I rarely venture on the Sunset strip, the east side already keeps me very busy with its numerous gigs, but I got the chance to check out Owl at Whisky A Go Go on Tuesday night. A very heavy metal band named Chemical Burn was playing when I arrived – and in this case their moniker may have said a lot about their abrasive sound – and the evening seemed to be a sort of metal night, as Philm, a band featuring Dave Lombardo of Slayer, did play, following Owl
Owl certainly has a very hard rock sound sometimes anchored in metal, sometimes soaring some real poppiness, but what does it mean when you consider all the categories and nuances that exist among these genres? But may be Owl doesn’t want to belong to a specific genre, as their music seemed to push boundaries inside its own vision.
Fronted by the magnetic Chris Owl, who played bass with rock acts as prestigious as Ace Frehley, The Cult, Ozzy Osbourne, Mick Jagger among others, the trio rocked the legendary Whiskey with fury and a real desire of aesthetic. They were playing around classic rock structures, hard or heavy, popping up a few power pop-rock hooky choruses, then bringing a lot of distortion intertwined with ambitious experimentation. Wyse’s vocals were bold with surprising beast-like howls and a sort of satanic rictus inside his powerful delivery.
All along, Wyse and Jason Achilles Mezilis, respectively on bass and guitar, looked great, they knew how to occupy the stage while moving with an impressive choreography, taking majestic and classic poses, eager to show what they had. And they had a lot to show, the execution was raw and unbridled but stylish and made to impress, the guitar and bass were intricate, around the stomping drums.
During a few songs, Wyse used a strange upright bass that he played using a bow, getting very dark sounds from it, and there was something a bit gothic about the sight of him holding this strange instrument with its bow leather case… he looked like Robin Hood or some mythic hero, yeah, what can I say, he had charisma!
‘The Right Thing’ was an intense and furious ride,‘Alive’ had a soaring melody and a booming bass line, ‘Things You can’t See’ had all the elements to call the band an alt-hard rock power trio, while ‘Who’s Gonna Save you Now’ had a real urgency and sounded as dangerous as a Bowie tune turning Black Sabbath.
Owl will release its third album, the propulsive and powerful ‘Things You Can’t See’, on July 28 via Overit Records.
Setlist
The Right Thing
Send
Alive
Pusher
Things you can’t see
Who’s gonna save you now
Violent center
More pictures of the show here.
