Karen Ponzio Photos
Pentagram.
“Man, it doesn’t feel like a Monday,” said vocalist Jack Rune of Bone Church, the opening act of a three-band bill at The State House. Legendary metal band Pentagram made a stop in the city along with local heroes Bone Church and Lord Fowl. The room was packed and abuzz from moment one. Even the people standing outside waiting to get in were as hyped up as if it was a Friday instead.
When last seen by this reporter, Bone Church was having a blast and taking the crowd right along with them, establishing themselves as local favorites. A year later they continued to be doing the same, as they offered the crowd a six-song set soaked with metallic rock illuminated by bluesy vocals and righteous almost-psychedelic riffs that elicited numerous fuck yeahs from the audience. With songs from its self-titled EP, which came out in 2017, as well as new songs that band members announced they would be recording for a new album starting in July, the five-piece was more than an opener. Every pounding of the bass and drum and guitar strings could be felt in your bones and made you feel alive and ready to worship. It was indeed church-like.
Speaking of psychedelic riffs and church-like worship, please allow me to introduce to you Lord Fowl. This was my first time seeing these local legends live. They do not play all that often locally, but when they do it is most often a cause for celebration and I can see why. Lord Fowl’s rock ‘n’ roll paid tribute to late 60s/early 70s guitar-laden supergroups and guitar gods, but felt as fresh as if it was the first time you ever heard it. Not too long ago I recall a conversation where someone told me there were no more great rock ‘n’ roll guitarists in the world, but New Haven’s guitar gods are right here in our own backyard and on our local stages. Vechel Jaynes did not merely play the guitar; he embodied it with a passion and playfulness that made it near impossible to take your eyes off him.
Vechel Jaynes of Lord Fowl.
The interplay of the band members showcased their individual strengths and their commitments to the music and each other, as each song became an intricate dance among the four players that crushed, cajoled and captivated the audience. The crowd received this band raucously, and the word that they would be releasing a long-awaited new album in the fall only added to the enthusiasm. I am hoping that news mean this band will be playing more often in the months to come. I am hoping that you take my advice and get out to the gig to see them.
Pentagram had everyone talking and hyped up the entire night even before the band made it to the stage. There was chatter among the crowd of who had never seen them before, of the near misses of the band’s other shows in nearby New York and Boston over the years, of the well-known documentary from 2011, Last Days Here,. As the band members set up their instruments, vocalist Bobby Liebling stood off to the side and made his way up to ever rising cheers and screams, proceeding to give the crowd exactly what they came for: classic metal madness. If my bones felt the pounding before, now they were on the verge of being shattered. This was some of the heaviest, albeit melodic, music I have heard on a New Haven stage. At many moments I felt like I was back at the New Haven Coliseum, when we would stand on our floor-seat folding chairs and risk getting carried up to the stage and crushed by the crowd if only to be closer to our heroes. The near-capacity crowd at The State House did not have to be told to come forward as many crowds at shows often do. The audience was right there, right at the feet of this band. An audience member ended up on the stage a couple of times. Arms were outstretched, fists were raised, and many sang along to the songs from the band’s deep catalog. The band barely let up from song to song. Liebling shook and strutted across the stage, going from wide-eyed, wild and bewitching to almost meditative and mystical and back again.
The show went late with encores, and people stayed and swayed and shook their fists and sang and smiled from ear to ear. Your guitar gods are not gone. Your music can still be your mantra. Metal still reigns.
More info about new releases and upcoming shows for Lord Fowl and Bone Church can be found on their Facebook pages. Pentagram continues their tour this summer. More info about the tour and recordings can be found on their website.
