Emissions From the Monolith
Emo’s, May 24
With a beaming Jesus smiling down on us from the rafters via an Oriental rug, the opening night of the ninth annual Emissions From the Monolith festival purposely got off to a slow start thanks to Lawrence, Kan., quintet Samothrace, whose raw compositions pushed well past the 10-minute mark, moving from minimalist drone to funeral doom. Locals Tia Carrera pulled out of the bill at the last moment, but labelmates SuperHeavyGoatAss chugged through their Arclight debut, 60,000 Years. Vocalist Russell Abbott, armed with a Flying V guitar, set the night’s tone: “I got a good idea. Let’s get fucked up.” The good ol’ boys threw down some fine Southern metal, two parts Texas boogie with a pinch of NOLA sludge. California’s Makai was the only dud, speeding up classic Bay area thrash and adding seizurelike snares and grunted vocals. Austin’s Amplified Heat caught fire as usual, giving necks a rest and making asses shake with their bluesy jailhouse rock. The brothers Ortiz, set to release How You Like the Sound of That in September on Arclight, scorched through set standards including “Moonshine,” which sounded like a Bo Diddley shuffle on smack, and “Heart Attack,” with guitarist Jim using his whammy bar to shift things into overdrive while drummer Chris unleashed his inner Bonzo. Time fused its worth for Emissions veterans and headliners Kylesa. The Georgia-based quintet’s dual drum and cymbal synthesis, coupled with a triple vocal attack led by shredder Laura Pleasants, incited the evening’s lone mosh pit. Guitarist Phillip Cope summed things up before closer “Hollow Severer”: “New town, same vibe.”
This article appears in June 1 • 2007.