By Andrew Bansal
July 16th 2016, Complex, Glendale CA: UK blackened death/doom metal quintet Dragged Into Sunlight recently concluded a four-week U.S. headline tour with support act Primitive Man, a run of 26 consecutive shows with no off days whatsoever. On their first U.S. trek in four years, Dragged Into Sunlight expectedly attracted good turnouts wherever they went this time around, and after three weeks worth of shows, arrived in the Los Angeles area for a sold-out Church Of The 8th Day-presented show at Complex in Glendale, also featuring local opener Teeth. Despite the more popular and also sold-out Destroyer 666 show taking place at Los Globos on the same night, the LA extreme metal underground community turned up for Dragged Into Sunlight, and anticipated a great show.
Doors opened at 8, and unlike the norm for shows at this venue, most attendees arrived early enough to catch all four bands, and these people did themselves no harm with that, as LA-based group Teeth took the stage at 9 PM for an absolutely crushing onslaught of extreme metal which held the audience captive to undivided attention. Teeth have always excelled at opening such shows in the LA area in their short career as a band thus far, and their selection for this event was certainly an apt one as they set the stage for the touring acts to follow and created the right atmosphere inside this room. Laden with ominous, dissonant death/doom, their set shattered skulls and shook the very foundations of the building, delivering a performance that deemed them as on par with any and every other band that followed them at this show. LA folks generally tend to not show up for the openers, the first band of the night in particular, so it was heartening to note the nearly packed house during Teeth’s set, as the band admitted to this being one of the biggest crowds they’ve played in front of till date. It won’t be the last time that happens, because Teeth deserve attention and recognition in this scene, for they are a band LA should be proud to call its own. For those outside of LA, the band will be doing a 10-show U.S. run of dates, and if the tour coming to your town, Teeth is strongly recommended as a band not to be missed.
Next up, the first of the touring bands, Cult Leader from Salt Lake City, Utah, hit the stage with their brand of crusty extreme metal and turned out to be the most violent band of the night as they induced mosh pits on a regular basis, even as the opening up of the floor space to allow for mosh pits seemed like only a distant possibility just because of how jam-packed the room was. With elements of crust, grind and hardcore, Cult Leader took no prisoners and left no stone unturned in their attempts to demolish everything in their path. Started out in 2013 by three members of Gaza after that band broke up amidst controversial circumstances, Cult Leader have two EPs and a full-length to their name, and with performances this brutal, are pillaging the underground and taunting the mainstream, surging ahead rapidly as a band for extreme metal fans to keep their eyes and ears peeled for.
It was a warm evening in Glendale, and the temperature inside Complex was even higher because of the population density on this occasion, and attendees drifted in and out of the building regularly to get fresh air as well as take a peek at the merch area which was moved outside for this show, as there was definitely no room for any merch tables inside. Teeth and Cult Leader played their part in turning up the heat further, but soon after, it Denver, Colorado trio Primitive Man cooled things down for the next 30 minutes with their doomy jams wherein they made every single note count and didn’t invoke violence in the audience but rather allowed people to soak it all in. With lesser members than any of the other bands that took this stage for this event, Primitive Man sounded the heaviest, and boasting of three musicians who are no strangers to underground extreme metal through their past exploits in other bands, this trio showcased their mastery over the doom genre. Fans of this style can do no wrong by attending a Primitive Man show or picking up a record.
And lastly, Dragged Into Sunlight converted the stage into their own altar for the ensuing ritual, as the in-house stage lights were asked to be completely switched off and the band installed their own LED panels, placing them on stage near the drum kit, to face upwards and into the crowd. Then, a stand of candles with a goat head was brought out to occupy front and center, and all was in readiness. Except for the drummer, all members of the band stood with their backs facing the crowd and it remained that way for the entirety of the set, as they presented their chaotic blend of all things sonically extreme, and their deliverance of earsplitting bleakness could very well be labeled as blackened noise. The stage setup and the members’ non-interaction with the crowd were important components of the performance, without which the band might not have come across as anything out of the ordinary. They utilized these simple yet effective visual aspects to the maximum and let it enhance the impact of the music itself. Dragged Into Sunlight is undoubtedly one to be experienced, understood and appreciated fully as a live band much more than from their studio recordings, and it was no wonder that their LA fans did not want to miss this long-awaited appearance by them.
Overall, a sold-out show that lived up to its billing and hype.
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