Karen Ponzio Photo
Xenosis.
“This song is about a deadly state of confusion,” lead singer Sal Bova informed the audience before his band Xenosis launched into its third song, “Delirium,” from the band’s newest release, Devour and Birth. The New Haven-based band played the album in its entirety at Pacific Standard Tavern on Friday night.
“Delirious” was an appropriate way to describe Friday night, which saw three metal bands take the crowd with them into a heady state of wild being.
Xenosis, which describes itself as progressive death metal, has been together since 2010. Its members also all play together in a Death tribute band known as Cross and Dagger. Guitarist Mark Lyon (who is also a member of Phat Astronaut and plays guitar with Liz Dellinger) expressed his joy and excitement at being able to be involved with all of these bands.
“They are all a part of me. I have to do it all,” he said. With his usual smile and warmth Lyon greeted friends and fellow musicians throughout the night and glowed with the anticipation of sharing Xenosis’s new material with everyone.
The show opened with Venom Spreader, a deathcore band based in Bridgeport. “We’re Venom Spreader. We’re here to spray metal all over your face,” vocalist Dan Manoni said by way of introduction, and proceeded to do just that. With a few breaks to praise Xenosis (“they’re fucking sick”), compliment the crowd (“I see a lot of good beards here tonight”), and incite the crowd to “open up the pit” the band, which included guitarists Raye Mokarry and Beau Maseto, bassist Gunface Gamse and drummer Jeff Brigante delivered seven unflinching songs that got the crowd up to the front immediately, kept them there throughout the set, and set the tone for a night of serious death metal.
Up second was the Suffield-based Archaic Decapitator, which included Kyle Quintin on vocals, Craig Breitsprecher on bass, Yegor Savonin on lead guitar, Christopher Anderson Ridley on rhythm guitar, and Gary Marotta (also of Xenosis) on drums. This melodic death metal band got the crowd energized even more as Quintin spent most of the set on the floor and in the crowd, dancing and connecting with audience members who welcomed him and reacted with ongoing ecstatic movement that turned into a full-on mosh pit by the fifth song. As the band pounded away through a seven-song set, including familiar as well as new material — “it’s a good one, I promise” joked Quintin — the bar for the night’s proceedings continued to be raised and the audience’s excitement along with it. Quintin thanked Lyon repeatedly, and Lyon and members of both bands participated along with the crowd in the frenzied fun.
When Xenosis finally took to the stage for the final set, it only took a few bars of music for members of the crowd to actually run toward the band and fill in the front area. By this time the bar was packed and the energy level enough to steam up the windows. The music came quick and hard, each song building upon the last, as the band worked through all eight songs on their latest release. Lyon and Ken Bullard on guitars, Dave Legenhausen on bass, and Marotta on drums provided a driving yet layered and nuanced take on metal that, combined with Bova’s growling vocals, gave the audience what they had been waiting for. The movement in the room intensified. Bova moved on and off the stage, and the pit became an ongoing ebb and flow of bodies that bounced off of one another and left participants euphoric and exhausted. Even those who had not been a part of the pit (including this reporter) standing off to the sides or the back of the room could not help but move along to this music, whether it was with a head nod or a fist raised.
Also noted by this reporter: This show was one of the only times in recent memory where few if any audience members were on their cell phones during the sets. This crowd was there for this music, and each band held and kept their attention and gave them reason to stay present. On a night celebrating a piece of art titled Devour and Birth, I wondered if perhaps Xenosis and friends had perhaps birthed a new reason to stay in the moment, pay attention to, and take part in what is going on right in front of you.
Devour and Birth is available here. Xenosis’s next show is on March 14 at Cafe Nine. It might behoove you to put down your phone, check out that show, and be in the now.
