Graveyard’s stoner metal hotboxes Gothic

Originally scheduled to be held at the cozy Larimer Lounge Friday night, a much more appropriate venue for Graveyard and The Shrine was Englewood’s Gothic Theater.

A line of frigid fans stretched down South Broadway with a strong herbal aroma engulfing the entrance to the venue minutes before the show. Inside, there was a heard of leather vests, snakeskin, and unkempt mops of hair. Old school concert t-shirts and headbands made the room feel like it traveled back in time.

Three mustachioed and glassy eyed men strolled onto the stage in front of a massive banner, and with a deafening boom The Shrine kicked off the evening.

Long locks of hair began thrashing back and forth in the front row and high-energy rock riffs filled the Gothic. The guitarist and bassist demonstrated spot on timing from opposite sides of the smoky stage from start to finish.

As the set went on, wide-eyed fans began to stare at legendary bassist and co-founder of American punk-rock band Black Flag, Chuck Dukowski. His unbelievable skill with finger plucking and high-neck bass soloing is enough to impress anyone.

Fans of the California trio nearly lost it when lead singer/guitarist Josh Landau introduced the title track from the newest release, “Primitive Blast.”

At this point, the room was filled just to the ideal point where the balconies were packed shoulder to shoulder, yet there was enough room on the floor for every person to dance, flail, or head-bang without danger of causing a fight.

Smoke began to seep from behind the three massive stacks of bright orange amplifiers and float off of the stage. The four classily dressed members of Swedish rock group Graveyard emerged from the smoke and took the crowd back to a time of simple, yet epic rock and roll.

The upbeat jams accompanied with heavy bass lines were reminiscent of Black Sabbath, or any number of rock legends from the 70s. At the same time as the intense rock/blues melodies, the resounding vocals from Joakim Nilsson resemble that of the great Robert Plant.

Zeppelinesque rhythms rang out as Graveyard performed a selection from all three of its studio albums, Graveyard, Hisingen Blues, and Lights Out. Undoubtedly the most uproarious applause and excitement came when Nilsson announced a few songs from the newest album Lights Out, which was released in October of last year.

As the last pair of Graveyard’s leather shoes faded behind the curtains, bewildered fans started to bum rush the stage and demand more. The mob of rock fans were more than willing to lend their ears for a few more songs, and more than likely a few more hours from the nostalgic neo-rock group.