Desertfest New York 2024 – Friday
The time to fly into New York City for Desertfest from Asheville had finally arrived. After a relatively short flight, the empty landscape beneath me gave way to larger and larger cities until I flew right into the heart of the Big Apple itself. By the time I arrived and checked into the hotel, it was time to walk on over to the venue. As I was leaving the lobby, I ended up running into my friend Ryan (from the band Doomsday Profit) and his wife, so we all walked the mile or so (or 1.5 kilometres for everyone not from the US) to Knockdown Center with great anticipation for what the night held.
Upon making my way through security, I took a few minutes to familiarize myself with the layout. As I walked past the Main Stage, Blackwater Holylight was performing their soundcheck and I was tempted to stay put for that. However, I wanted to catch all of Guhts set as I thoroughly enjoyed seeing them earlier this year.
Opting to open with the quieter moments of The Mirror was a fantastic choice, kicking off the festival with a slow build. It wasn’t long before the room was filled with monster riffs, thunderous drums, and Amber’s belted vocals. If you have not heard the band before, they remind me a bit of the album Mariner from Cult of the Luna/Julie Christmas collaboration.
I was also pleased to hear just how fantastic the room sounded. The mix sounded HUGE, with every band member and the backing track perfectly audible. My previous experience seeing the band was incredible, but they have certainly improved since then. The bar was set very high for the rest of the bands to follow.
The moment Guhts ended, I made my way quickly over to the Main Stage for the remainder of Blackwater Holylight. I have been a big fan of the band for a few years and hadn’t had a chance to catch them until then. The vocals have always stood out to me on their albums, sounding like angels. The live performance did not disappoint, again showcasing not just a talented band, but a fantastic sound engineer.
The angelic vocals soaring over the psychedelic-doom style music gave me gooseflesh multiple times. The choice to end with Every Corner and its fast-paced closing segment was a brilliant way to say goodbye. It is awesome to see an all-female band creating their own style of music that is so loved by metalheads. I am looking forward to catching a full set in a few days at a more intimate venue back home!
I won’t hide the fact that Primitive Man was the band I was looking forward to seeing the most. I am a huge fan of their albums and live shows, with the latter being an indescribable experience. That said, I will attempt to describe mine. Since I wanted to be at the front, I decided to remain in place following Blackwater Holylight. If you are unfamiliar, Primitive Man plays extremely loud, with the soundcheck being no exception.
My earplugs were already in place when it came time for the band to begin, and it was an absolute sonic assault. I was standing directly in front of the subwoofer array, and it felt as though my ribs were going to break free of my sternum. The Primitive Man live experience is designed to be uncomfortable; not just in terms of how loud it is, but by the oppressive and disgusting style of music.
They are the heaviest band in the universe, and they proved it here. During the build-up in Consumption, the moment was so intense that I was absolutely lost in the moment; I forgot where I was, who I was, or what I was. I was absolutely lost in the beating of drums, impossibly distorted and down-tuned guitars, and Ethan’s otherworldly vocals. This is a band that must be experienced live, whether or not their style of death sludge is your cup of tea.
After taking a few minutes to recover following the onslaught I’d just witnessed, I made the short walk over to the Texas Stage to catch the remainder of Spirit Mother. This was the first band I would say truly fit the ‘desert rock’ style.
The room wasn’t full at this point, so I was able to wander around a bit to see where it sounded best and happily discovered that it was good just about anywhere. I opted to stand up on the loading dock style area to get a better view of the band. They were an appreciably welcomed psych and folk infused rock that was much needed after Primitive Man. The violin (or perhaps fiddle given this style) added a unique layer to the band, giving a bit of an ethereal vibe.
Belzebong began their set by allowing amp feedback to pulse and shake the room. As they took the stage, the guitarists and bass player lifted their instruments overhead to reveal BONG FIRE DEATH written on the back of them in bold neon letters. The crowd roared in delight and anticipation as they dropped into the doom filled land.
Delivering riff after riff, all while delivering some very stylish headbanging with pro-level hair control. Bands lacking vocals can at times lose my attention, but not so with Belzebong. The Sabbath/Sleep riff worship is strong with these guys, and there is no need to have a vocalist when the riffs are this good. I was having so much fun during their set that I had no desire to leave until the last note reverberated through the hall.
I didn’t catch much of Deathchant as I had taken a moment to quickly grab a bite to eat across the street. What I was able to catch was an absolute blast though. A very rock ’n’ roll experience complete with a shirtless guitarist/vocalist and plenty of harmonized solos. I will be looking for them to play a show nearby so I can catch a full set.
This was my first time experiencing Amenra live, so I made sure to get a spot at the front. I have heard outpourings of praise for their live performances, and they were all justified. The band took the stage and the cheers quickly ceased, being replaced with silence as the percussion intro of Boden began. Over the next hour the band put me (and I am sure the rest of the crowd) through a rollercoaster of emotions.
The dynamics were phenomenal, moving from monstrous riffs and tortured screams into passages with clean guitar and vocals, with none of the members missing a note. Something else I noticed was how quiet the crowd was during the set, respecting all of the softer moments. They closed with De Evenmens and during the final outro, they were joined by none other than Caro from Oathbreaker. It was an incredibly emotional finale as she, and the rest of the band, poured every ounce of emotion into the final moments.
Holy shit. I was NOT expecting Domkraft to be as good as they were. Not to say I had low expectations by any means, but they absolutely CRUSHED the Texas Stage. They were masters of allowing drums to build riffs to the point of breaking before dropping the hammer. It felt like standing at the bottom of a dam while more and more cracks formed before being crushed by a million tons of earth and water.
It somehow reminded me of an EDM show with builds that make the crowd crave for the drop to hit, but in doom form. I looked over at my friend at one point, and we both had huge grins on our faces while headbanging. Despite how incredible every set was earlier, this one was my favorite one of the day. If you have the opportunity to see this band, GO.
I have seen High On Fire quite a few times at this point, and every time is an absolute blast. The band works so well together: Coady Willis beating the drums with animalistic ferocity, Matt Pike’s rockstar presence, and Jeff Matz matching every Pike riff with ease while giving one of the most positive vibes you will see. They opened with Pike yelling in his near impossible to understand slur: ‘WEREHIGHONFIRE’ while letting feedback fill the room.
After a short instrumental intro they jumped into Burning Down, with Matz rocking his dual neck Dunable guitar/bass throughout several songs in the set. The guy is just such a class act, switching between guitar and bass. Pike performed his usual antics of spitting on the stage and throwing his picking hand up while performing hammer-ons and glaring into the crowd like a demon.
I had a great time and even found myself in the pit during some songs. Of all the times I have seen them, I think this was the best performance I have witnessed yet. Closing out the set (and the day) with Darker Fleece brought a big smile to my face for the walk back to the hotel.
Scribed by: Ben Brackin
Photos by: Tim Bugbee
