It was a muggy night in New Orleans where the sweat slowly rolls down your back in large drops just walking a block down the crowded streets of the Quarter. The drinks had better be cold; sometimes it seems that only a cold beer can cool you off. However, it's out of the frying pan that is southern Louisiana in summertime, and into the molten metal fire.
Proudly on the Neurot label, Brothers of the Sonic Cloth is like a dark cloud of doom, but it's not just metal doom. Blues is a very doomy music; so many songs are about being left, rejected, beaten down, drunk. tired. and mad about all of it. These brothers take the cloth, the fabric, of blues music and a sonic layer of metal, I find. And, as a woman, I was very pleased to see bassist Peggy Tully in the band; she is certainly no novelty act. This lady is a rocker, grooving with her lines and really getting into the spirit of the sound. Let's not forsake Tad Doyle on guitar and the mic and drummer Dave French. Everyone had a part in this blues/doom storm. I heard so many people claim that they could really jam out to this band; thay they could get into it and have a great time.
Neurosis entered the stage with little theatrics; they were there to perform music, not a silly stage show. To that end, they went without their trademark trippy visuals, but nothing was lost with their absence. It seemed as though the band just wanted you to tune in with your ears, zone out to their trance-inducing tunes. And the music certainly did hypnotize the audience by itself. Guitarists Scott Kelly and Steve von Till equally shared the microphone and the droning, gloomy riffs. Bassist Dave Edwardson would occasionally join in as well to create a round of three growling, howling voices singing you into a dreamy place. Scott and Steve's vocals were gruff, and they bellowed in long, harsh tones, while Dave had a creepier, hissing shriek. They slowly chugged along through their long, intricate, heart-wrenching set. That is what Neurosis does to me; they make me feel their pain and suffering. But the mood was somewhat changed when Steve von Till joined on the drums adding a more tribal sound to it. Scott Kelly also joined in eventually for a heart-pounding thrill.
Not everyone who wanted to attend could, this is a busy city, and I have been hearing from those unfortunate souls that they feel now that they missed out on something special. They did.
