Regrettably we were late getting to the Marquis Theater for a variety of reasons, but hordes of people milling about LoDo on a Saturday evening combined with the wave of masses spilling forth from Coors Field post-Rockies game didn’t really help matters much. Despite being late we were able to catch a couple of tunes from Denver’s own Wayfarer, a band that I’ve been meaning to catch live and the first of two bands with a connection to the excellent blackened doom quintet Stoic Dissention. Their self-proclaimed “Music for Mountains” is an apt description for their atmospheric brand of blackened post-metal. Hoping to catch a full set from these guys in the future as I was really digging what I heard. A great way to lead things off for SubRosa.
The progressive-minded Dreadnought, a band also connected to Stoic Dissention, gave a killer performance that was both eclectic and intriguing. Occasional use of flute and mandolin tastefully embellished their set with folky atmospherics that were often counterbalanced with crashing waves of distortion and blackened vocals. Aside from the unconventional instrumentation the band also heavily relies on keyboards and clean vocal harmonies to further their sonic explorations. Definitely a band to check out, particularly if you are interested in creative, yet challenging tunes.
Let me just start of by saying that SubRosa did not disappoint—they were heavier than on any of their albums and Rebecca Vernon’s guitar tone was simply killer and her voice sounded amazing. With that said, it was initially disappointing that Sarah Pendleton was absent from the show. The disappointment quickly faded because the band delivered on all fronts and I can only surmise that the absence of Pendleton’s violin and vocals simply dialed back the atmospherics a degree. While the band mostly played songs from ‘More Constant Than the Gods’ (Review
HERE) they really killed it with “Beneath the Crown” from 2011’s ‘No Help for the Mighty Ones’.
Other set highlights included “Fat of the Ram” and “Affliction” which sounded particularly surreal and warped courtesy of Kim Pack’s violin picking. “Ghosts of a Dead Empire” was particularly moving—mostly due Vernon’s voice and vocal melodies toward the end of the song. SubRosa ended the night with “The Usher” which found Kim providing the counterpoint to Rebecca’s mournful vocals. Based on their performance I can’t wait to catch them again in October with In the Company of Serpents and Neurosis.
SubRosa Homepage
SubRosa Facebook
SubRosa Bandcamp
Dreadnought Facebook
Dreadnought Bandcamp
Wayfarer Facebook
Wayfarer Bandcamp
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