Precious Metal: Romans + Sydbarret + Torrential Downpour @ Lit Lounge 072808

I forgot my earplugs for the umpteenth time, but I think my cells/receptors/whatever died happily at tonite's installment of Precious Metal. Torrential Downpour came with the grind, left most of the atmospherics behind, and put together a great set. There were even xylophones involved! The origin of this evening's excitement was the chance to catch Romans for the second time, as they made a return to the basement on the back of their national tour supporting 'All Those Wrists'. I inadvertently saved Tom, vocalist, trying to buy a t-shirt after their set ...he was talking to a dude with a shaved head wearing a tight black dress and high heels. Metal party indeed. Spent a few minutes with Justin catching up on their adventures since the last show and he actually said that Pittsburgh was one of the band's favorite stops! As my pseudo hometown, that made me smile. Oh, and the music? They killed it. Again.

NJ's Torrential Downpour

SydBarret

VT's Romans

Precious Metal: Torrential Downpour + Hooker Dragger @ Lit Lounge 060908

For the second time in the past six months (yep, I'm countin 'em boys), Rising Up/Rising Down cancelled their Precious Metal appearance. Ditto for Ohio's much anticipated black metal experimentalists, Bohemian Grove. Listening to Hooker Dragger, a new, local act, conjured up images of the sleazy underworld of crime, crackwhores and snuff films, a la 8MM. Their seedy and dirty style of death metal gave me chills like the first time I listened to Mortal Decay's debut, 'Sickening Erotic Fanaticism'.  A welcome addition to the NYC scene! Torrential Downpour started with an atmostpheric intro which quickly careened into an onslaught of psychdelic grind.  I was really getting into the music but the constant slow keyboard interludes really interrupted the flow and prevented them from really letting loose.

Torrential Downpour