via//chicago

live report: Boris/Torche/Nachtmystium @ Chicago's Empty Bottle

For a variety of reasons I decided to skip out on this year's Pitchfork Music Festival and while it sounds like I might have missed a few great sets of music, I can take consolation in knowing that I was able to catch one of the bands in a much more intimate venue (along with two other bands that have released fantastic albums this year). If you've never been to the Empty Bottle, you are missing out on one of the city's best live music venues. Yeah, it's a bit of a dive and always about 20 degrees warmer than necessary inside, but there are few better places to get up close and personal with your favorite bands. When I saw that Boris was going to make a post-Pitchfork appearance at the bar, I knew I had to grab a ticket - quick. When I saw that Torche and Nachtmystium were both opening, I was thrilled.

Nachtmystium kicked the night off with a blistering, if a little too brief, set of their progressive take on American black metal. They shied away from some of the proggier moments of their excellent new album, Assassins, but still managed to hit on many of the disc's high points. It was an energetic set that got the crowd primed for the night, closing with a frantic take on Motorhead's "The Wolf".

Florida sludge-pop band Torche took the stage next and immediately launched into a fierce set that heavily favored the awesome Meanderthal disc. I have to admit that these guys were one of the most charismatic metal bands I've seen in a long time, between lead singer Steve Brooks' constant grin and guitarist Juan "in a million" Montoya's playful antics. Their songs manage to thread the needle between stoner stomp and pop buoyancy very skillfully, and they translated very well to the stage. Oh, and their drummer was an absolute monster.

After an excruciatingly long setbreak and sound check, Boris slowly made their way to the stage and kicked off an absolutely monstrous set. Backlit, bathed in smoke, and standing in front of awe-inspiring stacks of Orange and Sunn 0))) amps (note that the Marshall amps pictured above were not what they used this particular night); they looked like four rock gods ready to destroy the planet. As drummer Atsuo encouraged the band and crowd with his rock star theatrics and joyful smile, Michio Kurihara and Wata threw every ounce of energy into making their guitars sing and scream. Their set was a perfect balance between the roaring metal side of Boris and the trance-inducing psychedelic side of Boris. A thrilling set of music made all the better thanks to the intimate venue.