Article and Photos by: Steven Principato

NYC – In the familiar setting that is Terminal 5, one of Manhattan’s larger venues, on this night came an unusual crowd. In these ranks of stoners, hipsters, metal heads, and even frat boys they descended upon the cavernous concert hall in uncommon solidarity. Their quest: Indulge in the infectious grooves and rock out to the universally revered, retro-metal harmonies of three not-so-metal disciples and foundations of stoner rock. 

Kicking off this festival of retro rockin’ reefer madness were the doom-fueled, heavy blues juggernaut from Virginia, Valkyrie. Driven by dueling guitar siblings, Jake and Pete Adams,(also of prog-metal act, Baroness) Valkyrie fuses the harsh burdens of prog-rock complexity upon the primitive brutality and accessibility of stoner-doom metal. With their shameless what-you-see is what-you-get image free approach, Valkyrie spares no loose ends when it comes to their infectious Black Sabbath inspired rhythms, frequently bracketed by Thin Lizzy inspired dual guitar harmonies, and soulfully dark vocals. 

As the show progressed and the breathable air was slowly converted into a gentle vale of cannabis mist, creating essential life support gasses for some, Crobot’s vocalist Brandon Yeagley furiously tore onto the stage like a human tornado. Supporting this onslaught, the Brothers Figueroa and Chris Bishop’s rhythm section crushed any inebriated desires of a tranquil euphoria. Crobot, with their easily groove-able high energy sound, appeared to be under the influence of many less-metallic rock and roll legends other than the obligatory Black Sabbath creed in which all stoner rock holds sacred. With an aggressive hard rock guitar tone reminiscent of the soulful grooves of Blackmore’s Deep Purple Mk III, in conjunction with Brandon Yeagley’s explosive stage presence and eclectic vocals spanning the spectrum from Geddy Lee screech to Chris Cornell smooth and lethargic, Central Pennsylvania’s Crobot exudes a presence closer to that of Led Zeppelin and Soundgarden rather than Metallica or Black Sabbath. Complete with space-voyaging and occult-heavy lyrics, Crobot (only formed in 2011) commands a wide spectrum of listeners from metal heads, stoners, and aficionados of obscure 70’s occult-rock vinyl.

As the night grew colder and the smoke got thicker, and the mob’s chants grew louder for the headlining act, Clutch appropriately materialized upon the stage under an ominous blue toned atmosphere. As the veteran act from Germantown, MD opened the show with an ode to all ironic trucker-hat capped hipsters “The House That Peterbilt”. Barely stopping for air between numbers, nitro-fueled bearded front man, Neil Fallon relentlessly preached the good (and bad) word as he showed off his fearsome dance moves without mercy. With two of the four members paying tribute to the recently deceased rock legend, Lemmy Kilmister, clad in “Snaggletooth” shirts and in solidarity with nearly 60 percent of the frenzied mob reaffirmed the fact that Clutch’s roots and hearts were in correct alignment with the universe. Belting out high energy favorites like the new obviously Led Zeppelin inspired hit single “X-Ray Vision”, “The Soapmakers” and a dedication to aforementioned rock legend Lemmy “Noble Savage”, Clutch is not the type of band to slow the set down, despite a nearly quarter-century long career. With their no frills rock/nerd/stoner-friendly and accessible image, combined with their trademark blend of southern fried, blues-driven, groove-tastic goodness and unrelenting proto-metal influence, Clutch reigns supreme in the crossover inter-dimensional existence that lies between metal and reality.       

As the doors opened, ventilating a condensed fog of essential stoner life support gasses out into the cold Manhattan air, the many soulful grooves consistently persisted in my ringing head. All things considered, this was a refreshing side effect of such high energy and talent heavy acts. If you feel that your metal has gotten a bit stiff, I recommend you catch any one of these three bands in an effort to open minds and potentially rediscover our roots.