This November, three heavyweights in the world of sludge embarked on a tour together that brought the threat of seismic activity from city to city. Brooklyn’s Batillus, Chicago’s The Atlas Moth and San Francisco’s Kowloon Walled City teamed up to bring their down-tuned riffery across the nation. This was an ideal tour for music fans that prefer lower frequencies combined with crushing tones. By the time the tour approached San Francisco, Batillus had split off, so I saw them separately at Elbo Room and then KWC and TAM two days later at Hemlock Tavern.
Batillus
Batillus released an album called Furnace this year on Seventh Rule records. The album is a cold, crushing exercise in claustrophobia and despair. Furnace is the soundtrack to 12 hours of forced labor during the industrial revolution. Sludge, doom, and the perfect amount of Godflesh makes Batillus a formidable live band. The bass cuts through just as clear as the guitar as the drums pound and snap all the while vocalist Fade releases his tortured screams. He also makes timely use of synths to create a further distorted soundscape.
Read the rest of this review and check out a full gallery after the jump.
Kowloon Walled City
Local boys Kowloon Walled City ended their tour in SF at Hemlock Tavern with Atlas Moth. KWC always sound huge whenever I see them. They know how to use guitar tone to their complete advantage, packing deceptively simple riffs with enough fury to snap necks. The frustrated howl of frontman Scott embodies the primal anger of the working man. KWC slammed through a set of their own material, then invited singer/guitarist Stavros of The Atlas Moth to join them for a Black Sabbath cover.
The Atlas Moth
The Atlas Moth are touring behind their sophomore album and first for Profound Lore An Ache For The Distance. The album has been making a lot of year end lists, and the new songs have tremendous energy live. The band packed their three guitars, keys, bass, drums and two voices into tiny Hemlock Tavern and filled it to the brim with sludgy, stoned psychedelia. The band brought a lighting rig that covered the stage in swirling multicolored dots of light as they played. TAM are incredibly fun band to see live, don’t miss a chance to see them when they come through your town.
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