By Andrew Bansal
August 9th 2016, The Viper Room, West Hollywood CA: Swedish stoner/sludge trio Monolord created a positive first impression on many through their North American tour opening for Windhand and Danava in late 2015, and this summer, they’ve returned to these parts for a four-week headline run, with fellow stoner rockers Beastmaker and Sweat Lodge supporting them. In the first week of this tour, the three bands arrived in the Los Angeles area for a gig at the Viper Room in West Hollywood last Tuesday August 9th 2016, with local heavy-hitters Ironaut as the opening act. Even though many in the LA hipster/underground scene claim to be too cool to attend shows on the supposedly too mainstream Sunset Strip, the Viper Room is fast becoming a hotbed for stoner rock shows, and despite the absence of the underground crowd, the Viper Room enjoyed a great turnout for this show, as riff worshippers gathered in high anticipation of what promised to be an all-killer, no-filler event.
Doors opened at 8, and 30 minutes later, Los Angeles stoner rock trio Ironaut took the stage for a half-hour exhibition of undeniably solid and enjoyable heavy music that was right up the alley for fans of the touring bands playing this show. Ironaut started out this performance playing merely to their friends and family, but more and more people arrived throughout the set, and with their well-crafted jams and strong stage presence, the band gave the crowd every reason to be impressed. Songs like ‘Acid Wash’, ‘Atomic Voyage’ and ‘Iron Vessel’ decorated the set with great musicianship, as Ironaut showed that they’ve come a long way even in the short time period since their 2015 inception. Most people attending these types of shows usually get to the venue deliberately after the local bands have already played, because they think all local bands are terrible by default, but Ironaut is here to tell you that there are exceptions to this rule and beckon you to give them a try. As good an opener as one could have possibly imagined for this lineup.
Next up were Austin, Texas quartet Sweat Lodge, who I first saw open for Raven and Night Demon at a place called Red 7 in Sweat Lodge’s hometown two years ago. I’ve seen my fair share of mediocre openers throughout my travels, so for me to even remember Sweat Lodge is saying a lot in itself, and with their performance here at the Viper Room, they reminded me once again why they stood out on that occasion. They were absolutely in the zone right from the get-go, bringing forth a loud rock n’ roll show but more importantly, sounding crystal clear while doing so. Through clean classic rock style singing, the exploits on the Gibson Les Paul, the finger-picked bass playing and the groovy drum fills, Sweat Lodge put forth their salute to quintessential old-school heavy rock and laid down a thoroughly entertaining set of tunes. Showcasing a range of influences and playing music inspired by Sabbath, Zeppelin, AC/DC and the like, Sweat Lodge were easy to rock out to, even for those that had never heard their music before. Interestingly, the singer also told me after their set just how much they appreciated the 30-minute changeover at the Viper Room (an aspect many complain about, including myself), because it enabled them to absolutely ensure getting all elements of their sound perfectly right. On paper, Monolord and Beastmaker are undoubtedly the main attractions on this tour, but attendees are strongly advised to not miss Sweat Lodge, and those in other parts of the world or in North American territories not being visited on this tour are equally recommended to check out this band as soon as possible.
Fresno, California trio Beastmaker were the big ‘hype’ band of this lineup, having quickly gained popularity ever since getting signed to Rise Above Records. They recently completed a successful European tour and are now spreading their gospel of Sabbath worship to masses in North America. Having started out in 2014, they’re still a fledgling band but their stellar debut full-length ‘Lusus Naturae’ (March 2016) has rightly catapulted them to their newfound success. The 12-track album emanates Sabbath-worshipping stoner jams in copious amounts, and their set at the Viper Room enhanced the impact of these tunes tenfold, as the headbangers moved closer to the stage to synchronize with Beastmaker’s grooves. The crowd was giving Beastmaker a great response, and while acknowledging it, guitarist Trevor William Church remarked about the lack of weed smoke in the room. He was right, as I was disappointed to not get a second-hand high at this show. Beastmaker is pursuing a musical style that’s being played by hundreds of bands at this point, but the sheer strength of their musicianship, both in the songwriting and in the live performance, is what makes them outstanding. It’s simply impossible to not be captured by a tune like ‘Clouds In The Sky’, for example. One always has to be cautious when seeing or listening to such a hyped band for the first time, but Beastmaker certainly live up to and fully justify all the praise that has come their way this year. Such is the power in their music and stage presence that it’s only a matter of time until Beastmaker start headlining not just rooms of this size but far bigger venues as well. What we were treated to here was a taste of true greatness.
Turning up the decibel level at an already loud show, headliners Monolord took the stage promptly at 11:30 for a relentless onslaught of earth-shattering heavy music. Yes, their tunes may seem like they’re based on repetition, but there is a certain x-factor associated with the manner in which they do it, as they proved here by holding most of the crowd in a trance. This comes from the intricate, subtle variations and segments they blend in with the otherwise simple riff-based approach, and upon paying close attention, one notices these things and appreciates Monolord that much more. They infuse quiet, mellow interludes to bridge the heavy parts, and subtly change the tempo and drum patterns quite a lot. Formed in 2013, they have two full-length albums to their name and have just released the ‘Lord Of Suffering’/’Die In Haze’ 10″ single via RidingEasy Records, two songs that exemplify all the qualities described. This is a new band but all three of its members come from other projects, bassist Mika Häkki formerly from a band you might have heard of, Finnish grindcore outfit Rotten Sound, while guitarist/vocalist Thomas Jäger and drummer Esben Williams have played together in Swedish boogie rock band Marulk. So, Monolord boast of experienced and pedigreed musicians, and it shows in their on-stage personalities, both sonically and visually. They demolished this Viper Room stage with their colossal sound and only left aching necks in their wake.
All in all, an event attendees would consider themselves fortunate for attending and non-attendees should regret missing.
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Monolord + Beastmaker + Sweat Lodge remaining tour dates:
08/13/2016 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launch Pad
08/15/2016 – Dallas, TX @ Rail Club
08/16/2016 – Austin, TX @ Sidewinder
08/17/2016 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
08/18/2016 – San Antonio, TX @ Korova
08/19/2016 – New Orleans, LA @ Siberia
08/20/2016 – Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum
08/21/2016 – Ft Lauderdale, FL @ Kreepy Tiki
08/22/2016 – Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub
08/23/2016 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
08/24/2016 – Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry
08/26/2016 – Baltimore, MD @ Windup Space
08/27/2016 – Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus
08/28/2016 – Philadelphia, PA @ Voltage
08/30/2016 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott
09/01/2016 – Toronto, ON @ Coalition
09/02/2016 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
09/03/2016 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle Festival
09/04/2016 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Cabooze
09/05/2016 – Omaha, NE @ Lookout Lounge
09/06/2016 – Denver, CO @ Lost Lake
09/07/2016 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Bar
09/08/2016 – Sacramento, CA @ Starlite Lounge
09/09/2016 – Portland, OR @ Ash St. Saloon
09/10/2016 – Vancouver, BC @ Astoria
