The Black Angels At The Bowery

Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!

By David Callicott

Welcome To The Thunder-Drone, left.

Wednesday night, The Black Angels graced the Bowery Ballroom. Up first, though, were A Place To Bury Strangers. The local trio has been getting copious buzz for their loud and dramatic rage, and deservedly so, despite their tired guitar-destruction schtick.

At 11 p.m. sharp, six Black Angels landed on stage and detonated an hour-long explosion of entrancing, distorted rock. Bearded frontman Alex Maas, hiding in the brim shadows of his cap, howled like a man possessed and led the charge of thick guitar and heavy bass drums. Stephanie Bailey sat behind the kit, keeping time, hammering rhythms, and making us wonder why there aren’t more female drummers in the world.

The show was a non-stop assault of driving force, and a colorful display of the Angels’ influences, cobbled together from each of the past four decades—’60s psychedelia, ‘70s Zeppelin-esque metal, ‘80s post-punk conjuring Jesus & The Mary Chain, and the noise of ‘90s grunge. Audience ears, however, grew a little weary of the minimal chord changes and unvaried pace.

Like A Place To Bury Strangers before them, The Black Angels used the stage backdrop to project scratchy Super 8 loops and black-and-white clips of bondage and mayhem. Last night’s visuals enhanced and intensified the entire experience, especially since The Black Angels themselves are fairly stationary on stage.

Photo courtesy Jamarr Mays.