Following the massive, downtrodden aural
assault of Denver Doom Fest III there are few acts that could manage to fill
the abysmal void left in my soul after that two-day event. But it just so
happens that Uzala are one of those acts. The band has enlisted psych-doom
guitar wizard Mike Scheidt to perform an acoustic set of solo material for this
particular tour along with a variety of supporting acts dependent on location.
For this stop of the tour local acts Munimula and Space In Time were brought
into the fold, thus solidifying a well-rounded night of tunes - (by Steve Miller)
MUNIMULA
Getting things started off to a hobbled,
bloated crawl was the Denver three-piece Munimula. I hadn’t caught these guys
before, but they were the perfect way to kick-off the night. The band launched
into their set like a high diver plunging into a vat of viscous sludge—smashing
headfirst into a suffocatingly heavy stasis. Deep, heavy grooves eventually
deteriorated into the sonic equivalent of a corpse decomposing. Feedback and
swirling noise encapsulated by heavy riffs along with a measure of harsh vocals
seem to be the band’s calling card.
MIKE SCHEIDT
Having been a fan of Yob for several years I
was pretty psyched to catch Mike playing a low-key acoustic set. Not only does
the man flat-out destroy with an electric guitar, but he is equally adept
playing softer, acoustic material. His set consisted of both original material
and a couple of covers, including a Townes Van Zandt cover. Sorry, I must have
been living under a rock because I didn’t know the other cover. I was pretty
blown away by both his set and his voice—he can definitely belt out a tune. I
felt pretty fortunate to have witnessed Yob a couple of times in the past and
now to have caught a more intimate performance from the front man. Damn,
catching him live has me really anticipating the release of his new project
with Tad Doyle and Aaron Edge, Lumbar.
SPACE IN TIME
Another new local act for me was Denver’s own
Space In Time. The band blasted through an impressive 70’s inspired set that
covered proto-metal, hard rock, and doom in equal measures. The band was
extremely tight and boasted some great, powerful vocals. To top things off the
band dug deep into some nuggets and played a cover of Sir Lord Baltimore’s
“Helium Head (I Got A Love)” and they killed it. Space In Time’s high energy
set broke up the night nicely. Looking forward to catching this four-piece
again.
UZALA
There are few bands that could drag me out of
the house and leave me with only three-and-a-half hours of sleep before a
string of twelve hour work days. I caught Uzala last year—also at 3 Kings—with
The Flight of Sleipnir and both bands were nothing short of amazing. This time
around I’ll admit I was a bit wary as Uzala would now be performing as a
three-piece since the departure of bassist Nick Phit. As the band launched into
“Death Masque” my worries were put at ease. Despite the lack of bass the tunes still
sounded full and heavy and, as the band played material from the new album, it
also made me realize what a fantastic job Tad did with capturing the band’s
live sound on ‘Tales of Blood & Fire’. In addition to “Death Masque” the
band played the entirety of the new album with the unfortunate exception of
“Tenement of the Lost” which had to be sacrificed due to time constraints. Not
only has Uzala, again, released one of the best albums of the year, but they’ve
managed to recreate that sound in a live performance.
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