ALBUM REVIEW: Black Tusk, "The Way Forward"

 By: Richard Maw
 
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 26^th April 2024
Label: Season of Mist

“The Way Forward” CD//DD//LP track listing:
 
1). Out Of Grasp
2). Brushfire
3). Harness (The Alchemist)
4). Lessons Through Deception
5). Breath Of Life
6). Dance On Your Grave
7). Against The Undertow
8). Lift Yourself
9). Ocean Of Obsidian
10). Flee From Dawn
11). The Way Forward
 
 
The Review:

Black Tusk are back with another very noisy 35 minutes of punky, sludgy, speedy goodness. These Savannah veterans have been around for some time now and have even survived the tragic death of original bassist/vocalist Jonathan Athon.
 
Since Athon’s last appearance on the “Pillars of Ash” record, we have had a new line-up put forth “Taking Care of Business”, a b-sides comp and now “The Way Forward”. Black Tusk are best compared to an early Mastodon with prevalent punk influences or a punk Baroness without dynamics or texture. If that sounds like your thing- and you’ve never heard the band- you’ll love this.
 
The sound is raw, loud, fast and in your face. The songs are short and to the point; eleven tracks and the first three blaze by with “Harness (The Alchemist)” being my pick of the opening trio with its Motorhead pacing and attitude. Having solidified as a four piece line up, the guitars do more- more interplay and more weight. The drums and bass rumble and thrash very convincingly and the whole effect is gnarly, noisy and absolutely over the top.
 
As the album goes on, the band is taking care of business in the way they know best: as usual. There are no great surprises, no huge changes of direction. While the riffage of “Breath of Life” may reference Fu Manchu, Black Tusk are a much more frenetic kind of beast; revved up and turbo charged.
 
There’s nothing weak here, nothing wasted either. It is exactly what you expect it to be and it is what it is when you first hear it. Perhaps the highest compliment I can pay here is that “The Way Forward” is real! What you hear is what was played. It sounds live and reckless and full of energy. No sound replacements or overproduction- just a tight band playing as hard as they can- kind of like a modern spin on Black Flag mixed up with any of the bands previously mentioned.
 
Truthfully, you can press play on any track here and know EXACTLY what the band is about. “Dance On Your Grave” is great and full on, but I could say that about “Against The Undertow” or “Lift Yourself” or.. any song.
 
Yep, Black Tusk have done it again- they continue to produce noisy and totally committed music in the most unfussy and direct fashion. With the way things are going, we need Black Tusk more than ever. Essential.
 
“The Way Forward” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Black Tusk, "T.C.B.T."

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 17/08/2018

Label: Season of Mist

Black Tusk, as the title of the album suggests, are taking care of business in the most direct and ferocious way. No fat, no let up- just pure high energy rock n roll.

“T.C.B.T.” CS//CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). A Perfect View of Absolutely Nothing
2). Closed Eye
3). Agali
4). Lab Rat
5). Scalped
6). Ghosts Roam
7). Ill At Ease
8). Rest With the Dead
9). Never Ending Daymare
10). Orange Red Dead
11). Whispers
12). Burn the Stars

The Review:

Punk rock fury. That's what Black Tusk are bringing with them to this particular party. Corey Barhorst of Kylesa fame has taken over from Athon (having seen the band live with both line ups, no one could replace Athon, per se) and he holds down the low end and his portion of the vocals impressively and never without anything less than 100% conviction.

Through their previous records, the band has channelled stoner, sludge, metal and rock n roll to go with the punk element, but it is the band's punk tendencies which shine here. The album is raw and angry and the first three tracks after the intro clip by at an astonishing intensity. The sound expands with “Scalped” and “Ghosts Roam”, but the band really are taking care of business in the most direct and ferocious way. No fat, no let up- just pure high energy rock n roll. To say that if you crossed Sick of It All with Mastodon you might get Black Tusk... well, it's not wide of the mark.

I confess to being a big fan of the band and this album was never going to disappoint. Their finishing statement with Athon, “Pillars of Ash”, was reviewed by me for THE SLUDGELORD a couple of years ago and that still stands as a vicious and rocking slab of primal screams- “T.C.B.T.” is different but no less good. Through releases such as “Tend No Wounds” and “Taste The Sin”, Black Tusk have always put their own personal stamp on their approach and sound and have never really sounded like the other Savannah bands (Kylesa, Baroness et al) by virtue of their directness and energy. They remain a different proposition here and perhaps can be viewed as the Motorhead of the Savannah scene: cool, uncompromising and having a good time, all the time- even through the worst times.

Through the twelve tracks here the band are intense and on fire. Sure, not every riff is memorable and not every hook is golden, but the band make up for this with shear commitment and will. Equally, picking stand outs is tricky here as every track has something to offer and every track is bursting with energy. “Never Ending Daymare” is a fine example of what the trio do best; and the energy with which they do it, but I couldn't argue with any listener picking out “Closed Eye” or “Ill At Ease” or... pretty much any song here.

The final three tracks on the record burn just as brightly as the first three and with that, the record is over. If there is any criticism to be levelled here, it is not at the band themselves but the cover art leaves a little to be desired. To go from the beautifully haunting imagery of John Baizley's art work on previous releases to the stark black and white dullness of the cover here, well, it should have been better.

That said, Black Tusk, as the title of the album suggests, are taking care of Black Tusk (“T.C.B.T.”) in the only way they know how: with full on enthusiasm. The album is a joy to hear and shows that triumph can come from tragedy and can happen without compromise. I for one am very glad that the band are still around. We are lucky to have them.

“T.C.B.T.” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

Black Tusk - "Pillars of Ash" (Album Review)

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 29/01/2016

Label:  Relapse Records

As per previous records, you get a kind of Southern sludge Motorhead: “God's On Vacation” roars out of your speakers and then “Desolation of Endless Times” just levels you. This is visceral stuff and has absolutely every needle in the red. Truly, the record form thereon in is pretty much unstoppable. To say that there is anything new here or any kind of left turn would be inaccurate. It is Black Tusk, more of the same; heads down and flat out.  The new era of Black Tusk should be celebrated as the band have chosen to push forwards after a most horrendous event. Their life force refuses to be dimmed, and this record is a shining example of grace under pressure and as fine a statement of intent as you will find.

“Pillars of Ash” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). God’s on Vacation

2). Desolation in Endless Times

3). Bleed on Your Shoes

4). Born of Strife

5). Damned in the Ground

6). Beyond the Divide

7). Black Tide

8). Still not Well

9). Walk Among the Sky

10). Punkout

11). Leveling

The Review:

Black Tusk are a great band. A power trio of enormous power and life force. Tragically, of course, Athon- the bass player and co-vocalist died after a motorcycle accident back in 2014. This record, and the band's prior albums, stands as testament to his life in music and what he stood for. Uncompromising rock and roll at maximum volume is contained herein.

There is eleven tracks on offer here. All to the point, raucous and so full of joie de vivre. Having seen them in London on Athon's last visit to these shores, I knew that live they took no prisoners and just played full on and joyously.

As per previous records, you get a kind of Southern sludge Motorhead: “God's On Vacation” roars out of your speakers and then “Desolation of Endless Times” just levels you. This is visceral stuff and has absolutely every needle in the red. Truly, the record form thereon in is pretty much unstoppable. To say that there is anything new here or any kind of left turn would be inaccurate. It is Black Tusk, more of the same; heads down and flat out. They lack the commercial and progressive leanings of Mastodon, say, and are a very different proposition to fellow Savannah dwellers Baroness. They operate within their own niche; a combination of those bands, Kylesa and Motorhead.

There is no let up as “Born of Strife” pushes the tempo, threatening to veer out of control at any moment. “Damned in the Ground” is more measured, but still a hell of a noise. Riffs and pounding drums, screams and rumbling bass tones. Incredibly, the half way point of “Beyond The Divide” flies past as the album just relentlessly ploughs on through “Black Tide” and onwards. The production is excellent, by the way; live and raw sounding with real drums and guitars sounding like they were played through amps which were turned up to the max. “Still Not Well” turns out to be something of a highlight in the latter stages of the album, but honestly it is hard to pick stand outs. Generally, all the music here is great and all played with total commitment to the cause of making noisy rock and roll. It is perhaps fair to say that there are no huge hooks, no truly memorable melodies. Instead you get an approach, and attitude and a sound that is uniform and consistent throughout.

By the time of the hardcore inflected “Walk Among The Sky” and “Punk Out” the record is drawing to a close and it is fair to say that it has clipped past at a fast rate. “Leveling” closes proceedings and marks the end of an era for the band. With Athon gone, the band press on with a new man on bass and vocals. The new era of Black Tusk should be celebrated as the band have chosen to push forwards after a most horrendous event. Their life force refuses to be dimmed, and this record is a shining example of grace under pressure and as fine a statement of intent as you will find. 2016 is off to a flying musical start. 

“Pillars of Ash” is available here

FFO: Kylesa, Mastodon, Baroness, High on Fire

Band info: bandcamp | facebook

'The Road to Death to False Metal': GodHunter –vs – Destroyer of Light ‘Endsville’ Tour Diary - Leg Two: Day 10-18

 By: Jake Brazelton & Keegan Kjeldsen

Day 10 - Indianapolis (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): On our very first tour, we played a place called Indy's Jukebox, which got bought out and is now called the 5th Quarter - our stop in Indianapolis for Endsville. Returning there was surreal. The last time, we played with Apostle of Solitude (who showed up this time and were nice enough to give us a place to stay) and the great Black Tusk (RIP Athon). Needless to say, it was a 'full circle' kind of moment, although the murderous stairs have been improved under new management. Conjurer slayed it hard - I was admittedly blazed out of my mind and managed to stand long enough to watch them, albeit through my shades. Yes, I wore my sunglasses at night and I didn't even bash the hell out of my shins. Indy treated both us and Godhunter very well this time. The bathrooms did not. I don't know if it's because there's literally a gym on the top floor and all the body odour just accumulates or if the innards of the bar patrons are just downright wretched (we probably contributed on that front). But all that was forgotten by the great support from a host of old and new friends and fans. The only scent that stuck with us at the end of the night was the sweet smell of love. And weed.

Day 11 - Louisville Kentucky (Jake from Godhunter): Sometimes a town has ways of surprising you. Louisville was definitely one of these kinds of towns. We rolled into town a little early so we could stop by the Lousville Deathfest to check out our buds in Immortal Bird. They were playing in what looked like a warehouse kind of building next to an abandoned silo. Immortal Bird ripped apart a sea of dudes in black shirts and their girlfriends. We then drove down to the Mag Bar which is a rad little dive in a weird part of town. Tonight was just us and Destroyer of Light so we weren't in any kind of rush to get set up. We played our set to Destroyer of Light and like one other dude but that dude bought a shirt. So we were 1 for 1 on fans in Kentucky. The owner of Mag Bar was one of the coolest dudes we met on tour. He kind of looks like a shorter hipster version of Abe Lincoln and told us approximately a million dad jokes while smoking a blunt with us.

Day 12 - Raleigh (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): It was a doomed night at The Pour House after a looong all-night and all-morning drive straight from Louisville. With multiple drivers and room enough for two to sleep, it can be done - but we don't recommend it unless you absolutely know what you're doing. If everyone's tired, pull off at a rest stop and sleep for a few hours. You don't even need to set an alarm when you tour in summer: the sun will helpfully commence with burning you to a crisp as soon as it comes up, a friendly nudge that it's time to wake up and drive. Needless to say, we spent most of our time after coming into Raleigh sleeping, dreaming of Lone Star, nachos, cowgirls and all the other things we miss about Texas. At the bar, The Hag woke us the fuck up with their punishing style of sludge-grunge, as well as Bitter Resolve, whose name fit their sound perfectly. They were aggressive and thunderous, and got the blood flowing before Endsville descended on Raleigh. For future reference: no drinking alcohol in the parks of Raleigh... Unless you have a permit.

Day 13 - Charleston, WV (Jake from Godhunter): #picklemouth 

Day 14 - Pittsburgh (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): We've been known to wax poetic about Pittsburgh, especially about the striking view of the city you get when coming in. Tunnel after tunnel through hills and mountains... then, bam. You come out onto a bridge and see the full majesty of the city: the river, the bridges, the hills, and the unique skyline. We seriously can't say enough good things about it. The weather was close to perfect and the wind was refreshing when up in the hills. But, oh yeah, there's hills everywhere, and that makes loading gear a special kind of pain in the nuts. Still, I'm always happy to return to Gooski's for more pierogies, sausage, kraut and wings: playing on Polish Hill has its benefits. After watching Slaves BC and Outlander blast the smallish room in the back of the bar, we were ready for a tight show, and Jeff and Dick jammed bass on the floor. After load-out (my favorite part of tour), Max from Dendritic Arbor was kind enough to put us up for the night, and we got cuddly with some big, fuzzy cats (my actual favorite part of tour).

Day 15 - Buffalo, NY (Jake from Godhunter):  I need to tell you guys something. Western New York is beautiful. We tried to leave early so we could hang out at Niagara Falls for a few hours but we woke up way too late so we only got to stop for fifteen minutes or so. The Falls are insane though. Mist in the air, tourists everywhere, and crazy ass ducks chilling in the water right before the falls. Crazy shit. David's cousin who live in Buffalo showed us and DoL a ton of love by cooking us up some burgers and letting us hang out before the show. We get down to Mohawk Bar where we got to watch a drunk guy get thrown out of the bar, call the cops on the bar for refusing service to him and when the cops showed up they told him "Get your shit, take your head out of your ass and get out of here." After all of this, Bastard Lord brought the hammer of doom down on the crowd before it was time for Endsville. Buffalo is an interesting place. I'd definitely play here again.

Day 16 - Brooklyn (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): Driving into NYC during rush hour is an Odyssey of torture that filled me with enough suffering to write three funeral doom records. Pro tip: iPhones can't handle New York. They can't figure out where the hell they are and you end up getting re-routed through Times fucking Square. Yeah, that happened. After our souls and bladders were crushed for several hours, we reached St. Vitus Bar and remembered why we come to New York. It felt like a metal mecca of sorts, and it was awesome to meet up with Immortal Bird again, this time to play a show. While we were unloading in a bus zone, a city bus pulled up right behind us and the driver got out. We were sure it was to tell us to move our asses, but a lady on the bus, the only passenger shouted that it wasn't her stop. The driver shrugged and said, "I'm gonna eat a sandwich at this deli. Sorry", then walked right past us. Got to meet the mighty Frank Huang of Pit Full of Shit. Immortal Bird's performance was brutal and technical, but without crossing into prog territory. After some very loud sets from the Endsville tour, we drank, partied and mourned the toll money we'd parted with earlier that day. We parted ways with tour buddies Immortal Bird, but not for the last time: Death to False Metal Fest awaits in two days!

Day 17 - Salem, MA (Jake from Godhunter): Salem might have been one of the best on this tour. We got into the witchy world of Salem early so we could check out some of the sights before the party started. We got a taste of what the witch trials were like by seeing the re-enactment and dungeon tour at the Witch Dungeon Museum before checking out some of the cemeteries. After we got done with all of our touristy bullshit, we got to one of the most strangest venues we have ever played, Koto Sushi Restaurant. I've never played an actual sit down restaurant before so I had no idea what to expect but fuck Salem, you dudes know how to party. We had people who came out to the show from Boston and some from as far as Maine to see this show. After letting the close the sit down aspect of the restaurant, the bands set up on the floor across from the bar. After the venue filled up, Led to the Grave thrashed and shredded the energetic crowd and set everything up perfectly for Endsville to lay waste to Koto. During our set, an extremely inebriated dude was rocking out a bit too hard and almost knocked over Dick before his buddy took him off somewhere to sleep it off for the night. After wrapping up the music we shared some booze and stories with all of our new friends, it was time to hit the road again. Salem fucking rules and Koto fucking rules.

Day 18 - Hamden, Death to False Metal Fest (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): We've been calling this the 'traffic tour', because we've managed to hit awful traffic almost every drive so far, and the road to Death to False Metal was no different. Jeff walked side-by-side with the van for a bit as we inched along, because sometimes you gotta smoke and we weren't going faster than walking distance. We rolled into the parking lot with little time to spare before loading in gear for Godhunter's set. The Outer Space stage where we both played was agonizingly small - and given the size of the room and the loudness of the bands there, I'm guessing it was incredibly loud. I'm guessing because my hearing has been systematically destroyed already, so who knows. Needless to say, I approve of that: Godhunter, Destroyer of Light and Secret Cutter all shared gear and blasted the audience in what could only be called a 'heavy metal lounge party'. Just outside, metalheads strummed away at acoustic guitars, and finally Archaic Decapitator finished the night on the small stage with their technical death assault. Meanwhile, at the ballroom, Grizzlor's raw, reckless abandon was followed up by the power doom of Demon Eye and Nasty Disaster's nasty brand of heavy metal. Immortal Bird kicked up the harshness and freakout level in preparation for Krieg's black metal blitz. Good people run this fest, and I can only hope that the discovery of another fest with the same name will only be a minor hurdle: while the fest may not be keeping the name, every band performed their asses off. Hats off to everyone involved.

Band info: Godhunter Facebook| DOL Facebook

Tending To Wounds: A Legacy Without Athon

Jonathan Vincent Athon
(Photo by: Angela Boatright)

Andrew Fidler unzips a little black bag and pulls out the glass jar that takes shelter inside it. Decorated with an oval card picturing the late Jonathan Athon, smiling as he always was with his long, almost wizard like beard, inside is what remains of him. I’ve never seen a dead man’s ashes before, hell I didn’t even know why they were white – instantly an image of Keith Richards snorting a line of his father’s ashes comes to mind, empty bottles of Jack scattered about, Keef cackling in a drug fuelled haze. But coupling itself with that debaucherous image is one of a more stark, poignant nature. Like a lead weight to the chest on a chokingly cold and bitter day, my own sense of mortality hit me and hit me hard. In this small, thin jar before my very eyes was what’s left of a man – and a giant one at that – I had the pleasure of meeting, speaking to, laughing with and being graced by the presence of his towering but graceful, charming and life-loving character.

News of Athon’s death came crawling out of the darkness unexpectedly. Like a tarantula breaking out from its hiding place to strike upon its prey, death had come without warning. His motorbike had crashed into an oncoming lorry – one that had left his girlfriend, who was on the back of the bike, in intensive care and with mountainous medical fees – and that was it.

Yet the band speaks matter of factly about it all: “Athon’s dead,” Andrew had remarked, relating to the reality of it all with an admirably brave face. “But we made a decision. Black Tusk has been going for ten years as of this year so it’s been a defining part of our lives and we didn’t wanna stop it. Athon put ten years of his life into this too, the last ten years of his life, and he wouldn’t wanna see it,” he stops to click his long fingers, the sound they produce echoing briefly in the backstage dressing room where we sat, “go up in smoke just like that.”

“It’s what I would have wanted if it was be who had died,” chimes drummer James May. “I wouldn’t want people other people to stop doing music because of me. At the end of the day,” he starts to point around the room to the rest of the band one by one, “him, him and me are all musicians first. I wouldn’t want them to not play music anymore because I had died. And the band is a little bigger than just us now so we want to keep going.”

Says Andrew: “It’s different without Athon. Black Tusk is kinda taking on a new identity, but Corey [Barhorst, the band’s new bass player] is our brother, he’s been our friend for over ten years. We’re tackling it head on. We have a good chemistry on stage and we’re forging new territory now.

“We had to decide what we were gonna do pretty quickly because we already had this tour with Black Label booked,”adds James. “If we were gonna back out of it we were gonna have to let the Black Label guys know as soon as possible. We had to cancel a US tour because that was like two weeks after so it was just not gonna happen.

Their answers may be blunt, but the transparency with which they’ve carried out their actions since Athon’s untimely passing have bashed away any talk of them continuing the band for any other reason than for the love of what they do and to continue Athon’s legacy in the best possible way as if such talk were merely fly hovering around their freshly made lunch.

When I greeted the band, led to their dressing room by their burly merch guy, Tim, I was forced to apologise once more for the dreary, overcast Mancunian weather. I swear, every time there isn’t an American band in town the weather is delightful, but as soon as they head to our city, the weather gods decide to spitefully give the visitors a taste of traditional northern atmosphere. But Andrew laughs, waving his hand nonchalantly: “We’ve been round the block a few times so we know what to expect.” And it’s that travelling which reflects their legacy. 2015 is their tenth year as a band, they’ve toured the American homeland and Europe umpteen times and this time around, they simply refused to do it without their dearly departed brother and comrade.    

“We were talking with Athon’s mother and she gave me his ashes. We’ve been spreading a little bit as we go, so I’ve gotta make this last six weeks. We’ve done a bunch of spots in the UK already and in mainland Europe,” Andrews tells me, cradling the jar of ashes in his hands. Pictures of the band sprinkling the ashes across Europe in serene locations, accompanied by the simple hashtag #ripathon are incredibly moving. But for a travelling musician who loved life as much as Athon did – even from my brief meeting with him a few years ago that was painstakingly obvious – to spend the rest of his days in a vase on a mantelpiece simply wouldn’t feel right. Now he floats down the River Cylde, down Hamburg’s Elbe River, in Amsterdam, in the La Seine River in Paris and more. It’s beautiful and it’s perfect. 

Andrew: “A Savannah artist called Pan Handle Slim, who’s pretty popular back home, makes paintings of famous people with quotes by them. When he heard about Athon he wanted to do one for him. It’s a pretty big painting so we’ve hung it at the bar where he used to work and drink and where we still work and drink so that’s nice.”

Corey: “Normally he does reasonably small paintings but this one is fucking big and he did it within three days of his death. He was also the vocalist for This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb.”

And so, as that jar of ashes slowly empties, what lies in store for Black Tusk? With their forthcoming album already written and recorded before Athon’s death, it would appear that his legacy has one last song to sing.

“We’re shooting for a summer release of the record so we’ll start touring again then including some European festival dates,” Andrew reveals before adding, teasingly that “we have a name but I’m not gonna tell you!

“We’re now starting to pick out the lyrics and find a common theme across the album. We’ve then gotta deliver that to John Baizley [Baroness and artist of the band’s album covers] and let him make something of it. You never have a clue what you’re gonna get back, it’s always amazing but it’s never what you expect or anything like you had imagined in your head. We have our hand in what we want in the art, we have our ideas. I always have a picture in my head of what I imagine it to be like so we have direction in the art but what we get is his version of that which is awesome. Then he starts to explain all the elements of it and how there’s lots of little references to things we were talking about. He never lets you see it until it’s done.”

“Athon and John both have art degrees and graduated art college so they have all this art history knowledge so they’d always go back and forth referencing different things and John would slide little aspects of that into all the covers,” concludes Andrew with a retrospective smile, a glint of something in his bright eyes. “You know, this tour is a chance for us to play in front of people who’ve never seen us before, so that next time we play Manchester hopefully there will be more people at our shows. We just need to keep building and reach new people who would have never found us otherwise.”
Onwards they forge, then, to charters new, adding to what has been a crazy but immense ten years for the band. They may have lost a brother and comrade in the physical sense, they may have lost a man who’s colourful character filled every room he walked in, but backstage here in Manchester, there is no sense of emptiness. Death is such a hollow thing. Those unfortunate enough to attend a funeral can vouch for that. But here, there is not that same sense of loss hanging overhead and that’s because the spirit, legacy and love that Jonathan Athon possessed is still very much with us. God bless Black Tusk. 

Words and interview by: Phil Weller

For more information:

https://www.facebook.com/BlackTusk | http://www.blacktuskterror.com/

Live Review: BLACK LABEL SOCIETY + Black Tusk + Crobot @ Leeds O2 Academy, Sunday 15th February 2015

Having visited the Academy for Machine Head back in December 2014, I knew that the venue was well run, had good acoustics and had a balcony. Having never actually seen Zakk Wyle play, despite having been listening to his playing since “No More Tears” in 1992 (!), I thought a seated gig would be the right option. Coupled with an annoying head cold and a Sunday night, seating really did turn out to be the way forward. I arrived at the venue just after Crobot's set started. The band is a hard rock combo; think Whitesnake or The Answer or similar. They were good and tight, but not for me; I have to confess that I spent most of the set in the bar.

Following them, I took my seat for Black Tusk. I had seen Black Tusk a year or two ago at the Barfly in London and they ripped it up big time that night. Now, of course, without their bass player and de facto front-man/talisman Athon following a tragic motorbike crash last year. Nonetheless, the band has recruited Corey Barhorst for touring duties in order to bring their power trio Savannah sound to the masses.

The Leeds crowd, although filling the hall, did not seem to really know what to make of them at first. For the uninitiated, they are kind of like a sludge Motorhead or a prime numbers Mastodon. They were good and tight with Andrew Fidler playing driving guitar and nailing his vocal parts and Jamie May on drums filling in for Athon's vocal parts admirably. I hope that Black Tusk continue past this tour, as I enjoy their music hugely and wish them nothing but the best. It is testament to their determination that they had won over a good portion of the crowd by the time they finished. No mean feat, considering the crowd was an odd mix of metallers, rock fans and... people who looked like they had never been to a gig in their lives!

After that, the atmosphere grew with a sense of anticipation for genuine metal royalty. Zakk is now 48 years old (we looked it up afterwards) and has been playing at the top level for nearly thirty years! The skull and rocker flag that covered the front of the stage as a curtain ratcheted up the tension and the mash-up intro of Whole Lotta Love/War Pigs set the tone and stamped Wylde's lineage on the night. When the band started to play ‘The Beginning...At Last’ from ‘Sonic Brew’ and the curtain fell, I knew what I was in for: professional American metal, delivered at a volume so loud that even though I was wearing ear plugs, my ears are ringing today. I have seen Motorhead many times and most extreme bands of note you can name, but this was easily the loudest gig I have ever attended. Ear splitting does not cover it. The stage was lined with six full Marshall stacks (2 x cabs, 2 x heads) with a further four cabs at the front of the drum riser. In short, it looked formidable and incredibly metal. This was to be a SHOW, a proper gig with showmanship, dry ice, lights and all the bombast you would expect from a man who looks exactly like a cartoon Viking.

I think that ‘Funeral Bell’ followed, then ‘Bleed For Me’ (from the excellent ‘1919 Eternal’). Heavy does not cover it; on record, yes it is metal and on the Pantera spectrum of heavy, perhaps... Live, and with the level of power on stage, this was monumentally crushing. Wylde played with full commitment; he had a box step next to his mic, so he could be seen from the back ripping out the solos. He was ringmaster to this circus of power and insanity. The best (ie heavier) material from ‘Catacombs of the Black Vatican’ opus of 2014 followed. It is an album that has not really grown on me over time- solid but just not full on enough for my liking. Live, though, the selections made sense. ‘Suicide Messiah’ nearly took the roof off: pure power and tight playing. Around two thirds of the way through the set, Zakk ripped out a solo of perhaps 6-8 minutes in length, the crowd lapping it up as he took centre stage alone to demonstrate exactly why you pay your money. Metal these days is missing characters- Wylde is one who is known to a lot of people, and generally recognised as a superb guitar player (particularly his picking hand, so I am told). 

As an interviewee/persona, many find him boorish and his tough guy/biker schtick can seem rather too... aggressive for some tastes. In a live setting it all makes sense; it's entertainment, larger than life and twice as loud. The band positively SHREDDED ‘Godspeed Hellbound’ from the underrated “Order of The Black” album of 2010. It was relentlessly powerful and expertly played, the band backing Wylde may be devoid of big names like Robert Trujillo these days, but they were undoubtedly world class. Dario Lorina made an admirable foil for Wylde on guitar (covering superbly, when Wylde broke a string) and Jeff Fabb played superb drums- technical and tight with fluidity around the kit and excellent hand/foot interplay. John DeServio rounded out the band with lots of showmanship on bass.

Wylde got to flex yet more musical muscle with a piano solo (!) and a now obligatory version of ‘In This River’ (complete with Dime flags over the amps). A surprising and pleasing version of ‘The Blessed Hellride’ made use of 12 string guitars before a weighty ‘Concrete Jungle’ and ‘Still Born’ finished off the set and everyone's hearing. The show was superbly put together, expertly played and vastly entertaining. Wylde cut an imposing and engaging figure throughout, he looked EXACTLY as the music sounded: muscular, brash, large, bombastic and over the top. There are not too many rock stars any more, but as long as Zakk Wylde is still playing there will always be at least one! One of the best gigs I have ever been to, no doubt.

Black Tusk - Vulture's Eye EP (Review)

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 24/6/2014

Label: Hyperrealist/A Pefect Monster

‘Vulture's Eye’ DD/Vinyl track listing:

1). Vulture’s Eye 03:58

2). Screaming Inside Myself 03:48

The Band:

Jonathan Athon | Bass, Vocals

James May | Drums, Vocals

Andrew Fidler | Guitars, Vocals

Review:

A rolling snare and fuzzed out bass herald the return of Black Tusk for this raucous two track single (or is that an EP?). Format uncertainty aside, ‘Vulture's Eye’ finds the band in noisy and punk-ish form. As close to Black Flag as it is Mastodon, the riffs come thick and fast, the vocals screamed and forceful... and that is only the first one and a half minutes! There are tempo changes and cyclical motifs aplenty as the band go for it. No subtlety here, but a must for fans of either of the aforementioned bands and for old Black Tusk disciples alike.

‘Screaming Inside Myself’ is similarly adrenaline fuelled, but opts for a slightly more melodic approach- in the opening at least. Great production helps out both tracks- it is noisy but easy to pick out the instruments, and the drums sound reassuringly live and well battered. Again, the riffs come thick and fast- the one just before the two minute mark is a cracker- and the band keep you interested with strong hooks as they bludgeon their way into your consciousness.

All in all, this is business as usual for a great band. Pick this up on vinyl or as a download- your money will be well spent and then catch them live next time they play near you. You won’t be disappointed and you will definitely have a good time!

Words by: Richard Maw

You can get digitally everywhere now

For more information:

https://www.facebook.com/BlackTusk

http://www.blacktuskterror.com/

Live Review : Black Tusk, Alter Ego, Manchester, UK, 9th October 2013

Black Tusk Live Review
Manchester, Alter Ego 9^th October 2013

There are a maximum of 30 people in the room. Bassist Jonathan Athon is admirably honest to say that it hurts playing to so few people, it can be demeaning. To travel half way across the world to play to a small cluster of fans can be a harsh reality check. Yet, those in attendance more than make up for the lack of numbers. Drinks flow and everyone can get up close and personal with the band, creating a constant stream of interaction between the two. For a band so used to playing house parties for fun in their home town of Georgia, this was an extension of that.

Main man Andrew Fidler warned me before the show that it was going to be loud. I may have underestimated the statement. In the tight confines of the venue their dirty, snarling sound pinballed off the walls as Enemy of Reason pounded at your ear drums.

Black Tusk are a no frills kind of band and they show they produced exemplified that in the best possible fashion. Their simplistic songs had brilliant driving rhythms that shook the floor and got the crowd moving.

The ferocious Truth Untold draws the best reaction of the night and gets a few more heads banging and Athon jumps into the crowd to make things even more intimate.   

Fidler’s rasping guitar tone and Athon’s booming bass combined to form a giant wall of sound, all underpinned by James May’s (no, not that one) animalistic drum work. It was a set packing enough punch and power to full crowds four times the size as this one, which seemed a crying shame that they aren’t doing that. But they played with full hearts, giving every second, every note everything that possibly had to give. The music industry can be harsh and cruel, but here we witnessed a courage and determination that, if there is any justice, will pay dividends in the long run.

It was, in all, a fantastic show. But, there was always a lingering sense of disappointment in the air, from both the band and the fans. The small audience never quite mustered up the party atmosphere this band required, that the night required to make it truly special.  

Words by : Phil Weller

You can read Phil's review of Black Tusk's latest record here

For more information :

Black Tusk on Facebook

Black Tusk on Twitter
Black Tusk on Bandcamp