Lord Dying, Yidhra & Deathkings Perform At The Complex

By Jason Thomas
[Live videos by Arturo Gallegos]

February 14th 2014, The Complex, Glendale CA: Valentine’s Day. A day that’s more known for cheesy couples expressing their unending, vomiting love for each other rather than morose, doom-death shows. But February 14, 2014 ushered in the gloom thanks to Church of the 8th Day and the lovely folks down at The Complex in Glendale, CA. This was my first time at The Complex and I have to say that I liked the setup and the variety of craft beers available was fantastic. I started off the night right with a standard Stone IPA but decided to be a bit more adventurous with White Rascal and a few others I can’t remember off the top of my head. I could probably write the rest of this review on the beer but I’ll save that for a later time.

This show was unusual in that the doors opened at 10:00 PM and the first band was supposed to hit the stage in or around 10:30 PM. We’ve all been to gigs that have had a late start but I guarantee most were NOT intentional. In this case it was, and it was welcoming as I didn’t have to trudge through rush hour traffic to make it to a show that starts at 7 or 8. Nor did I have to endure 5-6 bands that were all either hit or miss. This was a three-band bill and I have to say I liked the idea of arriving a bit later and catching some heavy as hell bands that all rocked my nuts off in a variety of sexy ways.

First up was the Neurosis-worship, doom-death heathens of Deathkings. This is a band I’ve kept a close eye on because they play one of my favorite forms of heavy metal. Epic and slow, with moments of frenetic energy (not to mention that the shortest song clocks in at 7 minutes), they held me in their cold embrace until the last note of their set faded away. If you like Neurosis, Morgion, or Paradise Lost’s first album, then you will dig Deathkings.

Visit Deathkings on the web:
Deathkings.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/DeathkingsMusic
youtube.com/DeathkingsMusic
twitter.com/DeathkingsMusic

Check out Deathkings video footage from the show:

After a relatively quick gear tear down and set up, Yihdra was next up on the chopping block. I have seen Yihdra on marquees and flyers in the past but never had a chance to see them play. I guess I could have done some homework on them beforehand to get a feel for what I was about to get myself into, but I love the element of surprise so I steeled myself against any possible disappointment by draining another beer. It turns out the beer wasn’t necessary as Yihdra delivered a set where it seemed the riffs were spewing straight out of Tony Iommi with the bass lines of Geezer Butler. They belted out a sludgy, heavy, set of DOOM that would make any fan of Black Sabbath bang their head.

Visit Yidhra on the web:
Yidhra.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/YidhraWitchQueen

Check out Yidhra video footage from the show:

Lord Dying from Portland, OR is a band that I was intrigued by solely because of the cool name. It was good to see a lot of heads still in the crowd for these guys. In fact the turnout for a show like this that started at a later time warmed my cold, black heart. Actually my heart isn’t that cold and black; it’s more lukewarm and somewhat grey. Anyhoo, Lord Dying roared into life on stage playing an energetic form of sludge, doom metal. The large and imposing guitarist/vocalist had such a powerful voice that I felt like I was getting pummeled from a pure, metallic, decibel assault. If you love stoner doom, High on Fire, or having your neck wrecked after constantly headbanging like a maniac, you HAVE to see Lord Dying. Pick up their latest album “Summon the Faithless” and go see them when they play your town. I guarantee you will not regret it.

With a beautiful lady by my side, some great craft beers, a phenomenal show, and a chance to see and hang out with great friends; the Deathkings, Yihdra, and Lord Dying Valentine’s Day show absolutely stole my heart! How’s that for a cheesy conclusion? I brought it full circle.

Jason Thomas plays bass in Los Angeles-based death metal band Gravehill

Visit Lord Dying on the web:
LordDying.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/LordDying
twitter.com/LordDying
instagram.com/LordDying

Check out Lord Dying video footage from the show: