Reviews

Combichrist Tour: 

@ The Palladium - Upstairs [Worcester, MA (USA)]

Unsound Festival New York 2011: 

@ Abrons Arts Center [New York City, NY (USA)]

Millipede Show: 

@ Darkroom [Chicago, IL (USA)]

Combichrist Tour: 

@ Webster Theater [Hartford, CT (USA)]

The Swans Tour: 

@ The Middle Cafe - Downstairs [Cambridge, MA (USA)]

Tragedy For Us Tour: 

@ Champions Cafe [Everett, MA (USA)]

Steel Hook Prostheses Tour: 

@ Club Choices [Somerville, MA (USA)]

Wave-Gotik Treffen 2010 - Day 4 [Leipzig, Saxony (Germany)]

Wave-Gotik Treffen 2010 - Day 4: 

@ Volkspalast: Kuppelhalle [Leipzig, Saxony (Germany)]

Wave-Gotik Treffen 2010 - Day 4: 

@ Volkspalast: Kuppelhalle [Leipzig, Saxony (Germany)]

Aliens have invaded; they want to make noise through their crotch and light stuff on fire. I feel like dark ambient/experimental/power electronics bands I see nowadays have less and less "stuff" to play, replaced by laptops, consoles, and mixing boards. It certainly makes it easier to travel and the sounds/shows more consistent. It was a breath of fresh air to see Sardh with an impressive amount of "stuff" on stage. This ranged from a giant metal alien head to hoses to a rake.

The trio began the show in the dark wearing alien masks while a droning wall of static noise filled the room. They held what looked like microphones in their hands and pointed them at a device hanging above their crotches to create feedback and noise. It could've been radio interference to hide the approach of their mothership. There was a short spoken word transmission before the next song.

The space invaders grabbed two guitars and a bass to play some serious black metal as they screamed across the sky before exploding on impact. There was a long metal track in the middle of the stage that had some material soaked in a flammable liquid. Flames lit up the front of the stage as well as the floor beneath it. Security had to come throw something over the flames on the ground to put it out. The track was mic'ed. The sound of flames roared with the metal. Truly spectacular.

When the metal came to an end, the flames continued to burn through most of the next track as they collected themselves from the wreckage of their ship. A cold wavering whir replaced the guitars and went on for several minutes. The guys played hoses, shakers, pipes, metal chairs, and rake prongs over the background noise. There was also a chamber pot with a metal ball being swirled around, creating a hollow wind blowing against the fire.

The next few pieces went back and forth between ambient drones and harsh sounds. There was plenty of rake smashing, rock being scraped against a long metal coil, screaming, and general mayhem. This was followed by more spoken word as their final pleas for help from their brethren went unheard.

The end of their performance culminated by lighting the giant metal alien head on fire. To go with their demise on our planet, they created an orgy of white noise while playing a fast notes on a trumpet and long ones on a trombone.

Sardh put on one of the best experimental performances I have seen. It ranks up there with Einstürzende Neubatuen's Tabula Rasa tour in 1993.

[Close Review]

Wave-Gotik Treffen 2010 - Day 4: 

@ Volkspalast: Kuppelhalle [Leipzig, Saxony (Germany)]

Wave-Gotik Treffen 2010 - Day 4: 

@ Volkspalast: Kuppelhalle [Leipzig, Saxony (Germany)]

Wave-Gotik Treffen 2010 - Day 3 [Leipzig, Saxony (Germany)]

Wave-Gotik Treffen 2010 - Day 3: 

@ Werk II [Leipzig, Saxony (Germany)]

Wave-Gotik Treffen 2010 - Day 3: 

@ Werk II [Leipzig, Saxony (Germany)]

Wave-Gotik Treffen 2010 - Day 3: 

@ Werk II [Leipzig, Saxony (Germany)]

Wave-Gotik Treffen 2010 - Day 3: 

@ Schauspielhaus [Leipzig, Saxony (Germany)]

Wave-Gotik Treffen 2010 - Day 3: 

@ Schauspielhaus [Leipzig, Saxony (Germany)]

Wave-Gotik Treffen 2010 - Day 3: 

@ Schauspielhaus [Leipzig, Saxony (Germany)]

Wave-Gotik Treffen 2010 - Day 2 [Leipzig, Saxony (Germany)]

Wave-Gotik Treffen 2010 - Day 2: 

@ Volkspalast: Kuppelhalle [Leipzig, Saxony (Germany)]

Wave-Gotik Treffen 2010 - Day 2: 

@ Volkspalast: Kantine [Leipzig, Saxony (Germany)]

Wave-Gotik Treffen 2010 - Day 2: 

@ Volkspalast: Kuppelhalle [Leipzig, Saxony (Germany)]

Wave-Gotik Treffen 2010 - Day 2: 

@ Kohlrabizirkus [Leipzig, Saxony (Germany)]

Wave-Gotik Treffen 2010 - Day 1 [Leipzig, Saxony (Germany)]

Wave-Gotik Treffen 2010 - Day 1: 

@ Agra Hall [Leipzig, Saxony (Germany)]

Wave-Gotik Treffen 2010 - Day 1: 

@ Agra Hall [Leipzig, Saxony (Germany)]

Kinetik Festival 2010 - Phase 5: 

@ Usine C [Montreal, Quebec (Canada)]

Kinetik Festival 2010 - Phase 4: 

@ Usine C [Montreal, Quebec (Canada)]

Kinetik Festival 2010 - Phase 3: 

@ Usine C [Montreal, Quebec (Canada)]

Kinetik Festival 2010 - Phase 2: 

@ Usine C [Montreal, Quebec (Canada)]