Absu / Rumpelstiltskin Grinder / Sothis / Afterlight Live Review
by Mark Hensch
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The June 17 gig at Peabody's of Cleveland is Absu's first Ohio concert date in over eight years. As a tepid crowd of 40 enters, however, it becomes apparent Texas' mythological occult metalheads will not get the respect they deserve.
Perhaps the group is cursed - early tour mates like Destroyer 666, Glorior Belli and Averse Sefira dropped off before the trek even started. Perhaps tonight's show was not advertised properly, or maybe the band's long hiatus has eliminated any prior momentum. Regardless, all four bands in at this midweek show are forced to play their best for little recognition.
Cleveland's Afterlight is up first, the young black metal outfit instantly drawing attention with intricate battle armor and ghoulish corpse paint. Cold and gloomy, the band's tunes never break out of mid-tempo but consistently pummel. Remarkably crisp during what is only their second show, Afterlight deliver a set of chest-thumping, mid-paced black metal worth checking out. With an EP due next month, I expect big things from this unsigned horde.
Los Angeles' Sothis opens up the touring bill proper, their brand of sleek and shiny symphonic black metal hitting like a megaton bomb. Though this more polished brand of black metal is not usually my cup of tea, Sothis brings a refreshing energy to the table. All six members headbang relentlessly behind a wall of hyper-blasting metal, the drums echoing like small arms fire as keys wail plaintively in the distance. Somewhere between melodic and monstrous, the performance comes across as a breathless explosion of rapturous sound.
Philadelphia's Rumpelstiltskin Grinder is next, surprising patrons with their merciless thrash assault. Though eons away from their tour mates musically speaking, Rumpel Grinder disregards this fact in favor of a short but slamming set. Regardless of the song, the group lay down beatdown after sweaty beatdown, winning people over with their relentless violence. Gnarly yet stoic, the group exits after having rattled many a disbelieving skull.
At last Absu takes the stage, unveiling a set somewhere between magical and mundane. On the one hand, the band conjures up a technically flawless set of their traditionally esoteric songs. On the other, Absu plays with detached listlessness, never looking like the show pleases them. Utterly devoid of stage presence, I find myself enjoying Absu's songs much as I would from an album, rather than a live concert.
Thankfully, plenty of powerful cuts makeup tonight's list, rendering the whole evening far from a wash. The band delves deep into its lore, unearthing classics of mystical brutality like "Manannαn," "Four Crossed Wands (Spell 181)," "Highland Tyrants Attack" and "The Coming of War."
Newer tracks, meanwhile, fit comfortably in Absu's cannon. "Night Fire Canonization" shreds eardrums while the sinister "Amy" folds like delicate black velvet over the remains. "Girra's Temple," for its part, spits fire while "13 Globes" and "Nunbarshegunu" drag listeners towards unimaginable worlds of nightmare.
By show's end, it becomes apparent the evening's show was a ritual meant for a select few. Though it may have detracted from the concert during the present, in the future it will be a prized possession cherished by a shadowy few.
Rating: 8 out of 10.
Sothis
Afterlight
Rumpelstiltskin Grinder
Absu
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Absu / Rumpelstiltskin Grinder / Sothis / Afterlight Live Rating:8.0
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