Doom Over DTLA: Badr Vögu & Trapped Within Burning Machinery Shatter The Redwood

By Andrew Bansal

badrvogu

August 5th 2016, The Redwood Bar & Grill, Los Angeles CA: Oakland, California stoner/sludge/doom/crust group Badr Vögu recently completed a two-week U.S. west coast tour, and as part of the run, played a Los Angeles area gig last Friday August 5th 2016, at the Redwood Bar & Grill in downtown LA. This event was put together by HPLC gigs, and also featured local bands Trapped Within Burning Machinery, Pigeonwing and Galena. Even on a busy Friday night wherein numerous other concerts transpired in and around LA, this event packed the venue and served up quite a savory treat of heavy jams for all in attendance.

Due to a prior commitment, I was occupied elsewhere for the early part of this evening and by the time I arrived at the Redwood, I had missed both Galena and Pigeonwing, but I heard only good things about both bands from those that were in attendance, as the room was reportedly packed for the entire show, not just the later bands. So, fans of the heavy would be well served to give these opening acts a listen.

Onto the part of the show I actually witnessed, at around 11:15, local heroes Trapped Within Burning Machinery began their set and for the next 40 minutes, engulfed the entire room with their funeral doom vibes. This style of heavy music generally has its critics, and some of the criticism is perhaps justified, but there is beauty in experiencing a band performing on stage in a manner that enables the audience to absorb every single note emanating from every instrument, and there is just something hypnotically magical in looking around a room and seeing heads in the audience bobbing slowly in unison. Trapped Within Burning Machinery embodies all that is great about doom metal, and through their crafty transitions between crushing heavy segments and bleak, melodic passages, this quintet succeeds in holding the audience captive. It was interesting seeing them here as opposed to other venues, because there is a painting of a boat caught in a storm that forms the backdrop of this stage as it hangs on the Redwood’s back wall, and if you’re on any kind of hallucinogenics while watching a band like TWBM, the boat might even appear to move. Overall, this performance was powerful enough to not only capture this capacity crowd, but also the band members themselves, as they appeared completely possessed by their own music. Having been around since 2008, TWBM has released two full-length albums till date, and truly prove themselves as a noteworthy doom band every time they take the stage.

Trapped Within Burning Machinery - photo by Matt Nielson
Trapped Within Burning Machinery

Shortly after, headliners Badr Vögu started their set and in comparison to TWBM, came across as a relatively more aggressive and eclectic doom band, throwing short, violent bursts of thrash and crust punk in the mix, as the Redwood floor opened for a mosh pit or two, despite being packed to capacity. The vocalist stood on the floor and in front of the stage, which instigated the moshing further, as he got in people’s faces while he delivered his vocals. TWBM probably drew the most number of people to this show, but this was the kind of underground metal gig where most if not all in attendance for TWBM stayed to watch Badr Vögu, and with their compelling performance, the crusty Oakland doomsters gave people enough reason to stay for the entire set. In addition to the aforementioned variations they infused in their brand of doom, they ended on an insanely fuzzy, frantic note, as the guitarist picked up an empty PBR tall can and slid it up and down his fretboard until it was fully crumpled. An apt end to a devastating show.

The worst part of attending underground shows is the extremely slow and nonchalant set changes between bands, which makes it a drag for the audience and ensures that there is more downtime than live music through the duration of the show. But this was a surprising exception at the Redwood, as bands playing this show were quick to get their equipment on and off the stage. Also, the sound quality here is commendable, and for its size, the stage is well-lit. It was a difficult choice to pick between all the events taking place on this date, but by the end, attendees were left with the satisfaction of not regretting their decision, and if anything, for me this show established the Redwood as a venue I need to visit a lot more than I do.

All in all, a morbidly pleasant evening of dark, depressing music.

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