February News - Sentient Horror at Meatlocker

Sentient Horror: Front from left: John Lopez, Matt Molti, Tyler Butkovsky. Drummer: Evan Daniele

Buying a house so I apologize for the lack of content at the time. Apteronotus is holding down the fort for the time being with reviews and our yearly aggregate list of the year's top releases and labels. I did manage to get the new Diseased Oblivion tape into the shop so be sure to check that out. It's a compilation of material spanning several years. I'll do my best to have the next monthly blast of reviews up in the next few days but it's a busy week as I expect to close on the house this week. Contaminated Tones will have a new permanent lair soon.

This will coincide with a total deletion of the Facebook page, to be finalized when I delete my personal facebook page. To be honest, the whole social media realm takes up too much of my time. I know myself and my love of argument and discourse in addition to the endless number of opinionated people who have made it their sole duty to chastise, belittle, and propagandize does not bode well for my sanity or productivity. The echo chamber is a real phenomenon on social media sites, as hordes of individuals funnel together to band against anything they potentially disagree with. It is no place for intelligent discussion. Better things to come.

First time seeing this manner of toilet
paper supply in a bathroom. Fascinating.

I did manage to get to the Meatlocker last night to check out Sentient Horror. The full lineup was Mom Fight opening, followed by Gallery, and Exovoid. I got there as Mom Fight were finishing up so I did not catch them. I was told they playing a fairly typical mix of grind and punk. Gallery was the first band I managed to catch. To me, they sounded like a mix of black metal, thrash, and post-black. Perhaps akin to a harsher Jesu. The main focal point for me was the way in which their bassist, who I later learned is jazz trained and a fan of Stanley Clarke and Jaco, managed to really fill out the driving force of the music, as the guitarist was more or less engaged in the atmospherics. It's a fairly commonplace arrangement in the current climate but I hadn't heard too many local bands exploring this combination in the fashion Gallery had.


Exovoid were, to me, extremely boring. It's clear they are good musicians however they lacked the energy I was hoping to get at a Meatlocker show. Being such a personal venue, the concentration of the musicians as they seemingly went through the motions of their songs with little outward excitability turned me off. I just don't want to watch five people stand in place playing semi-technical music. Please increase emotion, thanks.
 
Sentient Horror were impressive, though admittedly generic Swedish death metal. What aided Sentient Horror was a showmanship from front man Matt Molti that was able to engage enough at this basement boudoir venue. Even while Headbanging and emitting capable death metal vocals, Molti is capable of sweeping up and down his guitar neck like he's on one the Olympic curling teams. This stage presence was a nice change from the more laid back opening acts. The audience was small but appreciative throughout the set, slamming themselves around and even growling reciprocally along with the lyrics. Images of Sentient Horror below: