Review & photos by Andrew Bansal
March 18th 2014, The Troubadour, West Hollywood CA: Los Angeles-based power trio Philm is headed by Dave Lombardo on drums and features in its ranks Pancho Tomaselli on bass and Gerry Nestler on guitar/vocals. Of late, the trio have laying low to work on new material, and last night at the Troubadour was their first proper LA show since their headline jaunt at the Roxy in May 2013. It was nearly four years ago at the Troubadour itself that I got to witness a live Philm show for the very first time, and aside from being a showcase of sorts for the band’s new material, last night’s gig had nostalgic value for some of Philm’s cult fan base.
Philm were main support to Snot at this show, free of cost for people aged 21+ and only $3 for those under 21. As a result, the turnout was excellent and all bands got to play in front of a sizable audience. After the first two bands were done, Philm took the stage at 9:20 and played a 40-minute set, the majority of which comprised material off of their next yet untitled full-length studio album, the follow-up to the debut effort ‘Harmonic’. They did bring out three tunes ‘Vitriolize’, ‘Sex Amp’ and ‘Dome’ off of Harmonic as well, and in comparison to the numerous times I’ve seen them in the past, this set had a fiercer, thrashier vibe to it. Tempo-wise it was certainly the fastest set I’ve seen them play, and with Dave Lombardo now playing with the second bass drum added to his kit previously missing from his Philm drum setup, it can be safely said that Slayer fans would perhaps appreciate the newer material more than the music on the debut album.
The crowd gave the band a largely positive response and mosh pits were breaking out at regular intervals during the set owing to its fast-paced nature. It’s clear that Lombardo has his devoted set of fans who came out to this show to enjoy his drumming in this intimate setting, and most definitely miss seeing him in Slayer. But also ably providing their inputs to the phenomenon that is Philm were bassist Pancho Tomaselli and guitarist/vocalist Gerry Nestler. With Lombardo’s kit placed front center of the stage as always, the three lined up next to each other and emanated a devastating wall of sound in a manner only they can. Their new material proves their hunger for creativity and pure passion for the music, as they present a style that’s a combination of various elements but hard to describe as an entity. When I tell people about this band, I often get asked, “What do they sound like?” And the simple answer I give is, “I don’t know, you just have to listen to it to find out.”
With Lombardo’s well-documented departure from Slayer, one hoped for more regular Philm activity from now on, and sure enough, with the imminent release of the new album whilst they continue to work on even newer material, along with some more California dates in the offing, Philm are active again and for fans as well as for people unfamiliar with the band, this is a great time to give them a listen and check them out at a show.
Check out more photos of Philm from the show below (view them here if you’re on a non-Flash device):
Visit Philm on the web:
facebook.com/PhilmOfficial
twitter.com/PhilmOfficial
Philm California dates:
3/28 – Palm Desert – Schmidy’s
4/12 – Fresno – Frank’s Place
4/13 – Hollywood – Rainbow Bar & Grill (42nd Anniversary Party)