Album: The Feather Tipped the Serpent's Scale
Genre: Stoner/Sludge/Doom/Metal
Country: UT, USA
Myspace
- 'In the Beginning was the Scream'
- Murder of... (mp3)
- Birds of Black Hot Fire
- Storytelling of Ravens
- Crow Hymn
- Carry on, King of Carrion
- 'And it came to pass that birds rain down as black snakes'
Two nights ago, I went to the local DIY venue to see my friends Cabin Fire open for Swamp Wolf, Eagle Twin, and Gaza. A couple hours into the night, it was Eagle Twin's time to play. I watched the gear get loaded onstage, trying to pinpoint the members and what kind of equipment they use. As they minutes tick away I realize no more than two people will be performing in this band tonight. That surprised me, for after playing in a two-piece extreme-music band for 3 years, I don't think two-pieces are a very good idea in general. But this dude, the guitarist, was playing through Gaza's huge, custom amp setup.... by himself. Three guitar cabs and a bass cab. Also, his custom tube heads which I couldn't even pinpoint a brand name to, and a damn impressive pedalboard. What happened then for what felt like an hour, was the loudest and heaviest show I've ever seen. The guitarist knew exactly how to make up for the bassist and extra guitarist that audiences are used to. He would volume shift between the amps, from light guitar interlude to the "entire band" dropping, pitch-shift harmonize with himself to add a very realistic bass guitar sound, and loop riffs to allow him to solo without losing any overall volume, and many more pedals at his disposal.
As a guitarist, he is a beast. He knows every centimeter of his instrument and uses it. So much energy in his performance, and same goes for the drummer. Due to the volume of this band, my ear has been ringing for a day and a half, and little paint crumbs were falling off the the ceiling of the venue on us. It was a great, bar-raising performance. I bought the CD, thinking that since they are on the label Southern Lord, the albums production should stand up to the live show (a long shot, I know). I was very dissapointed when I played it in my car, which probably had to to with me playing Gaza's new CD immediately before it, and with the mastering levels being different. The album does not do the band justice at all. If you listen to it, play it loud, and know that this is one guitarist doing everything honestly. Little-to-no overdubs in studio, because he does the same thing live. The stops and transitions were much cleaner and heart-stopping live than on the CD, as well.
Final words: I would not buy the CD again, but if you see them coming near your town, definitely try and see them, stand up close, and wear earplugs.
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