Live Review: Alix/Place of Skulls

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Alix (ITA)

Place of Skulls(USA)

Sojo Leuven - Oct. 16th, 2004

AAaaahh… Italy, land of architectural richness, culinary excellence and so much more delight. Filippo Brunelleschi, Giovanni Boccaccio, Sacco & Vanzetti, la Cicciolina and since a few months: Ufomammut and Alix. I have no idea whether these two bands are any indication of the state of the current rock scene in Italy, but if they are, Italy is where it's at for the moment. It's quite funny that the second Alix-gig at the Sojo was again to support a doom metal-act. Barely three months after The Hidden Hand paid Belgium a visit, Place of Skulls (of which Wino has been a member for a while) also made their first trip to Europe. Stylistically, Alix and Place of Skulls are opposites. They're both heavy, they both can be filed under the stoner-moniker I guess, but the dark, menacing vibe of Place of Skulls is completely absent from Alix's catchy groove-rock. This four-piece is not about casting shadows with oppressively heavy chord progressions and occult lyrics. Instead, they offer a fairly simple and straightforward interpretation of sun-drenched desert-rock, blending elements from the classic Kyuss-sound to alt rock, a dash of new wave and some trippy psych. On top of that, the band's fronted by one of the most strikingly unique singers in the biz. Like I said in my previous Alix-review, vocalist Alice Albertazzi switches from whispers to shrieks and manages to capture both an innocent girl's charm as well as a more mature style. Visually, the main attraction in the band is definitely bass player Franco. From the moment when they kicked off with "Take My Hands" onwards, it became clear he's the band's funk. The guy's got the moves, I'm telling you, swaying back and forth, plucking his strings as if it's a daily ritual he's been doing for a few decades. During their set, they played most of their recently released album Ground, which is obligatory listening of you're in for one long, continuous groove. The album's title track boasts one of this year's catchiest vibes and it was a pleasure to see how guitarist Pippo managed to offer a broad sound palette throughout it, but also during "I'll Be Gone" and "Fun." Halfway the set, the band delivered a damn impressive version of "Lonely," with Franco switching to bluesy slide playing on dobro and… even when he sits, he has the funkiest moves. "Out of the Sighs", which starts off Ground, and "Like a Flood" (that's where the vocals really go in the red) managed to keep the momentum going and the band then finished the set with an experimental edge, with again dobro and a more restrained vibe and nearly whispered vocals. It's not that their sound is innovative or that they run a gamut of styles, but the band's sheer playing joy (capped off by Franco's enchanting introduction of the final song) and different sound was - again - met with enthusiasm.

As suggested, Place of Skulls is something entirely different than Alix. Though the band has only been around for half a decade, they're treated with a reverence that's usually reserved for the greats. Of course, this has everything to do with the presence of Victor Griffin, who's played with cult faves Death Row and doom pioneers Pentagram for over sixteen years. Place of Skulls was formed a few years ago by Griffin, drummer Tim Tomaselli and bass player Lee Abney (also ex-Death Row). There have been some line-up changes throughout the years, but current bass player Dennis Cornelius was born to do this job. Unfortunately, drummer Tomaselli decided a few weeks before the European tour that he longer wanted to be part of it anymore and for a while it seemed that the band's first tour might be cancelled. Luckily, they came up with a replacement in the guise of Pete Campbell (The Might Nimbus, Sixty Watt Shaman) and if his drumming during yesterday's show was indication, that guy is one bad-ass mofo. Because they literally started rehearsing a week before they left, the band didn't have enough time to deliver a 2-3 hour show (and that's what they would've loved!), but as far as I can tell, Campbell might've been their drummer for years. His style is probably more stoner-oriented than the classic rock-stylings of Tomaselli, but he delivered a forceful foundation for the crushing tandem of Cornelius and Griffin. The sound-check had already blown most of the attending people away and when they kicked off the set, the wall of sound was so immense that I bet a lot of people immediately had to think of The Hidden Hand's show on the 7th of July. While you could say Wino's band has been exploring more experimental and even heavier territory, the similarities between the bands are quite striking. They're not only led by a legendary (well, in the scene) guitar hero with quite a story behind him, but Cornelius' act was almost as hyper as Falkinburg's in The Hidden Hand. Griffin's vocals and heavy riffage are definitely reminiscent of Wino's, but more important is that seeing these bands play live is an altogether different experience than listening to their albums. Nailed and With Vision are fine albums, but on a small stage with a good sound set-up, the band's doom rock is so much more exciting. A lot of Griffin's songs are fairly traditional, continuing the legacy of Pentagram and Black Sabbath (Vol. 4 especially), but it's the maniacal energy, synergy between band and audience and specific date (playing the last show of a tour does something to you) that takes the blues-infected riffs and passionate vocals to another level. As a Christian who actually sings about his religious beliefs, Griffin is certainly somewhat of an outsider in a genre that's often more concerned with image and actin' tough, but this never gets in the way of the music's forceful attack and because his tales with their biblical references and ruminations on spirituality/mortality refrain from becoming preachy, they never get in the way of the performance's impact. Although there initially was a problem with Griffin's mic (which pissed him off a little bit - "we're sorry that the first two songs sounded like SHIT!"), the sound and delivery of the set couldn't have been much better than they were. The band played songs from debut Nailed and last year's sophomore With Vision with dedication and Wino's presence was never missed. I did wonder though, what it would've sounded like if Wino's six-stringed weapon has been added to this. They probably would've torn the place down. Anyway, "Lost," "Silver Cord Breaks," "The Monster," they all fit the "classic doom"-tag (Sabbath, St. Vitus, Pentagram, etc) and when the band got to With Vision's title track with its grand intro and mid-tempo chug, the audience reacted by banging their heads like a huge metronome. Campbell combined mid-tempo grooving with a few nifty fills and Cornelius' no-nonsense bass work was the ideal foundation for Griffin's massive riffs and head-spinning solos. The songs from Nailed differed most from their live counterparts. While I've never been that fond of "…" (yes, that's a song title), it's neo-Sabbath vibe was simply immense and set closer "The Fall" would've made Iommi proud. The set lasted for only 50 minutes or so, but the encore consisted of two more songs, the first one being a new song called "Looking for a Reason," which suggests the band's next album might become a bit more blues- than metal-oriented (and it featured a nice solo that progressed from almost jazzy sophistication to completely freaking out), whereas the final song - a brutally pounding "Never Die" - was an appropriate song to end the set with. It's not that Place of Skulls has expanded the rock vocabulary, but Griffin sticks to his guns because he knows what he's good at - churning out relentless rocking updates of heavy 70's rock. Whatever his history might be like, it's a sure fact that he isn't about to become soft and he's surrounded himself with a few musicians who are more than capable of fulfilling his vision. Excellent.