Iron Gag / Brainrot / Arctic Horror / Trash Birds
Opus, Salem, MA 12/15/14
This is my first visit to Opus, which I’ve been told is in the basement of a fancy restaurant. As I approach I see Jeff the singer for Tenafly Vipers standing outside. He directs me to the side entrance. There’s a big wooden door with a boar’s head on it and a knocker. I proceed inside. Once there I see that it’s the type of place a slimedog is not usually privileged to see. Wall to wall carpeting, plush upholstered chairs, long white bar. But it really hits home where I’m at when I order a grapefruit juice and I’m told it’s three- seventy five!
Salem is not exactly next door to me, like the Midway is, and coming off Route One I zigged when I should’ve zagged and that set me back a bit. Because of arriving late I’ve missed the first band Trash Birds.
When I first saw their name listed I confused them with the Trash Killers, a fun band I know who also has a member in another good band The Shit Birds. So you can see how I mixed them up. While I’m sipping my precious grapefruit juice a fuzzy haired fellow recognizes me and ask if I caught their set, I have to tell him no.
But since then I did listen to their bandcamp page and liked what I heard. They describe themselves as “noisy punk rock’n’roll,” which isn’t too far off the mark but I’m gonna go with “abrasive, aggressive, experimental rock.”
The vocals are more yelling than screaming, the rhythm energetic but not hardcore and they sound more like Big Black than Black Flag. Which is great to me. Now, I’d really like to see this band as they seem a little different than what I normally see. I’d like to see them on a bill with Laughing Stock, I believe.
I’m glad I’m here in time for two of my favorite bands who are up next. Arctic Horror is first with Greg Alonge from Mob Hit on vocals and Niff from Silver Screams on guitar.
This band plays metal/ doom/ hardcore with some psychedelic guitar on the side as well..
Another interesting thing I notice about this place, besides the fact there’s at least fifty people here on a Monday night, are the movies projected on the wall behind the bands. They are all highlights of serious horror/ gore movies so I’m seeing a lot of disgusting, violent acts projected. Kind of like if they put a projector in Andy Bang’s mind.
It’s very gory but very fitting with Arctic Horror’s effective slow tension building doom passages eventually exploding into hardcore vocal rapture. With an awesome rhythm section ably manning the twists and turns of the many mood changes and Niff filling in perfectly the many atmospheric styles drawn upon all under Greg’s vocals of thunder makes this one ominous and exciting set, making it for me, well worth the trip.
Now it’s time for the other band I came to see. Brainrot is a young band from Haverhill who call themselves “crossover thrash/ hardcore punk” which I recognize as the prevailing style of the majority of new bands I cover that have loads of metal influences, including doom, have hardcore vocals but are done with a punk attitude for brevity and “no bullshit” honesty.
Though having very intense music and turning in one of the best CD’s I reviewed last year, the lead singer is not above putting in a joke hear or there, between songs. I do see him after the set and I notice his hand is in a cast which he does admit was from an “altercation.” This is only the second time I’ve seen them and they turn in a strong, passionate hardcore set only affirming to me that this is one of the best new bands we have on our site.
Iron Gag is the last band to play tonight and they start the set with the singer proudly proclaiming, “We’re Iron gag and no, we do not fit into any genre.”
I must admit they follow through with that claim as they slip in-between the cracks of punk, metal and hardcore.
Their music is aggressive, sludgy, grungy, fuzzy that grooves along with heavy, trebly bass lines and death vocals. They have brought along a contingent of devoted fans and turn in an enjoyable set though not as great, in my opinion, as the previous two.
During the night I recognized Harley Sutherland who puts on these shows and introduced myself. I was really impressed with his motivation and success in turning a Monday night into a viable, happening night.
Talking to Jeff, from the Tenafly Vipers, earlier about the impressive turnout he said he often has seen twice the crowd here tonight!
To me, it shows how people in Boston are a little jaded, maybe, with having so many options for shows- while here on the North Shore, the people are starving for them.
But more importantly, it shows the scene as a whole is vital as long as people put some effort into it. It just takes a little bit of brains and a lot of hard work and that’s what all of our promoters are doing, and doing a great job at it.
So kudos, to Harley and wished continued success. Boston/Cambridge people- if you want to experience a nice room with a different, interesting setting, check it out. I said on facebook recently if I could clone Harley and Viviam Gonzalez all my dreams would come true! I believe that to be true but I think I forgot to add Mila Kunis in there, as well.
I may have zigged when I should have zagged when I came here today. But I made the right move when I left my house to come to Opus tonight. I urge you to do the same.
(Slimedog)
