Live Review: Black Cobra, Jucifer, Dead

The circumstances of this evening seem to be conspiring against this great Heathen Skulls double-header. It’s a Sunday night where everyone is scared to death of an imminent Antarctic vortex, so understandably the Crowbar basement isn’t bursting at the seams with patrons while DEAD kick things off. But the dirty fuzz punk of the Melbourne outfit heats things up pretty quickly.

Doom ‘n’ sludge duo Jucifer are pretty much on-point tonight. Those in the crowd who are wondering if their recorded heaviness is the product of studio trickery are quickly shown what’s up. So in sync is the pair their guitar and drums setup feels about the size of a five-piece. As they barrel through quick, ugly Buzzov*en-esque sludge cuts the feedback buzzes like an uneasy haze and the crowd, all up tight on the stage, bang their heads trying to keep up. Then, without warning the pair switch it up to monolithic death/doom cuts that sound most reminiscent of Japanese outfits like Church Of Misery and Coffins. Here, knees buckle under the weight of the low end, the iommic megajams creating a compelling contrast between death metal structures and amplifier-worship formlessness. But throughout every stylistic iteration, drummer Edgar Livengood really hits his straps. Whether it’s the flurries of snares in the barrelling passages or the massive cymbal crashes that punctuate the super riffs, the punishment he inflicts on the kit sounds nasty and perfect.

On paper there are a lot of similarities between tonight’s co-headliners: they’re both two-pieces, they’ve both put out great records on hallowed metal labels and they’re not too far apart on the doomy music spectrum, but when you put one after the other on a bill they stand out like night and day. Where Jucifer play a twisted, slowed-down variation on punk a la Eyehategod, the San Franciscan freakniks in Black Cobra sound like they’ve sat down and talked about what’s the most epic way they could play rock’n’roll. What that means for the crowd tonight is lots of solos, plenty of big drum fills and soaring choruses that are as hot as the best Torche have. When the galloping heavyweights off their 2011 Invernal album are doing the most damage, Black Cobra seem pretty deadly – lithe guitar lines work their way in and around leaden drumming in a way that makes it feel like there wouldn’t be any room for bass or additional guitars. Just as Jucifer can switch effortlessly between doom and sludge, Black Cobra can go from doom to psych before the crowd can even realise what’s going on. It’s exciting stuff and, even if the cold has kept the big crowds away, those in attendance can obviously appreciate what’s been put before them tonight.