Exploding junction boxes and robo-cop conspiracies? Just another Valient Thorr concert. Reverb file photo by Tina Hagerling.
Venusians make the best hard and fast metal, hands down, and played a riotous set a the that more than proved it last Thursday night. The show was just one stop on a world tour that started in the beginning of October, and features a live show nearly every night until mid December (in London), and I have no doubt the band will be able to hold up the same energy level they did in front of the nearly packed venue that night — though I wonder how many other bands could do the same.
The band started their 90-minute, high-octane set right at 11 p.m., and it didn’t take long for the crowd to nearly get out of control. Lead singer Valient Himself, as wild and provocative a character as you’re likely to find across the metal spectrum, carried both the crowd and the band with his over-the-top antics and supercharged metabolism, screaming to the head-banging mosh pit about conspiracies behind the government, endless partying and the eventual rise of an army of partially robotic and undead police, destined to take over the state if we don’t maintain a vigilant watch every second.
The “robo-zombie-cop” image is the central plot of the band’s latest single and video, “Tomorrow Police,” an easy acme of the set list. They surrounded it with more than a dozen more, including “Problem Solver,” “Goveruptcy,” “Heatseeker,” “Disappearer” and others, with furious speed, and never missed a note.
While bassist Nitewolf Strangees and Lucian Thorr maintained the assaultive rhythm section, guitarists Eidan Thorr and (new to the band on this tour, according to Valient) Sadat traded complex licks and riffs with easy lightning speed, and occasionally sprayed the close up pit with sweat off their flailing hair.
The only pause in the set that lasted for more than a few seconds came as Reed Bremmer, lead singer from openers , jumped up and grabbed an electrical conduit above the crowd to swing on it. It immediately bent with his weight, and showered the stage with sparks from the junction box as the wires were yanked out. After the unexpected pyrotechnics, part of the band’s sound went out, causing a 20-minute break in the action. A few fans left, but most remained, and were rewarded with another 30 minutes of searing metal, as if the interruption never occurred.
Kansas City’s , who took over Early Man’s unexpectedly vacated spot on tour with Valient Thorr in the last days of October, played a tight and fast 30-minute set before the headliners, and showed they’ve only become a more solid force since their last time in town a year or so ago. The foursome sported a sound thatap rife with AC/DC mixed with a healthy dose of power-punk, and the growing crowd was sad to see it end as quickly as it did.
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Billy Thieme is a Denver-based writer, an old-school punk and a huge follower of Denver’s vibrant local music scene. Follow Billy’s explorations at , and his giglist at
