Dreamworldz, Wilt (Philly), The Ada Babar Situation (Philly), Eve Maret/Abstract Black/B|_ank 3/20 at the Mouthhole

This show was a little bit outside of my regular repertoire but was still an absolute blast. I've only recently started finding my way into noise pop (if that's even what you could call these groups) backwards though groups like The Body, HEALTH, and BiS Kaidan. Since I'm only starting to get my bearings in this kind of music, enjoy my nearly uncut notes streaming my consciousness during each act:

Dreamworldz - boy band... with 2 girls! Starts out in tent and sleeping bags. Lip synched? Preposterous. 90s pop stylings. Song about their sponsor, Kmart. Chugging contest, 2 liter vs can of diet Dr K. 2 liter gets poured in skull beer bong. Winner gets chikfila gift cards. Huge mess is made. Right into next song. Excellent choreography, and "guitar" (ukulele) skills. Song about being your baby til 80, maybe related to that one book "Love You Forever". Ukulele is smashed.

Wilt (Philly). 3 piece, drums guitar and keys. Is this twee? I have 0 experience. Keys are kinda discordant. Blanket over snare? Only a few drum pads. Dissociative Dresden Dolls? Maddening. Vocals sung/spoken softly. Only 3 strings on guitar. Very sweet! Unnervingly sweet. Deconstructed Cranberries? ANGULAR?? Math rock gaps. Krautrock motorik? Hypnotic in a way that you have to figure out what's happening.

The Ada Babar Situation (Philly). 2 members of Wilt, not sure about other 2 in rhythm section. Some high pitched sounds high enough to be uncomfortable. Disjointed. Like a carousel on cough syrup. "Ghosting a hit" track about holding in smoke, sample of them holding in a bong rip. Polyrhythms? Djent version of pop? Prog pop? Post-punk vaporwave? Definitely interchanging time signatures, 3 and 4 alternating with a 2/4 measure?. Guitar synthesizer with girl singing (speaking? moaning?) samples. Swans on Prozac. Bassists changes shirts during last song, during lots of negative space.

Monstrosity of Eve Maret, JayVe Montgomery (Abstract Black), Will Hicks (B|_ank). Eve has keyboards, a modular synth, macbook pro. JayVe has tenor sax, electronic sax (?), samplers and synths. Will has bass drum, cymbal, synths, drum pads. Contact mic'd plant. Starts off sounding like Space Invaders. Inverse delayed drum beat? Slowly building chaos. JayVe busts out a pocket trumpet!! Improv jam almost has a free jazz feel to it. Chaotic but fluid, though piercing at times. Will adds a snare, now it sounds like psychedelic dark jazz. JayVe busts out the tenor sax and skronks it up a little. Intense but never really gets "harsh". Except somepiercing treble. Will is going full Whiplash. Busts out some metal sticks and smacks the hi hat. Eve starts singing long tones over the noise.

Destructicide, Mortius, Vile Desecration, Steel Bearing Hand (TX) at Springwater 3/11

Destructicide, a new trio from here in Nashville, played a fist pumping energetic blend of death and thrash metal on Sunday night. The solid riffage made a firm foundation for the absolutely sick death growls and hefty but breakneck blastbeats. The sound was tight and impressive, but the guitars were drowned out a good deal of the time, and I can't help but wonder if there wasn't a bassist and/or another guitarist (hell add another 2 and go full Kvelertak) to help fill out the sound. I like what they've got I just want MORE.

I've been meaning to see Mortius for quite some time, and I think I can say they totally meet and blow away all the hype. Between Inferi, Abyss Walker, Abated Mass of Flesh, Chasm of Teeth, and some I know I'm forgetting, it's exciting to see Nashville having its own brood of death metal acts. Out of all these bands, Mortius seems to be the most committed to the traditional style, though they still manage to make me think of a prog-less Necrophagist. They keep things extra fresh by adding in touches of death/doom and even a pinch of funeral doom. Like Destructicide, if you were to give them the "but are the riffs sick?" litmus test, you'd get an "absolutely" response.

Vile Desecration played pure tireless black metal, complete with blastbeats and nonstop shredding. The sound is almost anachronistic, like a 90s black metal band trying to take cues from Bathory and Venom, while still sounding modern, not unlike Destroyer 666. Vile Desecration manages to sound fresh and ferocious while sounding recognizably black metal without sounding outdated.

Steel Bearing Hand from Dallas, TX brought the thunder. These guys play thrash metal, but it's a thrash metal that's girded in death metal and wields black metal like a battleaxe. Steel Bearing Hand are like an Incantation that makes you bust out your best DRI skank moves. If Annihilator decided they wanted to be more like Bolt Thrower, it might sound a bit like this band.

It was great to be back out and at a show again, apologies to everyone whose band I've missed so far this year, I'm still working on making it out more.