Last Minute Plans: The Atlas Moth At SubT

By Jon Graef in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 23, 2011 8:20PM

This Black Wednesday, make the black stand for "black metal"—and psych, and doom, and sludge, and whatever else goes into the intoxicating witches' brew known as The Atlas Moth's metal sound.

In September, the Chicago quintet released their second album, The Ache For The Distance, on Profound Lore Records, and it isn't so much rockin' our turntable, so much as destroying it at every turn with a surprising amount of variety, velocity, and boogie.

First single and Distance lead-off track "Coffin Varnish" showcases the band's talents quite well, evoking classic guitar harmonies of the NWOBHM, the slower tempo, more gothic-tinged metal like Type O Negative, and, perhaps unintentionally, even your younger brother's howling screamo. (Distance is the gateway album to get for any poor sap sad bastard sibling who thinks screamo is as intense as it gets).

Elsewhere, "Perpetual Generations" swings like Queens of the Stone Age in their prime, and tracks like "Gemini" and "Courage" bring keyboard textures into the mix. Epic closer "Horse Thieves" brings the doom hard, before segueing into something resembling a throat-damaged, more metal version of Radiohead's Amnesiac closer, "Life In A Glasshouse". (Wait until the 4:00 minute mark, when the music slows down and the trumpet comes in, and you'll see the resemblance).

Like any good Chicago metal band, The Atlas Moth have been touring something fierce, and tonight's show at Subterranean, with fellow local metal trailblazers Yakuza, should see the band in peak form. Doors are at 8 p.m., and the 21+ show starts at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.

Stream An Ache For The Distance below, then cop it here.