Greet Death played Sonia – 4/5

Michigan shoegazers Greet Death brought their Spring tour to Cambridge, supported by a bill of locals that included Crescent Ridge, Circus Trees and The Burning Paris.

When Greet Death rolled through town about this time last year, I made that classic error of not having my shit together before O’Brien’s sold out (which, when you’re a touring band that people are generally pretty psyched on, is typically a foregone conclusion). Months later when the band hit The Sinclair with Foxing and Home Is Where (a too-good-to-ever-happen-again lineup), I was conveniently in Europe. Third time, earlier this month at Central Square’s Sonia, was finally the charm.

Supporting last summer’s New Low EP, Greet Death’s current triple-guitar lineup translated their downcast wall of sound in appropriately huge (and loud) fashion. The new songs show off a slightly gentler and more melodic side of the band than 2019’s breakthrough New Hell or predecessor Dixieland, but that didn’t detract from the set’s cohesive heaviness as they hit highlights from all three releases. And for a group that trends pretty dour on record, they effectively punctuated the downers with funnier-than-your-average stage banter.

Direct support Crescent Ridge have been everywhere lately, but I’m never mad to see them. Their grunge-y vibe was a great match here. Marlborough’s Circus Trees and Boston’s recently-reunited The Burning Paris kicked off the night with complementary strains of post-rock, the former’s forward-thinking and synced to a custom light show while the latter’s hit a sweet spot of early ’00s sounds.

Check out photos from all four sets below.