By Andrew Bansal
June 10th 2016, Silverlake Lounge, Los Angeles CA: Arguably the most popular sub-genre of heavy music these days, the resurgence of stoner metal is undeniable. Bands such as Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Saint Vitus, Trouble and the like have been around for ages, but it appears they are being discovered by the younger generation via the internet only now, and the interest in stoner rock/metal has heightened like never before. Subsequently, stoner rock bands that had faded away and were broken up, inactive or irrelevant, are coming back in prominence. But the popularity of this style has also meant that there is a vast plethora of such bands now on the underground level that are pursuing it and are vying for attention. California alone has several unearthed gems of this nature, and last Friday June 10th 2016 at the Silverlake Lounge, the SoCal/NorCal Stoner Metal Summit showcased the talents of four of them.
Doors opened at 8 PM, and the venue filled out appreciably by the time the show was ready to start, and at 9 PM, Black Prism took the stage, although for a while you could only hear them and not see them at all even from the front row, because of the copious amounts of stage fog that was emitted. This Los Angeles-based quartet’s brand of Sabbath worship was an apt representation of the theme of this event and got things started off on the right note. Signed to Easy Rider Records, Black Prism began in 2010 and put out a single titled ‘Satan’s Country’ in 2013. They certainly showed promise here, and much is expected from them in terms of new releases and future gigs.
Next up was Blackwülf, once the fog and the stage was cleared for them. In comparison to the opening act, this Oakland-based quartet was a lot bluesier, and brought forth great depth and variety in their tunes, much more so than the opening act. Formed in 2012 and signed to Ripple Music, Blackwülf have been active in their short career thus far, already releasing a split and two full-length albums, the latest LP ‘Oblivion Cycle’ having been released in December 2015. All members of this classic four-piece lineup excelled on this stage, the vocals standing out in particular, establishing its own voice and identity instead of attempting to be just another Ozzy clone, while the combination of riffs, solos and rhythmic grooves keeping the set interesting throughout. One wouldn’t have complained if this band played a set longer than its eventual 30-minute length.
It was back to SoCal for the next band, as San Diego/Oceanside/North County quintet Monolith, easily the most melodic as well as the most ‘metal’ band of the lineup, hit the stage for a scorching set filled to the brim with guitar harmonies, soaring clean vocals, and quintessential old-school metal galloping rhythms. They’re not exactly stoner metal but fit well enough in this lineup. But being the only two-guitar band of the night, Monolith were probably the biggest challenge for the in-house sound technician here, and the vocals were slightly buried in the mix. Despite that, Monolith rocked the house and as evident from the conversations overheard outdoors after the set, this abnd created a long lasting first impression on those previously unfamiliar with them, much in the same manner as they did on Metal Assault about two years ago. Besides their own stellar compositions such as ‘The Emperor’ being fully brought to life, their cover of Judas Priest’s ‘Deceiver’ was one of the highlights of the evening. Comprised of members from various states around the country in the past, Monolith now boast of a relatively more localized and unified lineup, and should surge forward to not only continue to entertain metal-loving audiences but to achieve greater things for themselves.
And lastly, Los Angeles’ own stoner rock trio Ironaut took the stage as worthy headliners of the event. Having worked endlessly over the past few months with local gigs on a regular basis, Ironaut have built up quite a following, and have mostly picked the right shows to play, including opening slots on touring packages headlined by the likes of The Obsessed and Pentagram. They released their self-titled debut EP in November 2015, and are all set to enter the studio to record their next set of tunes for a full-length album slated for release towards the end of 2016. Songs off of the debut EP such as ‘Atomic Voyage’ and ‘Acid Wash’ made a strong impact on the audience, specially the latter, with Pat McHugh’s classy guitar solo which puts an ‘instant classic’ stamp on the song. But in addition to the older material, Ironaut played some of the unreleased tunes and they sounded stronger and better on first listen. With his gritty yet sufficiently clean singing which thankfully never stoops down to the run-of-the-mill cookie monster growl, to go with the humorous exchanges with the audience between songs, vocalist/bassist Erik Kluiber has certainly developed his own style, charisma and character in his newfound musical abode as a frontman, and in Pat McHugh and drummer Ivan Najor he has two extremely solid and greatly skilled band mates. Together, the trio proved through this set that they are one of the top bands to watch out for in the Los Angeles scene, and is one band that has what it takes to go far and beyond the LA local confines.
Overall, a thoroughly entertaining show from start to finish, decorated throughout with top-quality and top-class musicianship, and well-attended by a supportive crowd that loved its heavy music. The first ever edition of the SoCal/NorCal Stoner Rock Summit was an undeniable success, and one hopes for many more such events in the short and long-term future.
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