Graveyard and Devil Electric was one of the more well attended shows that I’ve seen at Crowbar in recent times, and going by the amount of Devil Electric T-Shirts I saw roaming about beforehand, the opening band had plenty of support. However by the time Graveyard came on the room was akin to a sardine can.
Not having encountered Devil Electric before, my first impression was ‘Sabbath in an evening dress’, and as far as templates go, it’s not a bad one to follow. Bouncy, meaty Black Sabbath riffs, with singer Pierina conducting proceedings like a 70’s ‘witchsploitation’ movie. All of which is fine and good, and the faithful lap it up, but by the end of the set, it felt a bit one note. There were some cool vocal melodies, which seemed to stray from the blueprint, because ‘Shadowman’ and ‘Lady Velvet’ stood out so much, perhaps a curve ball or sidestep to keep things fresh might be an idea. Although what do I know? Given the reception they got, the Devil Electric have plenty of willing devotees, and I’m guessing they made some more converts tonight.
Graveyard come on to the strains of ‘J.L.T’ by 70s prog band T2, which sets the ominous tone nicely. But mood setting aside, the ace that the Swedish gravediggers have in their hands is the quality of their songs. They burrow their way under your skin and make themselves at home in your brain well after the first listen – I had a bunch of slightly unsettling Scandinavian Blues psych rock freak outs peeking through the window of my subconscious all the way home.
‘Walk On’ was a great opener, although the muddy sound muted the wah-drenched middle section, but it kinda suited the classic 70’s garage vibe overall. By the 3rd song, the band were well and truly shaking off the mud & detritus, getting the crowd well and truly rocking… “Ooh la la boys & girls”.
‘Uncomfortably Numb’ gained a big welcome… as loud a reception as a fairly straight-ahead Blues workout has any right to by a fairly metal oriented crowd. Rightly so though, this was a highlight. Bird of Paradise continued down Blues street via Hendrix Avenue, filling the packed room with a steamy vibe, guitarist Jonatanan Larocca-Ramm was in his element.
I find it interesting that there’s always a section of any crowd who take an moody section of a gig as an opportunity to have loud conversations with each other trying to make themselves heard (to everyone in the vicinity) over the music but anyway…
‘Please Don’t’ brings back the heavy, another winner. ‘Low (I wouldn’t mind)’ had a chug-chugging, train vibe, driven along by the rumbling engine of Truls Mörck on bass (not to be confused with Truls Mørk of course). Although Singer Joakim Nilsson declared this might be the last, the crowd was not letting Graveyard off without an encore, the “Gothenburgers” duly obliged, giving the Crowbar one last gem to carry them into the night. I arrived home to hear the distant sound of a train, chug-chugging in the distance, driven by a group of long haired Swedes, smiling knowingly.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Adam Sivewright
