The Inarguable: Rituals, Before the Eyewall and Onward! Astronomer at Yayo Taco

This past Monday, in the relatively small Las Vegas taco shop known as Yayo Taco, local metal and post rock enthusiasts got to witness three excellent bands.

Locals Onward! Astronomer played music that sounded as if it belonged in an album next to The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place and F♯A♯∞. It was my second time seeing them live; the first time being when they played the same venue back in January, with Deafheaven, if my memory serves correct. This time, they definitely made more of an impact though. Powerful buildups, and driven songs backed by a variety of images proved to be a perfect combination. They currently have no releases, but when they do, I'll probably be posting about it.

Before the Eyewall, hailing from Columbus, OH, came on next. They were another instrumental band as well, but at the same time, much different from what had just come before. It seemed as if they played one long epic of a song, that built up over nearly 30 minutes. It all started fairly softly, but grew heavier and heavier, ending up with some sludge like riffs, at points. They currently only have a demo out, but it's pretty damn good, and worth checking out (professionally recorded and whatnot).

Finally, came Rituals, out of Phoenix, AZ. If you've listened to Dark Castle, Yob, and maybe even some Burning Witch, you'll get a taste of what Rituals is like. As soon as I saw the two huge Sunn 4x12s, I knew that Las Vegas was in for a treat. Rituals also only had a demo out, but it is assuredly great, and you can listen to the two tracks that appear on it on their Facebook page too (which will be linked at the bottom).