A Special Brand of Doom and gloom descended upon the north side of Chicago on May 3^rd, 2005 as Atlanta Georgia’s Mastodon and Sweden’s Cult of Luna with Southern California’s Death by Stereo thrown in the mix for good measure, paradoxically lulled us into happiness by performing masterful sets. As this was Mastodon’s first headlining tour and the first time CoL performing in the U.S. For those who were able to attend get into this event at the Bottom Lounge received a special treat indeed. The acts on tonight’s bill seemed to fit like a glove. Whoever drummed this one up had some damn good foresight. However the promoters should have followed their lead, CoL’s set began promptly at 6:30 PM therefore many patrons missed this amazing act, as many sorrowfully souls bitched awhile throughout the evening. Not to mention the venue “sold out” earlier in the evening however, there was a line snaking around the corner for as far as the eye could see. Somehow, a plethora of people was allowed entrance at a slightly more inflated cost. The other factor was “rush hour” in Chicago. -- KEO

Lineup: Klas Rydberg – vocals, Eric Olofsson – guitar; Thomas Hedlund – drums; Johannes Persson – guitar; Andres Johansson – bass, keys; Anders Teglund - keys

Hark, is that the call of the wasteland I hear? Horns are blowing while the dense fog rapidly starts to roll in, overflowing lager in tankards are happily being passed along. The mists of the ocean crash upon my face as the Viking ship sails… Oh wait a minute, we’re not sailing off the coast of Scandinavia with a raucous horde of Vikings in attempts to miss an oncoming storm, the storm has come to us, to the Bottom Lounge, in Chicago, IL, a long ways away from Cult of Luna’s hometown of Umeå, Sweden. However, one could not have told from the overcast of blowing horns at the opening of this band’s set. This is however, the first time the U.S. had seen the band. Alas, it is a portend of things to come.

With head hung low in the far corner of stage right, guitarist, Johannes Persson, struck the first chord; he let it rip all the while Anders Teglund paints the airy soundscapes like a skillful artist with dismal emanations resonating from the keys. The wailing guitar of Eric Olofsson joined him into the gloomy precession; the crashing cymbals of drummer Hedlund complemented by fellow rhythm section associate, Andres Johansson on bass to further usher us into the eye of the storm. The silent and mesmerized crowd looked on in complete and utter amazement as the long intro to the first song (a good three minutes worth), “Echoes”, which impart had gone unnoticed before vocalist Klas Rydberg got into the act. His deliverance is reminiscent of a calm Jim Morrison.

The overzealous crowd was more than receptive in welcoming the band to the venue, moreover a fan shouted out during the changeover into “Dark Side of the Sun”, “Welcome to America!” The band beamed, Rydberg happily thanked the in response. Soon after that the vocalist announced in a surprisingly thick Swedish accent that it was the band’s first trip to the States and how happy they were to be there. The set was depressing as hell; just make sure to take a Darvocet or some mood-altering drug if your ducks are not in arrow before attending one of their shows. If not the band’s music could cause a nervous breakdown or could trigger one to commit suicide, however I mean this in the most loving way possible. The band’s lyrics cover themes like despair, futility, existentialism. The droning, sluggish/sludge latent, string section reminds you of Meshuggah yet more evocative. Despite the doom and gloom, Cult of Luna will have a cult following in little or no time. Their music is catchy, soulful (as in mournful) but evokes good feelings at the same time. The set may have been short by way of amount of songs but it was rich in content, like a full-bodied cup of freshly brewed cup of Gevalia coffee. Songs performed from their newest effort and third studio release entitled, Salvation.

Cult of Luna is unlike any metal/hardcore act previously witnessed by opinions polled throughout the night as well as my account. They are an inimitable, matchless. Something else a couple of the onlookers observed were the band’s choice to use vintage gear, Orange to be exact as they were excited to be able to rent the gear. If you missed this band’s set, you truly did miss a phenomenon. As you well know, this was the first trip in for the lads. I hope that the band will return soon so you too can witness the wonderment for yourself.  -- KEO

Setlist: Echoes, Adrift, Dark Side of the Sun, Vague Illusions.

Lineup: Efrem Schulz – vocals, Todd Henning – drums; Tyler Rebbe – bass; Dan Palmer - guitar

The patrons at the Bottom Lounge were anxiously awaiting Mastodon; however, the headliner was preceded by Death By Stereo, a band that doesn’t get too much press. Southern California’s Death By Stereo is definitely hardcore and is a world of a different band than Mastodon, but that didn’t stop them from rockin’ the house tonight. Younger fans edged their way up to the front to see Efrem Schulz, Dan Palmer and co. as the band kicked ass throughout their thirty-five minute set.

