A Doom & Gloom Function in the Junction

Pale Horse Promotion did it again, and with the help from Fuzzed and Buzzed, 3 Solid Doom and Gloom bands pasted the stage at the Tail of the Junction. The first band to come thumping in was Aawks (Like in Awkward?). They started by sounding like the death cry of a dying sun, and that was just the soundcheck. They continued and those sounds shifted into the march of pigs carrying that coffin throughout dry arid streets with no mourners. Their type of sludge is for the addled-minded that rereads the same passage hoping for a different story. The entertainment factor came with the female drummer who pounded her way through the cesspool that would even trap Black Sabbath in the Tarpits. She’s a heavy hitter with heavy expressions to match. Near the end of their set, they did A flock of Seagulls hit, I Ran. This started off in an interesting fashion, but by the time they got to the chorus, it was like drinking blackstrap molasses and it choked you as it slid down your throat.

Here are a few images of Aawks:

Next, we went with a very Lo-Fi sound from Low Orbit. They had all the classic energy of a true Doom and Gloom band. Maybe this is why they hit #1 on the Doom charts around the world. The singer’s deep hard guttural vocals were willing to drag you down into the bowels of the feasting beast and still look for desert. This was the first time they tried to be a four-piece band. Since I have never seen them before, I didn’t know if this made them better or just louder. It didn’t seem to matter because the headbanging and mosh pit were open for business…and business was good. This is especially true if you like having a slow rockslide crush your chest. Like any good Gloom band, there will always be a short bass solo that sounds like Black Sabbath’s N.I.B. It’s like a tradition.

Here are a few images of Low Orbit:

After a Rock-solid performance, the band Sun Below had a big space to fill. They started with a cerebral slow burn that aligned the few remaining brain cells that attempted a cohesive dance. If you were in that audience, I think you know who I speak of…

These guys were musicians for cavemen and they smashed and crashed their way through a set of monstrous riffs and smoke-filled sticky ideas that lasted an average of 12 minutes each. Near the end of the evening, their jam session got serious as the beastly prowess of the drummer went into an extended drum roll that was like watching an incredible drag race, hoping to see a top speed that could crash at any second. A momentous ending to a great evening of Schlock and troll!

Here are a few images of Sun Below: