Wrekmeister Harmonies and Bell Witch played O’Brien’s Pub – 3/4

Friday night at Allston’s O’Brien’s Pub welcomed a supremely heavy bill topped by co-headliners in Chicago’s Wrekmeister Harmonies and Seattle duo Bell Witch.

Wrekmeister Harmonies is the drone/doom/dark ambient project of Chicago’s J.R. Robinson, who is joined by a veritable all-star army of the underground on record. Collaborators ranging from Portland, OR noise terrorists The Body to folk singer/songwriter Marissa Nadler and indie rock veteran Chris Brokaw make appearances on last year’s Night of Your Ascension, but the group’s current touring arrangement consists of just Robinson and keyboardist/violinist/vocalist Esther Shaw, joined for the heavier side of their set by both members of Bell Witch. Like both of Ascension‘s lengthy compositions, Wrekmeister’s live set began plaintive and mournful before exploding into a cacophonous, crushing finale. With an unfortunate technical difficult cutting Bell Witch’s subsequent set short (more on that in a minute), the climax of Wrekmeister’s single composition wound up being the most succinct showcase for the strengths of all involved. Robinson’s stomping, impassioned performance was a sight to behold, and bassist Dylan Desmond and drummer Jesse Shreibmann were a special kind of heavy as a backing rhythm section.

Bell Witch’s unique approach to their craft has a lot to do with that “special kind of heavy.” Desmond’s incredibly multifaceted six-string bass playing, along with both band members trading off vocal duties, makes Bell Witch’s music sound like the work of at least double the number of people who make it. “Awoken (Breathing Teeth),” from last year’s stellar Four Phantoms, was all the more stunning in a live setting, though it was tragically the only song the band could perform. Desmond’s mindblowingly elaborate pedal board began malfunctioning, and with the show already running quite late, the band decided to call it quits for the evening. That single 20-minute epic of glacially-paced funereal doom was still damn impressive though, and has me looking forward to the band’s return trip to Boston.

Rounding out the bill were strong sets from Boston-based doom/sludge quartet SEA and Worcester’s Mountain Man, whose dual-drummer-plus-cello lineup and dynamic songwriting rendered a thrillingly unpredictable performance.

Photos from all four acts are below.