I've been to some strange shows in my day, for sure--Womanowar and Destroyer SF last night at Winter's Tavern in Pacifica not being the least of which. But one of the strangest would have to be Neurosis and El Dopa at a place called the Bayside Grange in Jacoby Creek, CA, a podunk little pancake house/community meeting hall in the middle of Bumfuck, Nowhere that for one evening was transformed into a swirling pit of tribal drumming, screeching noise, and flying dreadlocks. The year was 1996, and a 17-year-old Cobras spent much of the afternoon and evening stumbling back and forth between the venue and a ditch across the road, consuming epic amounts of Popov vodka and wavering in and out of consciousness between sets by some of the finest hardcore and metal bands the mid-90's had to offer. It was a weird day full of great tunes, good buddies, cognitive dissonance-inducing scenery (imagine seeing Skinny Puppy in the lounge of the Great Northern Hotel from Twin Peaks and you're getting the right idea), and heroic amounts of crust and alcohol. Sigh.
Also on the bill that day was an absolutely crushing bro-core band from Orlando, Florida called BLOODLET. While their monotone "East Coast HC" vocals, mid-tempo stomp, ringing snare, and floor-punching ethic grow a little tiresome about halfway through (and practically scream "Victory Records 1996"), this is still a great album, featuring well thought out riffage, unbridled, soul-raping angst, and weird lyrics about insects and technology and shit. I still don't know what these fuckers were singing about.
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Good fuckin' call Cobras. I'm majorly obsessed with their third record 'The Seraphim Fall' - absolutely CRUSHING doom abounds on THAT mother, and I am ALL about the fretless bass. Shame their 'reformation' record 'Three Humid Nights In The Cypress Trees' sucked so badly. It was weeeeeak as fuuuuuck.
Interrrrrestinkly, ex-Bloodlet vocalist Scott Angelacos now sings for Junior Bruce, who JUST played a bunch of shows with my pals, and friends of IC - Shroud Eater. You can check 'em out here.
Oh, and I too once saw Neurosis play in a weeeeird venue - they played in the back of a Jamaican community centre here in Preston on the 'Enemy Of The Sun' tour, along with Grotus. It was a very odd thing to have my head pummelled in by half an hour of 'Cleanse', and then to leave through a curtain and emerge into a room full of elderly jamaican gents playing dominoes amidst painted palm tree murals.
Yeah, never really researched any Bloodlet post-Seraphim. Figured it would be pointless.
I would have fucking killlled to see Neurosis on the Enemy tour, not only because Grotus was involved, but because I consider that to be their best album (not counting Pain of Mind, of course). Through Silver In Blood, for me at least, was the beginning of their downhill slide, and when I saw them they played ONLY new material, plus ONE SONG off of Enemy. It was still a great show, but fuck dudes, give me "Raze The Stray". Give me "To Crawl Under One's Skin". Throw me a fucking bone here!
'Three Humid Nights In The Cypress trees' was pretty bad, if I remember. I got a promo of it, listened to it through one and a half times, then frisbee'd it. There was some wiggery going on on there, I'm sure. Hippety-hop vocal rhythms or suchlike.
I also gave up on Neurosis, but it was after 'Times Of Grace' for me. But, yeah, 'Enemy of the Sun' is fucking STAGGERING.
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