By Andrew Bansal
March 15th 2015, Complex, Glendale CA: As part of a US headline tour, Oklahoma City-based progressive extreme metal band Dischordia played a gig in the Los Angeles area at the best underground metal venue in town, Complex in Glendale, along with local openers Hereticide, Darwen’s Theory and Godlike In Ruin, for a gig put together by Church Of The 8th Day. It made for a chilled-out, low-key Sunday evening hang for those in attendance.
Doors opened at 8, and the show started at 8:45 with LA’s own Godlike In Ruin putting forth some compellingly well-composed progressive jams. The growling vocals were expertly executed, and the guitar work contributed largly to the aggressive as well as melodic segments of their music. The change in patterns and tempo came across smoothly and didn’t seem forced. This is band that started less than 18 months ago, fully comprises Musicians Institute students, and folks in LA that call themselves fans of all things progressive will find this band worthy of attention.
Next up, LA modern/groove/thrash metal veterans Darwen’s Theory took the stage for a righteously heavy 30-minute set that had all heads in the crowd banging full tilt. This band always puts on a solid show with great guitar tones, crushing rhythm section and intense vocals, and this performance was no exception. Bringing together the best elements of (long-haired) Metallica, Pantera and DevilDriver, their portrayal of the music they love through their own compositions is exemplary, and as long as their vocalist does not asphyxiate himself with the microphone cable as he almost did on this stage several times through this set, Darwen’s Theory will continue to remain a force to be reckoned with in LA metal circles.
Adding a straight-up death metal touch to the evening, Hereticide followed Darwen’s Theory and played a set that served as a worthy representation of the genre they’re pursuing. Their music itself came across great with all members excelling on their respective instruments, but the vocalist’s constant name-calling directed at the crowd was a bit of a turnoff. According to him, everyone that was not moshing was automatically a f*g. When you’re playing to such a small crowd, in my opinion you should respect the fact that they’re watching you perform. Other than that, good set from Hereticide.
And finally, Dischordia hit the stage, and doing complete justice to their name, laid down an exhibition of progressive death metal that was strongly based on complex ‘anti-groove’ patterns. Their three members combined to deliver a sound as monstrous as that of any band with many more members, also thanks to the promoter Daniel Dismal who was handling soundman duties himself, and the venue’s overall layout and ambience which is generally conducive to playing heavy music live at extremely loud volumes.
Overall, it was yet another entertaining evening of extreme music at Complex, and LA folks should keep their eyes and ears peeled for several more upcoming Church Of The 8th Day events at this location.