By Andrew Bansal
March 10th 2016, The Viper Room, West Hollywood CA: Madison, Wisconsin stoner metal band Bongzilla began in 1995 and released four studio albums in the next ten years, three of them put out by Relapse Records. Bongzilla disbanded in 2009, but decided to make a comeback in 2015. The new generation of stoner rock fanatics who never got a chance to see Bongzilla in their heyday started packing venues in large numbers and as a result, the band was playing sold-out shows everywhere. This has catapulted Bongzilla back into active prominence, and currently, they are on a North American headline tour with support acts Black Cobra and Lo-Pan, and Against The Grain and Kings Destroy taking the opening slot for the first and second halves of the tour, respectively. With all the ingredients for what promised to be the show of the month, the tour arrived in Los Angeles for a gig at the Viper Room in West Hollywood last Thursday March 10th 2016.
Doors opened at 8 and the show started at 8:30, and the early birds that were unfashionably on time for the first band of the show were thanking their lucky stars that they were in attendance to witness the explosive, neckbreaking exploits of Detroit, Michigan’s Motor City Speed Rock flagbearers Against The Grain. This band has stunned first-timers and blown headliners off the stage on past visits to this town as an opening act, and they enhanced their reputation further with this 30-minute set which began with ‘Here To Stay’, the opening track off of their latest full-length album ‘Road Warriors’, and ended with the utterly brilliant composition ‘Sirens’ from the same record. Bringing a Motörhead-esque level of sonic bestiality to this tiny room, Against The Grain sounded loud and crisp, and even though the lead vocals were at times too echoey and were drowned out by the other components that were seemingly much more prominent in the mix, the band’s strength lies in its instrumental segments, and those were highlighted greatly in this set, everything from the raging fast-paced parts to the bluesy rock ‘n roll jams. After this set, the other bands had a real uphill task on their hands. With performances as impressive as this one, Against The Grain are firmly staking their claim as the best new band to have surfaced in the last few years.
Next up, Columbus, Ohio quartet Lo-Pan stepped up to keep the stoner rock party going, presenting their music through an interestingly unique setup, with the singer being completely in the background and taking stance behind the drum kit. The set was filled to the brim with riffs galore, but in addition to the stoner sound, the band also exhibited some Tool-like tendencies that distinguished them from the other bands in this lineup. The band has been around for more than ten years, and a lot of people in the crowd seemed unfamiliar with them but the response to their set was generally positive, which makes this a fruitful tour for Lo-Pan to be on.
Half-way through this show, attendees already felt like they had been treated to a show worth their money and more, but all was in readiness for the sensory devastation San Francisco duo Black Cobra were about to wreak. Their long-awaited fifth full-length studio album ‘Imperium Simulacra’ is finally out, their first release since 2011, and they presented plenty of it in this set. As expected, they were the only band to instigate any mosh pits at this show, and the collective energy and intensity levels in the room, both from band and audiences, were at their highest during this Black Cobra set. It boggles one’s mind as to how a two-piece band can sound as powerful, but such is the combined ferocity of guitarist/vocalist Jason Landrian and drummer Rafael Martinez. That being said, they didn’t sound as heavy or clean as they’ve done in past LA shows at venues like Complex, Echoplex and Echo. But despite that, Black Cobra left nothing but destruction in their wake.
Black Cobra live at the Viper Room (video by Matt Nielson)
And lastly, Bongzilla took the stage a few minutes prior to midnight, and not surprisingly, the room turned rather fragrant almost as soon as they started their set. One couldn’t escape from the fact that Bongzilla guitarist/vocalist Mike Makela strongly resembled Weedeater frontman Dixie Dave Collins in stature, stage presence and some of the mannerisms, and to that effect, Bongzilla came across as a more laid-back, chilled-out variant of Weedeater. Five minutes into Bongzilla’s set, you’d already have a fair idea of what to expect from the band and how the remainder of the set was going to transpire, but that repetitiveness gets stoner rock fans into the groove, and that’s what paying fans expect and love to hear when they come to a Bongzilla show.
There is no denying that the stoner rock underground of Los Angeles does not frequent venues like the Viper Room, but it was great to note that the same people still turned up to support this event. As proved through past shows featuring bands such as Nik Turner’s Hawkwind, Witch Mountain, Bang and Sun And Sail Club, the Viper Room makes for an ideal setting for musical evenings of this style and size, and one hopes it wouldn’t be the last such event here. Overall, in terms of the quality of music from start to finish, certainly the most enjoyable show Los Angeles has witnessed and will probably witness this month.
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Bongzilla, Black Cobra & Lo-Pan remaining tour dates:
3/16/2016, Kansas City MO, Riot Room *
3/17/2016, Ft. Worth TX, The Rail Club *
3/18/2016, Austin TX, SXSW
3/19/2016, Austin TX, SXSW *
3/20/2016, Houston TX, Fitzgeralds #
3/22/2016, New Orleans LA, Siberia #
3/23/2016, Tampa FL, Orpheum #
3/24/2016, Miami FL, Churchills #
3/25/2016, Orlando FL, Wills Pub #
3/26/2016, Atlanta GA, The Earl #
3/27/2016, Asheville NC, Mothlight #
3/28/2016, Richmond VA, Strange Matter #
3/29/2016, Philadelphia PA, Kung Fu Necktie #
3/30/2016, Pittsburgh PA, Altar Bar #
3/31/2016, Hamden CT, Outer Space Ballroom #
4/1/2016, Brooklyn NY, Saint Vitus #
4/2/2016, Somerville MA, ONCE Ballroom #
4/3/2016, Pawtucket RI, The Met #
4/4/2016, Montreal QC, Foufounes Electriques #
4/5/2016, Toronto ON, Mod Club #
4/6/2016, Detroit MI, Loving Touch #
4/7/2016, Cleveland OH, Grog Shop #
4/8/2016, Chicago IL, Reggies #
* = w/ Against The Grain
# = w/ Kings Destroy