show review: keelhaul, sweet cobra, and coffinworm...

Now here at The Cracked Skull we do enjoy a good show, but on 9-12-09 at the always sticky Melody Inn three bands tore the place down. With that said, only one band that night was from Indy: Coffinworm. The 'worm opened the show bathed in green light and waves of blackened sludge. Worthy of praises of the damned, Coffinworm unleashed its collective fury on the crowd, and the crowd responded. Many a solemn head nod, raised fist, and strained neck was to be seen as the down beat to full black metal charge blasted eardrums. This is a band honing in on where it wants to take any listeners; straight down in a locked pine box filled with dirt and grime, that ultimately ends in suffocation. Their 2010 release on Profound Lore Records can't come soon enough. Chicago's Sweet Cobra hit the stage next, and delivered a set dominated by new material. Proving to be on point every time they grace a stage in Indy, the band did not disappoint. Sweet Cobra possess the raw energy of a amphetamine jacked long haul trucker looking for the most direct way from one spot on a map to next. If you have seen Sweet Cobra before, then you know what to expect. That expectation is a high octane eruption that melds metal and hardcore into a straight ahead purging of night terrors and open roads. By the end of their set they left the crowd demanding and wanting more. Keelhaul took the stage next to finish the night's show. One of Cleveland's finest bands switched on their amps and proceeded to blister the slightly diminished crowd's ears with a staggering display skill. Keelhaul twisted, turned, and skewed their way through old and new material alike throughout the entirety of their lengthy set. The people that stuck it out witnessed a dizzying array of math metal with continual peaks, valleys, and progressions. Keelhaul only let up briefly when their drummer had a mishap with his snare. No worries once a replacement snare was secured, and the guitar, bass, and drum torture continued. By the end of their set, Keelhaul had finished off a crowd already happily pummeled by Coffinworm and Sweet Cobra. All in all, a three band line up like this one is good way end a week.