The Black Angels descended upon Atlanta’s Variety Playhouse on April 28th for an evening of pure psychedelic ear candy. The Austin rockers are currently supporting their latest album, Death Song, which is perhaps the most exciting release of the year thus far. Having just kicked off the Death March Tour a few days earlier in Nashville, the band began their weekend in the heart of Atlanta’s bohemian district of Little Five Points. With the visual assistance of lighting masters The Mustachio Light Show, The Black Angels turned the clock back 50 years and made the Variety seem like the Fillmore East, if only for an hour and a half.
A Place To Bury Strangers took to the stage around 9:00 for a crash course in experimental noise rock. The Brooklyn-based trio, fronted by Oliver Ackermann, unleashed a wall of sonic confusion while barely visible on a darkened stage, which was lit only sporadically by strobe light. Some elements were pleasing while many were on the verge of downright disturbing. Through it all, however, APTBS presented a sort of horror show that one couldn’t help but enjoy. Accompanied by Dion Lunadon on bass and Robi Gonzalez on drums, Ackermann ruled the stage with his furious attack on guitar and manipulation of microphones and gear. A thirty minute set was just enough to rattle the crowd and prepare the room for an aural and visual massage by the headlining band.
The Black Angels were on roughly at 10:15 and wasted no time in serving up their delicious Friday night feast. They opened with “Currency”, the lead track from the new album, Death Song. The band members have a tendency to switch instruments from song to song but began the evening in habitual roles. Front man Alex Maas assumed his position behind a keyboard and microphone with rhythm guitarist Christian Bland hidden in the shadows to his right. Keyboardist Kyle Hunt played bass for several songs, including the set opener, while lead guitarist Jake Garcia established his presence along with drummer Stephanie Bailey. After beginning with a brand new song, the Angels dove into melodic and hypnotic territory with “Bad Vibrations”, from the album Phosphene Dream. “Prodigal Sun” from the album Passover followed, which was one of two songs played from the band’s debut full length.
Only three songs into their set, the Black Angels departed into what is perhaps the most mind expansive effort of Death Song. The haunting yet dreamy “I Dreamt” ignited the blasters from underneath the venue and propelled the Variety Playhouse into the nether regions of the cosmos. Remaining true to the album, the band could have easily capitalized on such a song to stretch into areas of improvisation, but instead kept it under wraps and tucked neatly into the tight song structure they have developed so well. This is perhaps the most glaring difference between the Black Angels and their inspirational mentors, The Velvet Underground. The Velvets were known for their epic, drawn out improvisational jams. The Black Angels conjure the same sort of energy and sound but rarely take risks beyond the norm. It’s not a bad thing, mind you, but the foundation is laid so beautifully for a short ride. When deep in the groove on songs such as “I Dreamt,” the band teeters on the edge and looks down as if to jump, but then takes a step back and resigns from the anticipated leap.
Over the course of the 18-song set, the band performed nine out of eleven of the tracks from Death Song. A mature and utterly incredible aural tour de force, the album was impeccably recreated on the Variety stage. As a whole, the album is worthy of a front to back performance, but broken into separate components is equally satisfying. Woven around cuts from every full-length album in the band’s catalog, the new material breathed fresh life into an album and tour dedicated to death. A standard in their sets, the song “Black Grease” from the band’s eponymous debut EP, appeared just before the highlight one-two punch of two of Death Song’s finest moments. “Grab As Much (as you can)” and “Half Believing” took their proper places as the centerpiece of the Black Angels setlist. The power of the music and beauty in the lyrics, accompanied by the fantastic light show, truly established the Black Angels as frontrunners in the psychedelic genre. “Half Believing”, a tragic love ballad, sets the bar at a new high for the band and establishes promise for their continued rise to greatness.
The magic that transpires at a Black Angels show is hard to put into words and akin to a Grateful Dead concert: there is nothing quite like it. The performance the band left on stage on Friday night was not typical of the third night of a tour. Usually, a band is still gathering footing and finding its way through sets, especially with brand new material. The Black Angels took the stage with confidence and delivered a tight set of material that will undoubtedly gather momentum as the long tour moves forward. Perhaps at some point they will decide to take risks and explore longer “jams” on certain songs but doesn’t seem likely. Nevertheless, the band laid down another solid performance in Atlanta and left an indelible mark on the minds and souls of all the lucky ones who were there. The tour continues through the fall. Do yourself a favor. Listen to The Black Angels.
