It was already late at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco, so I was really hoping tonight would be a success despite the venue being half full. Two decent bands proceeded instrumental act Gifts From Enola.

First up was Winfred E. Eye with their barn-burning hoedowns and in the Pogues-ian joyous-noise (a stomping “Lil Peck”) and sweetly downered folkadelic intropsection (a Wilco-ian “Two Baby Moths”). It was an interesting set…I might want to see them again.

Next up was the Melvins inspired instrumental act, Glaciers. Glaciers‘ soundscapes were intriguing, alternating between a thunderously apocalyptic atmosphere and almost dream-like drones. Unfortunately, the band sometimes seemed lazy and bored, leaving some people nodding their heads to the mindlessly grinding rock music. It was quite good, but even during their set, it felt like an appetizer for the headlining act.

Rolling out huge equipment and several lights, it was a clear signal that Gifts From Enola were going to be louder than any band you’re likely to see outside of a stadium. Fortunately they were never loud for the sake of being loud. They were not, for instance, as blisteringly face-melting as Isis. But they did play music as sonically rich and heavy. You might call their sound a gloriously abrasive flood of dense guitar atmospheres across the sonic spectrum.

Some might wish they were a metal band, but they were too far outside the box on their song dynamics and their penchant for creating ambient stretches inside their songs. Playing some of their greatest song from both their latest onslaught ‘From Fathoms’ (buy) and their debut ‘Loyal Eyes Betrayed the Mind (buy),’ the band barely paused between songs, making the entire experience feel more like a journey rather than a tiny concert in tiny venue. They clearly cared about mood and how their sounds affected the listener emotionally and not merely if they were rocking harder than anyone had ever seen before.

The drummer, though, made their overall sound a lot more organic since he didn’t just play as fast and as furiously as he could. He went for a more tribal sound that always packs more of a punch rather than some acts that think they need to just assail us with double-kick rolls. That kind of thing doesn’t hit you hard — knowing when to use all your components does, and this band knew how to do it. Sure, they ran into a technical issue with the lights out about halfway through their set but they leapt that chasm and showed us how you can use aggression creatively in music while also stirring the body, heart, and imagination.

Gifts From Enola – Benthos

Gifts From Enola – Screaming At Anything That Moved

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