(Live Review) PSYCHOFEST 2022, DAY 3 - Las Vegas, August 20/22
Review by: Mark McQueen
Day three of Psychofest begins with biscuits and gravy and a loaded Bloody Mary before heading to the Rose Ballroom for the black metal stylings of:
MIZMOR
Dark growls, and funeral doom, (vocals from the crypt), kind of stuff. Mizmor is like a Zombie clawing its way out of the earth to a horror movie soundtrack. Then suddenly exploding into a Wolves in the Throne Room-type aggression.
Yep, this is a good way to start a Saturday.
I also love the all-red lighting and dark ambience. This is “Beard” music. I am going 94/100 right out of the gate. These guys are really good.
INDIAN
These guys play some good doom-style music mixed with sludge, but the vocals are definitely abrasive sounding. They also beat a riff into the ground before they transition out of it. I really like pieces of their stuff, but some (vocals) I do not.
Going to call the overall effect
80/100
MOTHER IRON HORSE
This is a stoner doom sound from Salem, but with pretty clear vocals. The singer does NOT look like he fits with these three stoner looking guys in the band. It’s like Elvis Costello singing for Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Still, I do have to say surprisingly good sound. Throwing up an
84/100
The Beard is feeling generous today.
FROZEN SOUL
Death metal. They are intense, and Johnny practically vaulted the barriers to get in the pit.
Where does he find the energy? And how does he never lose that hat?
Okay, clearly death metal is not my choice, but this is catchy and well done. With bands like this, I read the crowd. Big pit, big response, big grade.
87/100 for death metal?
The Beard is apparently VERY generous today.
BELZEBONG
Drugged-out stoner doom. Cut from the Electric Wizard cloth, Belzebong is slow heavy doomy riffs under green light and smoky haze. Songs are long and vocal overdubs between songs are largely about weed, and smoking weed.
A floaty heavy 45 minutes of hazy meandering.
I am giving 88/100 (and a bag of Fritos).
I have also lost Johnny again as he remained in the other venue for 200 Stab Wounds, and I know right now he is beating a path to see his sweetheart on the Foods stage as the chicks from Black Sabbitch play a set over there. Oh well, he will resurface eventually.
THE MUNSENS
Strong stoner music. Pretty traditional, heavy, low guitar and doom/stoner riffs.
The Beard is digging it. The later part of the set has moved into some death/doom. Still surprisingly good, but that did drop it a few points for me.
Still giving an 84/100
Now, due to the cancellation of Ulver, I am seeing an act for the third time in the last three Psychofest visits. Band seven is probably the heaviest death doom band going:
PRIMITIVE MAN
Primitive Man is a wall of unabated heavy noise. If death doom were a force of nature, Primitive Man would be a tsunami. Just relentless heaviness. Maybe Conan is of similar heaviness, but there’s not many bands that can match the wall of noise coming from the Primitive Man amps.
I do not understand a word they are saying in any songs, but goddamn whatever it is, they mean it. Still, after three times, what they do is what they do, and I can only go 76/100 this year.
Band eight is looking more up Johnny’s aisle. Black metalers:
LITURGY
Wow, the set started with what can only be described as spaceships calling out to whales. That noise will get your attention. Then they went into some traditional black metal sounding stuff, with some interesting sonic stuff underneath.
Vocals were black metal screams that sounded to me like a woman seeing puppies killed ... or perhaps just realizing you are trapped on a nude beach for retirees.
This one has “audible” written on it as listening to black metal screams for an hour is not going to work. I will give it another 10 minutes.