It was great to see Pallbearer back in Toronto–and as a four-piece this time. Last time they came to town, on a wicked-awesome lineup with High on Fire and Lucifer, their bassist didn’t make it across the border. But they managed to sneak him in for this one, even if he had to wear a disguise–as you’ll see later.
Now, when I first saw the openers on this bill, I wasn’t sure if I’d bother to show up early. I hadn’t even heard of Bask, and isn’t Kayo Dot a noise band or something? But I still made it to Lee’s a couple minutes before eight, and I’m glad I did. All three bands on the bill blended the heavy with the melody to make for an expertly curated evening.
North Carolina’s Bask did have some Pallbearer influences to their proceedings, particularly in the vocal department. But there was also a bit of Neurosis here and there, and a couple riffs from the Sleep catalogue–skull bong sold separately!
Veteran post-rockers Kayo Dot have put out about 10 albums and a number of splits in the past 20 years, so I wasn’t sure exactly what we were gonna get. However, their set did tend toward the slow, the sparse and melodic, with several languid notes left to linger for added effect. And they even threw in some synthesizers, which perfectly complemented their bassist’s George Michael mullet.
Now, I haven’t heard Pallbearer’s new album yet, but I’d heard mixed opinions bout it, with the crux of the issue being that it might not be doomy enough for the Doomity Club. But from what I heard last night, the new songs sounded right at home with the rest of the Pallbearer canon. With a handful of albums under their belts, they had ample material for an 80-minute set…and I don’t think any song was much shorter than 10 minutes.