Their new release their next album Death for Life from Epitaph records is due out in June and it has given them some attention that they’ve been looking for. This album includes eleven blistering tracks and with names like “Binge/Purge”, “Entombed We Collide”, and “Don’t Piss On My Neck and Tell Me It’s Raining”, you know that you are in for a treat.

This band better known for their anthem-like tunes tackling issues in today’s society like the Bush Administration and hatred. Their last release, Into the Valley of Death, was produced by bassist Paul Miner and included the video for “Wasted Words.” They’re also known for some of the toughest pits in metal. Tonight the kids tried to mosh and start a circle pit with all three vocalists calling for some action but most of crowd were older metal heads like ourselves and refused to be involved. Didn’t seem to matter though as the band thoroughly enjoyed rockin’ out and getting the stage ready for the headliner. -- SRL

Unfortunately there are no photos of the band due to the Cult of Luna interview conversely took place during the band’s performance.

Lineup: Troy Sanders – vocals, bass; Brann Dailor – drums; Brent Hinds – guitar; Bill Kelliher – guitar, vocals

As Death By Stereo left the stage and the instruments were cleared, the crowd primed themselves for the attack of the hard to categorize but still brilliant of what is known as Mastodon. The band is still touring in support of their latest 2004 release, Leviathan, which has garnered nothing but rave reviews. Being dubbed many titles throughout the course of this year like “The new Metallica” and “The kings of Metal”. The aforementioned titles are a few verbal accolades this Atlanta quartet has acquired.

The audience banged their heads and sung along to tunes like “March of The Fire Ants”, “Iron Tusk”, “Aqua Dementia”, “Where the Strides Behemoth”, and “Blood and Thunder.” During the set Sanders mentioned that even though they signed with Warner Bros., they would always perform at venues like the Bottom Lounge, promising to be the “same boring guys” as before.

Prior to the show, we learned that Mastodon had not resigned with Relapse, instead, they joined label giant, Warner Brothers, and decided to be part of the Ozzfest 2005 lineup. A surprising move indeed, in my first interview with drummer Brann Dailor, he commented that they would probably never play Ozzfest because of the outrageous pay-to-play cost. After their set, I managed to catch up with him. I had to find out first hand what made them change their minds and how shocking the band’s decisions were of joining WB and playing Ozzfest. Dailor replied, “Maybe we were meant to shock you.” I think he may be correct. Make sure to check these guys out this summer! -- SRL

Partial Setlist (not in any particular order): Aqua Dementia, March Of The Fire Ants, Where the Strides Behemoth, Workhorse Puncher, Crusher Destroyer, Blood and Thunder, Iron Tusk, Seabeast.

Click here for follow up interview with Brann Dailor

Here for photos of the band from Ozzfest 2005

&

Here for photos of the band during the Unholy Alliance 2006 Tour

MASTODON, CULT OF LUNA, and DEATH BY STEREO 2005 Tour Dates:

May 2 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin @ The Rave
May 3 - Chicago, Illinois @ Bottom Lounge
May 4 - Grand Rapids, Michigan @ The Intersection
May 5 - Detroit, Michigan @ Harpo's
May 6 - Cleveland, Ohio @ Grog Shop
May 7 - Albany, New York @ Continental Club
May 9 - Toronto, Ontario @ Opera House
May 10 - Montréal, Quebec @ Spectrum
May 11 - Worcester, Massachusetts @ Palladium
May 12 - Albany, New York @ Valentines
May 13 - New York City, New York @ Bowery Ballroom
May 14 - Sayreville, New Jersey @ Starland Ballroom
May 15 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania @ Theatre Of Living Arts
May 16 - Washington, D.C. @ Black Cat
May 18 - Charlotte, North Carolina @ Tremont Music Hall
May 19 - Orlando, Florida @ The Social
May 20 - St. Petersburg, Florida @ State Theater
May 21 - Atlanta, Georgia @ The Masquerade
May 22 - Nashville, Tennessee @ Rocketown
May 23 - St. Louis, Missouri @ Creepy Crawl
May 24 - Kansas City, Missouri @ El Torreon
May 25 - Denver, Colorado @ Rock Island
May 27 - Phoenix, Arizona @ Mason Jar
May 28 - San Diego, California @ The Casbah
May 29 - West Hollywood, California @ The Troubadour
May 30 - San Francisco, California @ Bottom Of The Hill

All photos Copyright © 2005. Pictures may not be used without the written consent/permission of FourteenG