This was one of those shows where if you forgot your earplugs, you had better hope to sweet baby Jesus that someone brought an extra pair, or be prepared to face the consequences. The operative word of the evening was “heavy.” Despite the disparate genres making up the lineup, each band took their unique music to the hardest, doomiest level possible. Is that even a word? After this show, it is.

The Barbary is Philly’s newest music venue, and this was the first all-ages show they staged. On a sidenote, if you’re visiting Philly, The Barbary is normally a DJ venue, and is a most fun place to go dancing. But, I digress. I could hear Young Widows beginning their set from two or three blocks away, at which point I began to worry for the health of my eardrums. My fears were confirmed when I stepped through the doors and immediately went deaf. However, it turned out to be one of those “it hurts so good” situations. Young Widows is a three piece from Kentucky that puts bass as the centerpiece of their hardcore Thanksgiving table. The combination of this, sung/shouted/screeched lyrics, and dissonant guitars had me standing slack-jawed in the back, trying to figure out what was happening to me. By the time I realized I was a witness to awesomeness, the band was finishing up their last song. Young Widows delivered the first truly face-melting performance of my year, and they come highly recommended if they happen to pass through your town.

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I experienced a slight moment of “Shit, I missed my band!” panic when Dalek took the stage following Young Widows set. They were listed as the headliner when I got tickets, but I suppose they switched with Russian Circles due to popular demand. Dalek didn’t look like any hip hop band I’ve ever seen – a metalhead bass player, a laptop DJ that look straight out of Death Cab For Cutie, a giant tattooed turntable DJ, and an almost scarily intense MC. They’re actually one of the few hip hop acts I genuinely enjoy, combining intelligent rhymes with Massive Attack-like trip hop ambiance and huge bass beats. I christen them, “noise-hop.”

As their set continued, people got more and more into it. The Righteous Head Nod was a favorite move among attendees. The bass at this point was so loud that you couldn’t hear it anymore. You just felt it. Towards the end of the set, one of the amps started smoking, and they had to momentarily stop the show to make sure it didn’t catch on fire. Let me just repeat this: An amp. Caught on fire. That’s how loud this show was.

The last time I saw Russian Circles was their tour opening for Minus the Bear. I’d been looking forward to seeing them again ever since. I don’t know if it was the smallness of the venue, but they weren’t quite as good as I remembered. I kind of felt like they were having trouble getting into a groove, and that transferred over to the crowd. They played a few songs I don’t think were on their 2006 release Enter (Flameshovel) that didn’t really attain the levels of instrumental metal goodness that I expect from them. Half the time I was just standing there, mesmerized by drummer Dave Turncrantz’s metal hair flowing in the wind as he beat the crap out of his set. Songs towards the end of the set like “Enter” and in particular “Death Rides a Horse” showed me that maybe Russian Circles were just having an off night. “Death Rides a Horse” rocked so hard I was hoping they’d follow it up with more, but it ended up being their last song. Alas.

Dalek

Russian Circles

(see…just look at the metal hair!)