Heavy Metal: Beauty and Brutality - Doom & Sludge Metal @ Midnite Communion Los Angeles

(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 the 6th annual Midnite Communion show which happened in Los Angeles` Catch One, a multi-purpose entertainment complex in nowhere land. There was a marathon of doom, black, death & sludge metal with 7 bands playing over more than 6 hours! The show was pure bliss.

Unfortunately we missed Karas, the opener, but I enjoyed Thra who followed with violent & gory  riffs and vicious growls (review). Then I indulged into the breathtaking Oryx show (oryx).  The trio from Denver blended beautiful melodies with brutal guitar attacks and filled the stage with red fog. The majestic sound & the mesmerizing lightshow created an intense psychedelic effect.

Oryx got followed by "Trapped within burning machines" (what a name).  Again violent monumental riffs & growls condensed into sheer beauty. I didn`t care much about Teeth (sorry guys) but I was fully compensated by INVDRS (slugmag). Their impressive frontman raged, while  juggling a beer bottle and whisky - reminding me of bit of Joe Cocker -,  supported by the band´s massive walls of noise. What a furious and magnificent show!

The event got its crown from Indian who played past midnight. We had seen the Chicago band last year @ Psycho Las Vegas on a large stage filled with thick white fog. This time the show was much more intimate. But again highly intense & extremely vicious riffs accompanied by the maniacal shouting & hissing of the vocalists shook the venue. It sounded like stoned gods making love -  pure mayhem. I did not get good photos this time so I used picks from the Las Vegas gig.

My conclusion: WOW!

To be continued