Sorry, it's a bad cellphone snapshot, but it still conveys everything that I need to say about Bobby Liebling and Pentagram. Insanity... Captivating and cringe-worthy... A consummate performer... Echoes of Michael Jackson (crotch-grabs galore) and Mick Jagger in his stage movement. I had to look up the last time that I saw Pentagram... December 7, 1993, at The Grand in New York, with Cathedral, Iron Man, and 13... and I remember that even being a slightly awkward show to take in, way back then. But what a fucking amazing line-up of bands! Liebling is so out-of-step with the "usual" metal thing that it makes things all that more jaw-dropping. Classic, old-school hard-rock stage presence... But he is just so intense of a character at this point. Just look online... I'd rather not go into disparaging detail. Two encores, or was it three? Well, they wrapped things up with "Sign of the Wolf (Pentagram)" - which was great to hear - and "Relentless" (if I remember correctly???) - and those followed "20 Buck Spin" and the early "Walk in the Blue Light" - so it was nice that some key early material got plenty of attention. What else? I enjoyed The Atlas Moth more than I ever have before... they were pretty massive sounding, last night, and a bit less Neurosis-like than I have previously perceived them. And Nachtmystium were straight up devastating! The songs from the new album and the new EP ("Doomsday Derelicts") were steamrollers... Big riffs, big sound, psychedelic, tight as hell, and so far beyond black metal... and the Usurper connection (Jon Necromancer) only makes things better and better.
Edit: After just listening to their first two albums, I am no longer satisfied with their set list from last night... it just dawned on me that they did not play "Madman" and it has to be their ultimate song in my opinion...
No actual YouTube videos for it... just a "static logo" clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHBmxZFulqs
And a pre-historic version by Death Row:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StGETFSlWuI
Neither are worth embedding...
Off to see Sonic Youth and White/Light tonight...
