Genghis Tron, Tombs, Wetnurse, Black Anvil at Public Assembly, Brooklyn, 04/12/08

Last night was a showcase of a bunch of Relapse Bands at the ever-changing venue, Public Assembly. I walked into the show during Black Anvil's last song. The crowd was into them, and it was fairly packed. I was pleasantly surprised by the large amount of women in attendance... not very typical for these types of shows.

Up next was WetNurse. I knew about these guys in passing, but not much. As the 5 guys took the stage my friend said to me "These guys look like they'll be annoying". So, right away it can be said that image does in fact effect your perception of a band. Hipster clothing is always jarring at a metal show. However, and this is a big fat however, these guys were great. The front man did not stay still for a single second, and thrashed out thick heavy maniacal vocals. Extremely high energy and fun to watch.

Following those guys was a total change in pace with Tombs. Doomy, and droney as fuck, I think its a fair assumption to say that these guys are fans of Neurosis. Lots of reverb and loooooong held chords. This was actually the band I wanted to see the most, and while they were great, sometimes music so slow doesn't translate as well live. It can get boring, but luckily these guys squeaked by that problem, probably because the singer kept the vocals as a pretty fast pace.

Closers of the night was Ghengis Tron. A three piece band with no drummer, and Dillinger Escape Plan-esque stage presence. It was a lively, insane and energetic set that woke everyone up after Tombs more sullen set. There were a few jammy industrial metal type moments throughout the set, but for the most part it was more experimental electronic type metal.