Yob conquers Tucson. Neill has the lowdown on a night of heavy hitters.
Yob is a legendary band in the doom/stoner genre. There is no secret that their sound is influential and their prowess is undeniable. For the first time in nearly three years, the almighty Yob was coming to Arizona, with state-mates Witch Mountain. The show began at around 9:30 PM or so, with the local Inoculara taking the stage.
Inoculara are not by any means a unique band. They play a more groove oriented death metal, with some very mid-paced to slower moments. The main vocalist had a strong performance, and his voice alternated between a lower register growl and a higher scream. There were some backing vocals provided by the bass player, but there was some issue hearing him at times. However, the issue seemed to be fixed fairly quickly, and this was not a horrible detriment to the set. The slower sections of the band worked well as an opening for a doom show, and the band did bring quite a nice energy which got the crowd into it. At first, the band felt out of place opening for two doom metal stalwarts, but the set really opened up after the first song and the band became quite enjoyable. Despite some slightly sloppy moments, and the bass player’s microphone not picking him up too well at times, the set was still very fun.
After an enjoyable but pretty brief set from the local guys, Witch Mountain was ready to take stage. I had never seen the band perform before, sadly, but I was beyond interested to hear the new singer Kayla in action. Musically, the band was tight and on the money. Nothing felt missed, and the heaviness they provided was perfect. The energy from the band members showed through, and there was plenty of heads banging along to each track. As the band rolled through song after song, it was clear they have a great fit with Kayla. Having never seen the band live before, I had no real basis for comparison to departed singer Uta. However, Kayla more then held her own. With incredible presence, and a perfect voice for the style, she is clearly a wonderful addition. Her vocals ranged from a mid-range style clean, to some wonderful screams and growls. There was enough accents in the songs as well to make them feel different and new compared to Uta’s performances on the studio outings. It was nice to see her not just perform established songs, but really add her own voice and quirks into them. Songs like “Beekeeper” and “Shelter” (the closing number) were amazing coming through the speakers and Witch Mountain made many new fans, while showing the older fans that the line-up change has not only not slowed them down, but possibly made them even more of a force in the doom scene.
Next up was the headliners, the ever-inspiring Yob. Fresh off touring with to Enslaved, Mike and company showed no signs of lag. Starting with “Ball Of Molten Lead”, the distorted guitars and bass, and the hypnotic drumming took over the venue. The music was top-notch, and Mike’s vocals sounded just as amazing as they ever have. The opening track took an already invested crowd and turned them rabid, applauding and cheering at every chance. Continuing on the set, the band played a few tracks off Clearing The Path To Ascend, which lead into possibly the best performance of the night, in “Marrow”. A truly emotional and cathartic track, the audience was in a trance during the duration of the song, and it was clear there was something special happening that night. Waves of emotion rang through the speakers and there was a connection made like none other. Truly the highlight of the show. However, the show was not over. The ever amazing “Adrift in The Ocean” followed, and the set was ended by “The Lie That Is Sin”, which is a personal favorite, and an unexpected closer. The back-to-back-to-back of those last three pieces was something out of a dream, and the night ended just as wonderfully as it began.
Overall, this was one of the best shows I had seen lately. With sound issues at Jucifer, and an overall disappointing time with Pallbearer, this made up for it ten-fold. This show was exactly what I was looking for, which was a rocking good time with plenty of mind and eye opening performances. Yob is an act that whether it be live or on an album, they never fail to impress. They are true masters of what they do, and proved it with each and every note. Witch Mountain will be making even more waves now with the new addition to the group, and even Inoculara deserve to be getting some more recognition. All in all, it was a wonderful night in Tucson.
