High On Fire / Mono / Panthers
By Tim Bugbee
Monday. Nov 05, 1:55 PM
live at The Middle East Downstairs (Cambridge, MA) Oct. 11th, 2007.

Most metal bands who paddle over to the doom end of the pool can likely trace at least a few chromosomal fragments to the best Brummies ever (speaking, of course, of Black Sabbath), but Sleep were the ones who took this homage to an entirely new realm of possibility by releasing the massive statement Dopesmoker. Clocking in at a solid hour-plus, the deep, stentorian tones took the form to the farthest end of the asymptote: diminishing returns were left far behind in the rear view mirror, and there was nothing else left to say. The ensuing kerfuffle between Sleep, their record label (London), and that label's refusal to release this ultimate statement of intent as a single, unedited seismic blast left the record unreleased (until 2003) and the band splintered. Matt Pike (guitarist) took the opportunity to crank up the tempo a bit and recruit a couple of like-minded souls (now since replaced) to form High On Fire, a trio which blazes a similar scorched path as Sleep, but abetted with a mouthful of cheap trucker speed to get the blood running a bit higher. Pike and his band of marauders stitched together a pretty great lineup to ravage North America for the first leg of the tour supporting Death is the Communion, enlisting Mono, Panthers, and Coliseum.

I ended up missing Coliseum, but caught all of Panthers' set. These Brooklynites (suddenly the mecca for hipsters of all stripes) cranked out a solid rockin' set of Melvins-oriented rock, albeit without the sly humor and unpredictability; the white loafers on the singer gained back some points, though, as did their cover of Budgie's "Crash Course in Brain Surgery." Either they have a pretty deep collection of ‘70s hard rock records, or they took the cue from Metallica's The $5.89 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited, where the tune is also covered. Original songs like "Goblin City" do harken back a bit to those days as well: think maybe Pink Fairies or a less-spaced out Hawkwind. Not a bad place in time to slink back to.

This was the third time I've seen Mono in about 15 months, and the definitely most ferocious outing. Theirs was an unexpected visit, as after their last headlining tour a few months ago, the word was that they were heading back to Japan to leave the touring road and to work on a new record. The lure of playing with a mixed bill like this was probably a nice carrot, and I think they felt they had something to prove to roomfuls of people who paid primarily to see High On Fire. Whichever way it was, they delivered more than their fair share. The biggest surprise for me was finally getting to hear "The Kidnapper Bell." Under The Pipal Tree was the first record I ever got from this Japanese band, and though it probably treads a bit too close to "Christmas Steps," it's likely my favorite Mono song (and possibly for the aforementioned closeness to what I consider Mogwai's crowning achievement). The soft / LOUD / soft and back again dynamic is not a trade secret, but is very effective in their hands. Guitarists Taka and Yoda have a tendency to sit while playing, but don't mistake that for some sort of leisurely finger pickin' coming your way: it's all about tossing out a huge dynamic range, so get ready. Toward the end, Taka was covered in sweat, kneeling down on the stage to wring the last bit of energy from himself and the battered jaguar he was playing.

Finally, Oakland's High On Fire took to the stage, and like mushrooms after a rain, devil horns, the claw, and fist pumps sprouted suddenly from the front masses and pretty much stayed up there the entire set. As a photographer, I really do appreciate the energy of both the band and the crowd: I've been to far too many indie rock shows where the arms crossed/body slumped posture is de rigeur behavior for the entire lot of po-faced punters in attendance. It's actually refreshing to see people having fun and enjoying themselves. It's not surprising that a band touring on a new record would want to showcase it, so we got "Fury Whip" and "Waste of Tiamet" straight out of the gate (four others would follow), as Pike was romping all over the stage, shirtless and flashing both tattoos and toothy grins. For just one guitar in the mix, it's a surprisingly heavy and meaty sound, and likely due in part to his unusual nine-string guitar. 50% more strings = 50% more rock, it's been scientifically proven. As Pike et al. made their way through the set list, the throaty growls and depth-charge like kick drums were a constant but enjoyable punch to the back of the head. All records were touched on (including a timely run through of "Baghdad" from the first The Art of Self-Defense release), and ended with perhaps my favorite High On Fire song, the opener to '05's Blessed Black Wings, "Devilution." As I walked out of the club and down the street toward my car, I had to suppress the urge to throw devil horns in the direction of random passersby.
www.highonfire.net
www.mono-jpn.com
www.pantherspanthers.com

Tim Bugbee

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