By Andrew Bansal
July 16th 2015, Complex, Glendale CA: Los Angeles quartet Pendulous have come a long way in their short four-year existence as perpetrators of doom, death and despair, as proven by the sheer quality of musicianship on their 2015 debut full-length ‘A Palpable Sense Of Love & Loss’. Last Thursday July 16, they performed at Complex in Glendale, for a show headlined by touring black metal outfit False based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and supported by local black metal duo Godless. This was an event once again put together by the tireless and flawless underground music promotional organizations Church Of The 8th Day and The Elegy Ensemble. This is a stage Pendulous have made their own through previous appearances, and they did so to an even greater extent at this gig, leaving attendees satiated and devoid of any regret whatsoever.
Doors opened at 8 PM, bands, fans and Complex regulars mingled, enjoying the venue’s unparalleled beer selection, and soon after, Godless began proceedings at 9:20 with a short 20-minute set of raw, unabated black metal. Even as a two-piece with a guitarist and a drummer/vocalist, they were able to assert a sense of authority over the audience and resonate through the confines of the entire room, garnering genuine applause at the end of every song. For a mere three-band lineup, the opener had to be a good one, and Godless indeed were.
Next up, Pendulous began their mission of holding the Complex audience captive with their incredibly dynamic and expressive variety of doom/death, and emerged triumphant in their endeavor. A majority of their set comprised material from their latest release, as it should have. One could not have imagined a better start to the set, as they opened with their best composition till date, ’40 Years’ and went on to present the middle portion of the full-length album, including ‘A Pendant World’ and ‘Hibernal Sun’, before closing with ‘Seeds’ off of the debut EP ‘Mirrored Confessions’. There is no doubt that on the strength of their equally spellbinding studio recordings and live performances, Pendulous have surpassed several doom bands that have been around for longer than them. In all honesty, with no disrespect to the actual headliner, this show belonged to Pendulous and they should have headlined it.
The turnaround time between bands was quicker than usual at this gig and everyone involved was on top of it. Soon after the end of Pendulous’ set, False took the stage at 11 PM, which is probably the earliest start time the headliner has ever had at this venue. For a weeknight, this will hopefully become more of a trend, because I for one cannot understand or appreciate late shows on weeknights. False played a crushing 25-minute set that proceeded at the rate of an avalanche and brought forth a degree of ferociousness and intensity that’s seldom witnessed in extreme metal bands. When it comes to False, there is clearly no bullshit, no pretentiousness, just straight-up sonic carnage. To get a chance to see this devastating band coming all the way from Minneapolis was a treat for the LA underground faithful, and one can surely expect them to return sooner than later.
The gig, as is the norm for Complex by now, succeeded in attracting a fairly sizable turnout, but more crucially, the kind of turnout where people arrive before the start of the show and stay till the end, and aren’t there just to support their buddy’s band. Complex shows are not popularity contests, and carry a sense of community like no other. Here’s to several more outings at the hallowed grounds of subversive music.
Check out full video coverage of the show on Arturo Gallegos’ YouTube channel.