Culture: Psycho Las Vegas 2019 - Day Two - Conflicts Of Interest

(Drivebycuriosity) - We are still attending Psycho Las Vegas @ the Mandalay Bay Resort. Yesterday was Day Two of the festival (here my report from day one driveby ). About 20 bands played on 3 stages, sometimes 3 strong groups at the same time, w hich caused conflicts of interest. 

Yob, one of my favorite bands played at the pool. Frontman Mike Scheidt and his band (Aaron Rieseberg – bass guitar & Travis Foster – drums ) performed pure magic. Mike is a virtuoso on the guitar and he puts his audience under the spell  of massive and violent riffs blended with melodic and almost symphonic elements - amplified by his excellent colleagues. Yesterday Yob delivered again virtuous & almost unbelievable heavy sound waves, but what the band makes outstanding is Mike´s voice. He performs the genre usual aggressive growls & roars but sometimes his voice changes into a melodic mode.  Like a singer in a bizarre opera he mesmerizes with a hypnotic voice. 

Unfortunately at the same time played Godspeed You! Black Emperor in the Events Center, a huge indoor stadium. The Canadian instrumental band delivered mini symphonies, very dark & beautiful pieces. Godsped´s dark music - a synthesis of violin, guitars & drums - created intense acoustical images of a cold & sinister world, somewhere in the North. The concert reminded me a bit of Mogwai, Sigur Rós, Pink Floyd, Sibelius and Scandinavian black metal bands. The hall was kept in dark, just illuminated by the films which were projected on a large screen behind the band

There were some discoveries. I am fascinated by Electric Wizard, an English doom metal band.  The 4 musicians created massive but also filigree walls of sound, a blend of heavy metal & psychedelic music (which reminded me a bit of Jimi Hendrix). The screen behind them showed psychedelic patterns mixed with Italian horror movies from the 1970. Their show was pure bliss.

Ghoatwhore was another great discovery. They performed extremely heavy & aggressive sounds and the front man amazed with deep growls which shook the House of Blues.

The doom metal band Ilsa performed excellent & massive  sounds as well. I also remember the powerful performances by Hangman’s Chair & Devil Master 

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown entertained their audience with his psychedelic tales.  The frontman is an icon from the psychedelic era in the 1960s and played once with Pink Floyd @ London`s Ufo Club in the Round House. I also liked L.A. Witch, a girl band which performed psychedelic-surf music in the Casino space, not really heavy metal but fun anyway.

To be continued