(Drivebycuriosity)
- I am a connoisseur of heavy metal. I really enjoy atmospheric rock
music with very heavy riffs. Fortunately my wife shares this taste. So
we went to Las Vegas and attended Psycho Las Vegas which took place at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, a 4-days heavy metal festival. About 80 bands performed on three stages - two indoors, including "The Joint"
with a capacity of 4,000 - and in a pool area, called "Paradise". Psycho Las Vegas was an all-you-can-eat heavy metal buffet.
The program focused on very heavy sounds, especially black, doom, psychedelic, sludge & stoner metal
and massive walls of sound shook the huge casino complex over four
days. There were a lot of bands
we really enjoyed and which we want to see & hear again. We were
overwhelmed by the quality & quantity of the metal feast - and some
of the promising bands, which I had pre-selected by checking on YouTube,
played simultaneously - so we could watch just some of them. I
apologize to all the great bands we missed and I cannot mention here.
Unfortunately the light show did not cooperate and most of the time shot
blinding beams into the audience which ruined the quality of the
pictures a bit. But anyway - I show here some images I took there (with
my iPhone 7plus).
Gods Of Noise
We saw at least four bands which where outstanding:
Wolves in the Throne Room, who played at the pool, created an intense & hypnotizing atmosphere which suddenly turned into fierce explosions and massive base
riffs culminated into annihilating assaults. It seemed like the "Wolves" attacked the civilization
and ripped it apart.
Doom metal band Sun O))) created a very special experience. Even before the concert started I got
impressed by a wall of massive amplifiers which filled the stage. Then the
stage got covered by thick fog which created a spooky atmosphere. Sun O))) are two guitarists who create just very deep tuned & slow accords but extremely loud (drown metal). Covered with hoods they looked like weird monks who worship the gods of noise.
The doom band Indian was equally impressive. Their massive &
extremely aggressive riffs accompanied by the maniacally shouting &
hissing vocalist shook the large venue (Joint). They sounded like drunk
gods making love - pure mayhem.
Temple of Void pushed really to the limit of what heavy metal can do today.
The quintet from Detroit (three guitarists, once vocalist & one
drummer) performed with an incredible intensity. Center of the band was
the percussionist, who reminded me a bit of Marlon Brando in Apocalypse
Now (but not fat). His annihilating shock waves shuddered the
hall.
There were a lot more exceptional bands: The Norwegian black metal band Enslaved celebrated strong Scandinavian metal. King Buffalo, who "came all the way from Westchester, New York," delivered virtuously progressive rock with a touch of psychedelics
& elements of metal. Forming the Void performed psychedelic metal, a kind of hippie metal. Venomous Maximus impressed with brawny riffs, Primitive Man played very aggressive & powerful, what you can expect with this name.
Cough delivered very heavy and
blurred riffs combined with explosive percussion and deep roars. I want to see more from this band. The Munsens, another doom metal band, acted wild & beautiful as well & Toke performed solid stoner-sludge metal at the pool.
Metal Operas
Some bands gave very special concerts:
Wovenhand`s Frontman David Eugene Edwards performed his gospels in an amazing
way like a heavy metal preacher. His unique body language combined with
his ballads and the powerful riffs of the band created an idiosyncratic
show, blending gothic, psychedelic and heavy metal elements - a kind
of metal opera.
Black metal band Batushka (from Poland) seemed to celebrate
a Russian Orthodox mass with fake priests and other paraphernalia. The
fascinating show came with massive walls of sound, melodic & very
heavy. So much fun!
Black Mare delivered a sharp contrast with their elegant show, a bit erotic & decadent. Eight Bells performed complex & melodic rhythms.
The Scottish newcomers DVNE delivered
fascinating progressive rock, elaborated compositions with heavy metal
elements. I think they will have quite a career ahead. Church of Misery, a doom metal band from Japan, focused on horror scenarios. Helms Alee (from Seattle) proved that girls can do top-notch metal as well, especially their excellent drummer who also did the vocals.
Lucifer benefited from the fascinating show of their front girl
The Italian progressive rock band Goblin delivered complex patterns of music which reminded me of King Crimson. I was happy to watch Danzig again, one of the top acts of Psycho
Las Vegas. I saw this band in the 1990s at "Rock am Ring", a huge
festival in Germany. I was curios if Glenn Danzig, the frontman, kept
his impressive voice, which sounds like a singer in a Wagner Opera. And
he did it again and performed his album "Danzig III: How the Gods Kill"
from 1992.
We stayed in the hosting hotel which turned out as a pleasant place. In
the casinos, restaurants, bars & the pool areas they played all the
time classic rock songs. The place was filled with the
metal crowd which turned it into a world of its own. And many of them watched the concerts (at least part of them) from the pool
Thanks to bands & organizers for the great experience!
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