Mass Driver/O’Possum/Wampus Cat/Generation of Vipers
January 3, 2015
Knoxville, TN
The Concourse
Written by: Tommy Smith
Saturday night we had a night of doom, sludge and fuzz in Knoxville. Normally I like my metal with a little more spikes and leather than the fare here, but it was a great bill and it was a metal show on a Saturday night! I can’t miss that! This one was all local, and there was a good mix of metal heads, punks, regular dudes…and women! Ha.
Mass Driver
Mass Driver is a 3 piece fuzz rock band from Knoxville, kind of in the vein of say, Fu Manchu. Holy crap, did they rock! The music was high energy, and the way these guys played it really made for a great live experience. Such a charismatic band! The guitarist and bass player alternate vocals for each song, and were always moving. The drummer was strong, as is really necessary for this kind of music. His drum set was fairly minimal, but he does has a cowbell that he makes great use of. There was jumping, breaking of strings, hats flying, and even an appearance in the pit from the guitarist. Everyone really loved these guys and I can’t wait to see them again. They’re easily one of the best local live bands around, and were a tough act to follow. SEE THIS BAND.
O’Possum
O’Possum was up next. A three piece self-described as mountain doom BBQ metal, they just came out and played a crushing set of riffy doom. Tonight was an all instrumental set, absent of the harsh vocals they usually employ. The riff was strong, but it did kind of drone on without any vocals. Half these guys play in a local punk band called Cutthroat Shamrock, which is more of a full time gig, so the musicianship is top notch. There was good stuff like double bass drumming behind the low tuned doom riffs and the riff was strong. However, I couldn’t help but feel like this band was more of a derivative side project for these guys. Its good stuff, but I’d like to see them take it to the next level with a vocalist.
Wampus Cat
This was the band I was here to see. Wampus Cat has been around here a while, but really only play a couple times a year. Like their namesake, they’ve become somewhat of a local legend, hiding in the shadows, only making sporadic appearances in civilization. So when the elusive Wampus Cat comes out to play, Knoxville takes notice.
Now, my tastes are a little finicky when it comes to doom metal. I like heavy and I like hooks. However, as much black and death metal as I love, I like my doom with clean vocals the best. Wampus Cat switches between harsh and clean vocals, and I was delighted when most of the set were clean vocal songs. This band takes the best of Sabbath, Sleep, Electric Wizard, maybe a dash of Melvins, and blends it into their own brand of crushing metal doom. They may play infrequently, but they have a great stage show, complete with samples between songs and films of old occult movies projected on each side of the band. Satan is the main theme of the night, along with babes, motorcycles and the occult.
I mean really, the best thing about this band is the songwriting. It’s just so good! The combo of the great music and occult imagery is pure entertainment. I do wish some of the band would move around a little more. Andrew, the drummer, does the clean singing and has his own stage presence, and Jordan who plays guitar and does the harsh vocals will move. But when the other half of the band doesn’t seem into the music, it’s distracting. It is still a great show, but maybe if they just got into it more it would be an even better show. Nevertheless, the crowd was certainly into them, and I was too.Wampus Cat plays when they want to play, seemingly for themselves, so they probably don’t give 2 shits what I think.They’re always a treat to see and are easily my favorite Knoxville band.
Generation of Vipers
A 3 piece Sludge band from Knoxville, Generation of Vipers has gained quite a following. They’ve toured the US and Europe and, just put out a new album called Coffin Wisdom. They also had a ton of merch. I’d describe their stuff as Neurosis but with catchier bad assriffs. Take that with a grain of salt, though, as this kind of stuff really isn’t in my wheel house. They’re a little sludge, a little metal, a little punk, and a little progressive even. As soon as they started, you could see these guys are the real deal. Super tight and energetic, this is a band that certainly has some tour miles under their belt and know what the hell they’re doing. Simply put, they crush live. Admittedly, I’m not too familiar with all their music, but I’ve been listening to their latest on Spotify since the show. That’s what’s supposed to happen after you see a good live band, right?
Overall, it was a great night. Each band got me headbanging, I saw a lot of friends and had a lot of beers. Doom came to Knoxville and I left with a smile on my face.
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