so if you want to know more about what their songs sound like, go check it out!
Next show: Coheed and Cambria, for S's birthday, Monday
Showing posts with label acoustic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label acoustic. Show all posts
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Concert Review - Dread Crew of Oddwood - 8/28/13 at Piratz Tavern, Silver Spring, MD
With a tagline like "A pirate themed band that blends Heavy Metal, Celtic Folk and progressive rock" and this salty-looking poster, how could I resist the Dread Crew of Oddwood? Although I was in class until 9:30, I hurried down to Piratz Tavern afterward, and got there not long after the scurvy rascals started up.
I was a bit flummoxed at first, though - turns out in my excitement, I forgot to read the end of the tagline, or look closely at the poster, and so when I got to Piratz and squeezed into the back bar area where the rain had forced the event to retreat, I wondered where exactly the "heavy" and "metal" elements were. I could hear the pirate and folk influences quite clearly, but there was not an electric guitar or amp in sight - I could see a guy playing a "grandpa's guitar" and the top half of a double bass, could hear some snappy drums, and eventually caught sight of an accordion, a mandolin and what seemed to be a tiny piano in a wooden box, strapped on the musician like a concession seller's tray of snacks.
At first I thought it was something like Sabaton's acoustic promotional performances - or just that they couldn't use their amps at Piratz or something. Come to realize I missed some crucial information: "a unique acoustic instrumentation...Heavy Mahogany!" Which sounds impossible, you must be thinking - I mean, they're called grandpa's guitars for a reason. Most acoustic versions of metal songs suck. But these guys actually managed to capture the spirit of metal in spite of not actually being heavy at all.
It sounded weird at first, with the aggressive drums very prominent in the sound, the weak and soft grandpa's guitar struggling to compete. But the more of the wooden instruments got in the fray, the more it came together, and the more it started to make sense why a couple familiar metalheads were headbanging at the front and why something slightly resembling a folk pit erupted toward the end. These guys aren't trying to make soft, artistic, expressive versions of metal songs that ruin their inherent visceral power. They're bringing that same visceral power to a new medium, riffing and shredding on the acoustic guitar, harnessing the old-fashioned booming reverberation of the double bass, keeping it lively with jaunty melodies on the accordion and the piano (a toy piano, according to the band's website). While the vocals scream "pirate" (or "sea chanty" or "drunken rabble") rather than any particular metal genre, they're also in no way weak or soft.
So was the room full of the overpowering thunder of modern electronic instrumentation? No, not really. Was it thick with energy intense enough to headbang, jig, and push people around? Hell yes.
The band played two sets of about half an hour each, with a highly varied repertoire - fiendishly fast and aggressive folkish songs that could have been Alestorm without amps, more moderately paced tales of glory or musings on mortality, a humorous account of bawdy deeds around the world. Their best received song was a Flogging Molly cover that had half the room singing along to the chanty-like choruses. (They also played a rendition of Metallica's "Master of Puppets" and a snip of tin whistle from Eluveitie's "Inis Mona.")
While not what I expected, the piratical assault of grandpa's strings turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable. Without any of the sonic qualities usually associated with heaviness - shaking the walls with bass thunder and pummeling your soul with distorted riffs - the Dread Crew of Oddwood managed to bring the energy of heavy metal to a small pirate bar without any sort of sound system to begin with. I really should have been at the front headbanging and jigging, but I was feeling unsociable. Too bad, cause this was probably a once in a lifetime chance to experience such heavy folk music made on such lightweight instruments.
Next concert: Kamelot on Tuesday - can't believe how soon it is!
I was a bit flummoxed at first, though - turns out in my excitement, I forgot to read the end of the tagline, or look closely at the poster, and so when I got to Piratz and squeezed into the back bar area where the rain had forced the event to retreat, I wondered where exactly the "heavy" and "metal" elements were. I could hear the pirate and folk influences quite clearly, but there was not an electric guitar or amp in sight - I could see a guy playing a "grandpa's guitar" and the top half of a double bass, could hear some snappy drums, and eventually caught sight of an accordion, a mandolin and what seemed to be a tiny piano in a wooden box, strapped on the musician like a concession seller's tray of snacks.
At first I thought it was something like Sabaton's acoustic promotional performances - or just that they couldn't use their amps at Piratz or something. Come to realize I missed some crucial information: "a unique acoustic instrumentation...Heavy Mahogany!" Which sounds impossible, you must be thinking - I mean, they're called grandpa's guitars for a reason. Most acoustic versions of metal songs suck. But these guys actually managed to capture the spirit of metal in spite of not actually being heavy at all.
It sounded weird at first, with the aggressive drums very prominent in the sound, the weak and soft grandpa's guitar struggling to compete. But the more of the wooden instruments got in the fray, the more it came together, and the more it started to make sense why a couple familiar metalheads were headbanging at the front and why something slightly resembling a folk pit erupted toward the end. These guys aren't trying to make soft, artistic, expressive versions of metal songs that ruin their inherent visceral power. They're bringing that same visceral power to a new medium, riffing and shredding on the acoustic guitar, harnessing the old-fashioned booming reverberation of the double bass, keeping it lively with jaunty melodies on the accordion and the piano (a toy piano, according to the band's website). While the vocals scream "pirate" (or "sea chanty" or "drunken rabble") rather than any particular metal genre, they're also in no way weak or soft.
So was the room full of the overpowering thunder of modern electronic instrumentation? No, not really. Was it thick with energy intense enough to headbang, jig, and push people around? Hell yes.
The band played two sets of about half an hour each, with a highly varied repertoire - fiendishly fast and aggressive folkish songs that could have been Alestorm without amps, more moderately paced tales of glory or musings on mortality, a humorous account of bawdy deeds around the world. Their best received song was a Flogging Molly cover that had half the room singing along to the chanty-like choruses. (They also played a rendition of Metallica's "Master of Puppets" and a snip of tin whistle from Eluveitie's "Inis Mona.")
While not what I expected, the piratical assault of grandpa's strings turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable. Without any of the sonic qualities usually associated with heaviness - shaking the walls with bass thunder and pummeling your soul with distorted riffs - the Dread Crew of Oddwood managed to bring the energy of heavy metal to a small pirate bar without any sort of sound system to begin with. I really should have been at the front headbanging and jigging, but I was feeling unsociable. Too bad, cause this was probably a once in a lifetime chance to experience such heavy folk music made on such lightweight instruments.
Next concert: Kamelot on Tuesday - can't believe how soon it is!
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