The Bay Area has a knack for bringing in a veritable smorgasbord of metal acts to tantalize our “hearbuds”. DNA Lounge did its part to contribute to that unrivaled variety with the invasion of Narcotic Wasteland, Gorgatron, Tegmentum, Warscythe, and Iron Front recently. Featuring a taste of death metal, progressive metal, and even a little hint of thrash rammed into one night, this was certainly not your average Sunday night hum drum.
Warming up the crowd was Iron Front, a Bay Area death metal act incorporating both progressive and thrash metal influences. From the start, Iron Front brought great energy and engaged the crowd with well-executed breakdowns and a brutal bassline. The group was a tight ensemble with the drummer, Max Mahmood, showing sick skill while the squealing guitar solos melted through the room with ease. The vocals left me wanting just a tad deeper growls, barely missing that sweet guttural spot for me. Overall, this young band has serious potential and served as an excellent icebreaker for the night.
Warscythe took the stage with the type of doomy, artillery-like double bass that makes your chest vibrate and I was instantly engaged as vocalist, Justin Sakogawa, ripped through the music with a threatening, visceral sound that felt like it was crawling out of a crypt. The violent, speedy riffs of the guitars took me on a ride that felt like being inside a tornado watching the notes fly around you in a cyclone of destruction. Warscythe owned the stage with ease and really pulled the crowd into their performance with the magnetic grip of the music.
The night powered on with Tegmentum, a progressive metal band whose technical, well-executed blend of progressive metal and technical death metal was nothing short of masterful. The vocals of Chelsea Murphy slammed into my ears with the kind of visceral, raw power that sends shivers up your spine. Her stage presence was absolutely formidable as she commanded the stage with skill and raw energy that was mesmerizingly captivating, going so far as to leap off the stage to jump-start a mosh pit. Kenji Tsunami was an absolute beast on the rare 8-string NS/Stick delivering a potent bassline and the band even incorporated some very well-executed Jazz interludes that effortlessly blended into the high octane, technical onslaught in a way I wasn’t expecting. Tegmentum was an unexpected surprise that will definitely be in my listening rotation from now on.
Up next, hailing from Fargo, North Dakota, was Gorgatron delivering some sick guitar solos and gnarly riffs that burned into the experience like a brand. Karl Schmidt’s vocals were demented and rough, creating a dark, angry atmosphere that bounced off the speed-ridden drums in a chaotic cloud of musical mayhem. When Gorgatron describes themselves as “based on a “love of the riff” approach to writing”, they are not exaggerating. Guitarist Paul Johnson delivered an unrelenting wave of powerful, commanding riffs that dominated the experience in the best way possible.
Wrapping up this metal adventure was a trip to the one and only Narcotic Wasteland. Kenji Tsunami rejoined the stage with his unique NS/Stick and absolutely destroyed that instrument. If it was a cartoon, smoke would have emanated from his fingers as the strings burst into flames. The militaristic, machine gun assault of drummer, Joseph Howard, delivered an intimidating backbone for the swirling, chaotic attack of the guitars. Dallas Toler-Wade spit the vivid sociopolitical commentary of the lyrics with a vile, vitriol quality that emanated destruction. The haunting melodic interludes between songs made me feel like I was walking through an apocalyptic wasteland between Armageddon-like battles of the remaining creatures. My favorite song of the night was “Sex, Lies, and DNA” and if you haven’t heard it, do yourself a favor and go find it on their Spotify ASAP. Narcotic Wasteland gave us a killer show!
I wrapped up this night with my hunger for metal murder satiated and my personal playlist a few bands bigger.
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WORDS AND PHOTOS BY AMBER BUCHANAN