Stoner metal duo Om played this last Thursday at Neumos and completely and utterly blew my mind. This marked my first time seeing Om live and they did not disappoint at all. Om is currently on a tour of pre-support for their soon to be released forth studio album entitled “God is Good” on Drag City. This marks the first recording of Al Cisernos and new drummer Emil Amos (Grails). In 2008, original Om drummer Chris Hakius, Al’s long time rhythm section partner in crime from Sleep left the band.
I was very impressed by both musicians’ chops respectively. Emil Amos must have been a godsend, because he is an unbelievable drummer. The fact that Al replaced a very high quality drummer with possibly an even better drummer is incredible, and doesn’t happen very often. You also know a drummer is working hard when they have to stand up between songs and regroup.
Al was everything I hoped he’ d be live too, being a big Sleep fan, as well as an Om fan. Sporting a new shorter haircut, he put the audience into a trance and looked like a possessed man while churning out some seriously tripped out bass lines. Om does an amazing job of mixing drone, psych, crushing stoner metal and eastern musical influences into an experimental out of body experience. Just close your eyes, and go for the ride is my advice.
Om also enlisted some additional help in the form of the looping musical genius Lichens, who I missed earlier in the night and was kicking myself. He added killer percussion, keys, and vocals while supplying further nuance to the colossal low end soundscapes created by Al and Emil. The show was great, but the best part was the whiplash inducing encore to which Al almost took our heads off with a tremendous bass explosion to close the set. Talk about going out on a high note, and leaving a lasting impression. Om also had the new LP for sale a little earlier than the September 29th release, which was very cool.
The bill also included Lichens, ambient Portland musician Grouper, and experimental British singer-songwriter Scout Niblett.
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