I
have this theory that if your employer suddenly decided to outlaw Friday’s then
the productivity from the work force would increase ten fold. You have your weekend planned out, maybe the
pub after a long day, spending some time with the kids, chores round the house,
in laws coming for dinner etc etc.
Indeed, you have so much on your mind, your ability to focus at work
waivers. Friday 5th September,
was pretty much the same as any normal day at work, with the added distraction
that when I punched out, I’d be heading to Manchester to see Yob. Yes people, Yob. What is striking to me about Yob is that the
more I talk to people about this band and indeed having been fortunate to have Mike
Scheidt talk to us, it is the overwhelming affection people have towards Mike and
indeed that feeling resonates to me as fan.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a lot of bands, but by the same token, if
some band come across as being a bit ‘douchey’, then invariably that is likely
to turn me off their music.
Yob’s
latest record ‘Clearing The Path to Ascend’ is barely a few weeks old and yet
it feels like an old friend, it engenders feelings of rage, but is serene and
emotive, a journey of high and lows, but you know at the end, your life for
that hour of investment will be enriched.
I feel like I’m almost getting a little mushy about Yob and their music,
I’m not in ‘lurve’ with them, but with their latest record, I feel that they
have created something special. For the
record, I had never seen Yob on stage, so for that reason I headed to Manchester with a sense
of buoyant anticipation. ‘Could Yob,
actually play their new record play in full tonight’ More on that later.
Upon
circumnavigating around the venue for what felt like 30 mins trying to find
somewhere to park, following my hour drive from Sheffield, I wait a further 15
mins in a parking space until 7pm, so I only have to pay for an hour of parking
until 8pm. When it is free until the next day.
I proceed to buy a sandwich from Tesco and stand outside ‘The Roadhouse’
until the doors open. Now anyone who
knows me personally knows I’m kind of a shy person, who usually doesn’t
approach people, which even irritates me, because shy people generally come
last. The reason I mention this, is
because whilst minding my own business, Aaron and Travis from Yob, walk
outside, chat amongst themselves, take some photos of the venue and head back
in. The fan in me wants to say ‘Hey
guys, love your band, my blog reviewed your record and it’s amazing.’ ‘We recently spoke to Mike too.’ ‘Good luck
with the show etc etc.’ But because of my own eccentricities and social
awkwardness, I remained motionless, whilst internally I was kicking my own arse,
due to my apparent embarrassment at being rejected.
With
the venue new to me and the door man remarking it was a ‘sell out’, I went down
some steps, into ‘The Roadhouse’, unfortunately it was not a scene for the
classic Swayze movie, but a smallish venue with a bar to right and stage to
the back as you look left. I head to
take leak and who should walk in; my namesake Aaron from Yob is opposite, I
resist the temptation to speak and walk out to the din of dynamic duo Ghold. Heavy is too weak a word to describe their
sound, Bass and drums crush with rhythmic audible incisions. A dual vocal
approach brings a tumult of aggression.
The musicality is kind of layered, with furious speed but then weighty
sludge breakdowns. Think Black Cobra but bass instead of guitars. There are
almost death metal stylings to the vocals at times. Throw some blast beats on
drums and you get a nasty blend of filth.
There's an abundance of groove to this two piece too and an addition of
guitars at the midway part of a track, again adds a different dimension and
layers to their otherwise discordant noise.
At times you've got the doom styling’s of Horse Latitudes, but with the
guitar punctuating the colossal wall of sound from bass and drums. There's an experimental almost Swans esque
ugliness to the music. A guitar flurry.
Stop start breakdowns. Certainly Ghold are remarkable in their unorthodoxy
but they sound incredibly tight and most telling for a fan of heavy music, astoundingly
brutal.
Next
up is Pallbearer and having been commented on the previous day, that they were
disappointing by a fan of the blog, they kick off huge. ‘Man’ I’m thinking ‘This
is intensely heavy’ coupled with the melody of the vocals, this adds layers of
harmony. Making them really peerless in
an often over saturated genre. The sound is righteously bass heavy and to be
quite honest, fucking thunderous. The
stylings of their music is not just about weight, you’ve arpeggios on tranquil
breakdowns, seemingly heavily reverbed and or played through ‘chorus’.
