Review by Lisa Burke, photos by Karina Diane
January 29th 2016, Loaded Rock Bar, Hollywood CA: Last Friday night, the options of metal shows were plenty with Mursic playing Viper Room and Orgy playing the Whisky-A-Go-Go, however, I chose to attend a very well put together lineup served in the correct order by promoters Church Of The 8th Day at Loaded in Hollywood. This night brought us Ironaut as the headliner with support acts Monolith, The Rare Breed, and Electric Parlor.
Loaded is a somewhat unique venue because of its two rooms where you can either watch live music or you can listen to the DJ or jukebox hero of the night in the other room and on the patio. This can prove to be an equally good and bad experience depending on the clientele. What tends to happen is that either people don’t want to pay $10 or less to get into the band room or the band room gets attention until about 11:30 or midnight when people have reached an intoxication level that deems them likely to forget their live music agenda in the other room once they step out. For this reason, it seemed Monolith became the crowd occupancy winner of the evening which they deserve credit for, due to the awesomeness they brought forth.
Opening with rock n’ roll band Electric Parlor was an appropriate segway into what was to come, although they played a different style from all the other three bands this evening with their only female vocalist giving off a Janis Joplin meets The Black Keys vibe. The singer has a very big voice for a very small girl and commendably so. The quality was there and the performance was on par, and all I wanted was a slightly more unique sound, but I can totally appreciate the style they posess as they definitely had some really groovy jams happening. The singer’s tambourine breaks were appropriately taken as one aspect I’ve seen with some bands is they just throw the tambourine in because perhaps they are nervous and out of dance moves which usually just cracks me up. This was not the case for Electric Parlor however, as all of their moves were done with purpose, further feeding their strengh on this night.
Lately I’ve seen stoner doom 70’s rock trio The Rare Breed perform quite a few times as well as seeing their name on quite a few bills, and rightfully so, I suppose, since they definitely stick to a growingly popular genre and though it may be very reminiscent of Black Sabbath mixed with some Santana, it is definitely in the style of The Rare Breed. They seem to be taking off in an Uncle Acid kind of way lately, yet they very much stick to the Black Sabbath side of the spectrum. The mix of straight jams with occasional vocals and then into vocal-heavy tunes spreads out the wealth in the best way, and while I enjoyed the entire set, the last song blew my mind with the intricate guitar solo work and was performed flawlessly. These guys pack a punch and end with an explosion in your face. It’s good times always from these dudes.
At this point, the buzz was on and the night was flourishing and all the assholes that show up late to a show had finally arrived in time for the fast and heavy metal fun of Monolith. I’ve known of this band for a while but for whatever reason never caught a performance, and I’m so glad I finally did, as they made for a great time had by all. This band can really host a party with their skillfully fun riffing, to their witty lyrics and ear-massaging vocal tones. These five talented men gave a strong transition from fast into a doomier vibe at times, and there were essences of old Gypsyhawk at a slightly faster pace as well as some Manowar in the mix, and it was just thrown in a bowl together so well, it was like the best party mix you ever tasted. I really can’t say enough good things about these guys as they kept me happy and interested from start to finish and were metal as metal can be.
Finally it was time for another trio of all that is heavy metal, Ironaut. This fairly newly emerging band is three talented guys from the Detroit and Chicago area who finally found each other after they all had been in Los Angeles for an appropriate minute. Featuring vocalist and bassist Erik Kluiber formerly of White Wizzard and Gypsyhawk, with Pat McHugh on guitar and Ivan Najor on drums, they have been fighting their way out of the trenches and into the front of the firing lines of the Los Angeles heavy metal scene with much success. The first show that I saw them perform, their vocals had not been established yet and the intricate and creatively done guitar riffs, jams, and medleys spoke the language of Ironaut which was a wonder in itself. As interesting to watch and hear as that was, it has only since been enhanced by the harsh and brutal vocals mixed with poetic complex lyrics. As Kluiber’s first frontman experience, he naturally had to find his true on-stage voice, and I must say at this performance I found it to be the most complete and in-your-face real, with appropriately comically humbled banter between songs, such as the countdown of ‘123… 666’, and before the song of ‘Dead Look In My Eyes’ he described the song as being about pissing in a stranger’s bed. That’s not something you hear everyday and it sure does make for good comedy as everyone in the audience seemed to agree. One of my favorite songs still remains to be ‘Atomic Voyage’ with its changeups from melodic to heavy to stagnant riffage which reminds me in style only of a shorter version of ‘Coma’ by Guns ‘N Roses and ‘One’ by Metallica, and I think this epic combo package serves this band well. The mixing of the melodic riffs specifically in ‘Acid Wash’ is also one of this band’s strengths that should also be continually prominently placed. The levels and sound quality were seriously perfect, which is one of the reasons I love seeing shows at Loaded so much, because usually if it’s not as good, the band itself has something to do with it. Ironaut after Monolith was actually great because it went from a fun and carefree but well-planned party to a more serious ‘we have been drinking professionally since our diaper days’ party with good intentions that accidentally left you knee-deep in a puddle of whiskey when you had your back turned. In case you weren’t sure, this is a great combination and I wish I had been able to see them perform together the night before at the San Diego show as well. As far as genre is concerned everyone has their own varied take, but one of the most unique and exciting aspects of this band is that they combine straight heaviness with a touch of death, rock, and a pint or six of stoner and doom. The riffs range in style from High On Fire, to Black Sabbath, to Hendrix, and even to a touch of Megadeth and everytime I hear them it’s more mind twistingly fun. Ironaut as well as The Rare Breed are two bands who do not ever need a second guitar player live in my opinion, as the voice of both these bands originated in the individual guitar players’ unique stylings and should not be contaminated. The creative and appropriately explosive drumming only enhances the rough, tough, and heavy sound and serves as though it were the backline cannons firing off after the front line troops went down. There’s not too much left to say except I’m excited to hear new tunes from these guys in the upcoming months and you can catch them perform again locally at Viper Room at the end of March with Holy Grail.
Overall, this proved to be a rewarding evening in the metal community for all in participation. Again, I must mention the Loaded band room is closing down at the end of February but the bar remains open and there is a chance for another venue location with a better rent deal. Go see who’s left to play at this venue as there are some really exciting shows booked through this next month and many new emerging bands who I feel are on the up and have gotten their first chance at Loaded, so they deserve your continued support.