(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 to attend Psycho Las Vegas as we did in the years 2017 and 2018. This year the festival got a new host and moved from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino a bit south to the Mandalay Bay Resort, a huge family-focused tourism machine. This place is not as cool as the Hard Rock, I already miss listening to Led Zeppelin & Steppenwolf in the casino labyrinth.
But anyway about 70 bands played on 3 stages. Sometimes 3 strong groups at the same time which caused conflicts of interest. We watched very different styles and performances and I was overwhelmed by the quality and diversity of this festival. And I discovered some great bands I want to see more often.
The Belgian band Amenra leaves a lasting impression (image below). Their show was hyper-intense & hypnotizing. “Their unique musical style, characterized by brooding atmospheres and spiritual intensity and their live performances, accompanied by visual art, have been described as entrancing communions” says Wikipedia (wikipedia). The Independent wrote that their "avant-garde post-metal" music "pushes the boundaries of extreme music by being heavy in practically every conceivable way; sonically, emotionally and spiritually (independent ).
Pure Bliss
The extreme metal band Old Man Gloom also delivered a breathtaking show. They created an intense & hypnotizing atmosphere which suddenly turned into fierce explosions and massive riffs culminated into annihilating assaults.
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.
Deafheaven played also @ the pool. This was already our 9th encounter with the Californian black metal band. George Clarke, the front man of the band, is spectacular. He enjoys orchestrating the masses and almost creates a symbiotic relationship with his audience. Over the whole concert he was communicating with fluid gestures & dancing like a shamanic conductor to intensify the impression of his performance. Clarke`s voice is unique. His high pitched hissing screams are the defining element of the "Deafheaven experience". The group created tsunami waves of sound on which Clarke´s voice could surf. The result was an unique melange of grace and sheer power.
There were some really rough bands who created a lot of heat. These groups shook halls - or pool area - with very heavy & aggressive riffs. The American doom metal band Warhorse generated massive walls of sound and combined them with sublime guitar solos. They are real masters of the guitar. Ghoatwhore performed extremely heavy & aggressive sounds and the front man amazed with deep growls which rocked the House of Blues. I also loved the Norwegian black metal band Mork & the Canadian death metal group Tomb Mold. The Norwegian black metal band 1349 performed a brutally & breathtaking show with an incredible intensity. The doom-metal bands Primitive Man & llsa produced excellent & massive sounds as well. I also remember the powerful performances by Hangman’s Chair, Devil Master Truckfighters, Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats and Integrity.
There was a surprising appearance by Sumac who replaced Oranssi Pazuzu. The Finish band had cancelled because their incompetent management was not able to complete the form for their work visa in time. But Sumac, who contains of former members of Isis (named after the Egyptian goddess) and Russian Circles, was an appropriate substitute. They shook the pool area with enormous sound waves and front man Aaron Turner`s deep growls.
And there was more fun. Some bands expanded the musical horizon of the festival with very different styles. The Scottish progressive rock band Mogwai blended slow & atmospheric parts with violent eruptions and - intensified by the light show - created a mesmerizing experience. The Swedish band Opeth mixed almost symphonic elements with heavy riffs and created a kind of metal opera.
The Canadian instrumental band Godspeed You! Black Emperor delivered mini symphonies, very dark & beautiful pieces. Godspeed´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.
Watching the experimental-rock band Have a Nice Life was a very special experience. Their performance - especially the exalted show of the front man - was ultra-emotional & plaintive and got intensified by artful videos.
The instrumental experimental band Grails performed complex & melodic psychedelic patterns which lead to fierce sound explosions. The Black Angels played melodic, powerful & psychedelic as well.
We had a lot of fun at this great festival, thanks to all performers & organizers. We are looking forward to Psycho Las Vegas 2020.
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