For
me though this did not distract from the punitive effect of the riffs. They are
colossal. Live there's rawness and a venom about them, the tone of the guitars
reminding me of early Electric Wizard (The good kind). In terms of pacing,
there is nothing much beyond a southbound group of pachyderms but in equal
measure, their sound brings equal amounts of bulk. Riffs are jagged. Chugging
at times, the rhythm of drums holding it all together effortlessly. Each down
stroke on the guitar and bass leaves you doubled over. It has that counter
punch effect. You throw your head forward and the power of their music knocks you
back. By track 3 Pallbearer are in their stride. Mournful but progressive, the
lead breaks are kinda lost in the mix at times, but you barely notice or even
care. Shimmering feedback introduces the track ‘Foreigner’ a cacophony of
distortion. The track just oozes class. This is strange beautiful music we love.
Vocals soaring like an Eagle over a tyrannous din of distortion. A truly
monumental track.
During
the time Pallbearer end and Yob take to the stage, I mill around the merch stand until finally
with the venue packed to the rafters, albeit a fair distance from the stage, Yob are stood poised. It' seemed like a lifetimes
wait to actually see this band and once they kick off with ‘Ball of Molten
lead’. The sound is incomprehensible. The intensity is earth shatteringly juddery.
Everything is audible every note pitch perfect.
The opening track, setting the tone for the next hour, which is all
about one thing, ‘Clearing The Path to Ascend’, as Yob proceed to play in
full. Mike Scheidt raises a glass to the
crowd ‘Is their any scotch in this vicinity’.
Dedicating the next four songs to Pallbearer. Yob kick off with my favourite
track from their new record ‘In Our Blood’.
Goodness,
gracious, me I'm in doom heaven. This track is just otherworldly. Decadent,
majestic and in equal measures hypnotic. The notes ring out with clarity and
dissident levels of intensity. Close your eyes for a few seconds and the music
envelopes you and you’re spellbound by the sheer brute force of this 3 piece.
This is fucking fat and pendulous stuff. Smashing your ears with audible bursts
of guitar, bass and drums. Mike’s voice is so incredibly poignant and
beautiful. Beguiling if you will. The
breakdown is tranquil and serene, then it’s "Time to wake up" the thundering
riffs vulgar and furious. You can't help
but clinch your fists and grit your teeth. Aaron's bass every bit as brutal,
and percussively Travis is loose but on point smashing his kit into dust.
Into
'Nothing to win' Travis makes his mark and owns this track, reminding me of
Jason Roeder of Neurosis, bringing a tribal feel to his playing. The backbeat is
incredible and at this point I'm thinking new album in full. Yes sirs ill
oblige with my horns in the air and my head nodding in unison. I ask myself can
a grown man cry in delight of hearing one of his favourite bands tear it up on
stage. Answer not quite but pretty damn close. The closing refrain of the
track, Rickenbacher leading the march, Mike raising his glass of whiskey,
Travis smashing his drums. Here comes the onslaught. There maybe ‘Nothing to Win’.
But these guys get the fucking gold medal. Yob at their most primal
‘Unmask
The Spectre’ is somewhat of a change in tone following on from the previous two
tracks. Indeed as it is on record. Mike
Scheidt has that unique phrasing to his riffs. Devastating power meshed with
high open notes giving the sound an angular feel. Again vocally there are
incredible levels of dynamics to his tone, almost operatic, juxtaposed against
the snarling growls. Barking like a bloodthirsty beast. Again the music is like
a heard of rampant elephants wreaking havoc and crushes all that stands in the
way.
All
that's left is a small matter of 'Marrow' and what can be said about this. It's
a song of beauty. A rich tapestry that weaves its way into your senses.
Infecting with such malignancy, and yet, it is wonderful. This is the band at
the pinnacle. This track and more to the
point ‘Clearing The Path to Ascend’ takes you on an incredible journey with
vast expansive musical peaks, the likes of which you wait a lifetime to witness
and then forth you savour the splendid beauty of such a fantastic band in their
element, playing their hearts out and feeding off the adulation from their
loyal and dedicated fans. It's very rare in heavy music for a band to evoke a
feeling of poignancy and yet to me Yob’s music is just that. Its music of
charm, warmth, it truly soars and glides, wings outstretched. Floating and
gliding above the world’s great landscape. That is the essence of Yob. I truly
was in awe that evening, captivated by their brilliance. Heavy music to a fan
is part of their DNA, and Yob has firmly imprinted themselves upon me. For that
Yob I applaud you. An absolutely spellbinding performance, of which as a Yob
fan, I'm unlikely to witness again.
Words by: Aaron
Pickford