Saidan have been on quite an upward trajectory for the last couple of years, really grinding and trying to put everything they have into the project. And if you’ve heard their new album, Fangdriller: Scars Beneath Memory’s Wrist, then you know it’s paying off. Saidan appear to be operating at peak powers right now – adding new elements into their growing sound, writing more mature songs than we’ve heard so far, and relentlessly touring and getting in front of live crowds to produce a killer sounding and super tight live set that I’ve been lucky enough to catch now on 3 separate occasions. So needless to say I was super excited about this tour. Also because it included the prolific enigma that is TRHÄ as well as Barbelith (although I was much less familiar with them until more recently). And on a disgustingly hot and humid Tuesday night, in 1 of only 2 small DIY music venues Houston actually has left, we packed in to see this fantastic 3 band package tour. It was also a chance to hang out friends I don’t always get to see, including our fearless leader himself, Justin, which is always fuckin rad. Harsh Vocals crew were certainly representing for the evening in Houston.
Barbelith played first of the 3 touring bands and I noticed Damian Ojeda (Trhä) was on second guitar and doing some vocals as well. Very cool unexpected surprise. (Also foreshadowing here, you’ll see what I mean.) this whole project is new to me, and hearing them blind-ish was a cool way to experience their sonic powers. Billy Jarboe, Barbelith’s guitarist and lead vocalist, was wearing an Ulver – Bertatt shirt and maybe because of that obvious sign staring me in the face, that album specifically is what my mind kept going back to as I was sussing out what bands their sound reminded me of. They ripped through both of their tracks from the Trhä split (ABOLITIONIST and KARMA) and played a couple of tracks I wasn’t as familiar with but each was played with ferocity but also with a sense of serene chaos that blended quite well and I was more than happy to bathe in the riffs for awhile. After listening to more of their music after the show I realized they have a much more eclectic base of influences than I was expecting – from ambient, to post black metal and beyond. A fantastic set that drew me in and made me a fan. One thing that was noticeable during the set was singer Billy Jarboe’s demeanor and attitude during the set. Intensity and joy were emanating in abundance and it was infectious. I was massively impressed by their live set.
Favorite song played: ABOLITIONIST
FFO: early Ulver, Dawn Ray’d , Alda, Panopticon, Falls of Rauros, Ash Borer
Saidan played next. On DIY tours like this, in independent music, the perceived hierarchy in order of performance is mostly irrelevant honestly, and after leaning who’s in Trhä (remember the foreshadowing I mentioned) this order of performance made the most logical sense. Since Saidan is currently touring to promote Fangdriller it also made sense that their set might be heavily weighted towards new material and indeed it was as they played about half of the new album to a crowded house of eager fans. I observed a couple standing in front of me giving each other a stoked nod of approval when the band announced they were about to play “Ethereal Blood”. It’s not often a band touring on new material is greeted with a familiar and warm crowd, so when it happens it really is something kind of special. The band has not added any new additional members to fill out their newer more keyboard heavy sound, and instead opted for seamless backing tracks that were mixed into the live sound perfectly. And even if Luthious (guitar) and Ravenna (bass) are only considered live members of what really is a 2 person project, they are playing great and are a big part of the reason why the band sounds so good live and they have been the backing band every time I’ve seen Saidan over the last couple of years. Additionally, the band treated us to a song each from Onryo II and Visual Kill, and that was that. I’ve always appreciated the “keep it short and sweet and leave them wanting more” approach and I feel like Saidan has the juice right now and I can’t wait to see what they do next. One personal thought is I hope Saidan does not forsake their older material going forward. I know from being in bands myself how revisiting older material might not always be appealing but I do like a lot of the older rawer Saidan songs and hearing some of them live sometimes would be most excellent.
Favorite song played: Girl Hell 1999 (Onryo II has been my favorite album of theirs but if I’m being honest it was actually probably Kara No Bara)
FFO: Grundhyrde, Cradle of Filth, Stormkeep, Devil Master
Last to play was Trhä. I found Trhä a few years ago when some of the first records were coming out, I think I remember Inagape being one of the first releases I checked out. It’s almost hard to describe the bands ethereal chaotic sound as to me it’s unlike most of the black metal I had heard previously. Such interesting artwork and crazy long (made up?) language song titles and how do you even pronounce the band name? The whole thing is kind of hard to wrap your brain around, coupled with what felt like a release coming almost monthly from the project. For awhile as new records would release I’d see what others were saying online as to whether the material was strong or maybe a little too incomprehensible. Some raw synth heavy modern black metal gloriousness and some of what I might describe as ADHD TV static with merry-go-round melodies swirling around me in a Hunter S Thompson state of being. I bet Damian Ojeda is a super interesting dude to hang out with.
Live, the band was to my surprise, the same band that played as Barbelith. Meaning each of them are playing 2 sets every night! And I’m fairly certain I heard SplatterPunk say during Saidan’s set that this was their 17th show in a row on the tour. It’s mind blowing to me to see those guys pulling double duty. I salute their efforts and am incredibly impressed. They played a super tight mind bending black metal set with Damian’s more screeching vocal style adding dissonance and beautiful chaos. If I’m being honest I’m not entirely sure what all they played. I think I may have recognized a song off of Inagape but I’m not certain… I know missing these details kind of negates the whole idea of my recap here but I can say the crowd was mesmerized, moving, circle pitting, and drinking in the wild transcendent experience and it was awesome.
Favorite Song Played: ?
FFO: The Glorious Winds of Astral Sorrow, Crystalline Thunderbolts Pierce the Sacred Mountain, Paysage d’Hiver, Gudsforladt, Yellow Eyes, and mescaline.
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