Cortez burns the boats at Deep Cuts on Friday, 22 November 2024.

Worshipper and Curse The Son open the triplestack bill.

“The Dregs” liquid lightshow in the house.

Historical note, neither here nor there… The Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés sailed to the New World aboard a warship named “Caravel” on a mission to subdue the sun-worshipping indigenous population. Curse the sun!

The three-piece Curse The Son performed as a three-piece, cranking out a downtempo metal grind for slo-mo headbanging reveries. Straight outta Connecticut! The setlist included more than a few tracks off their latest LP Delirium.

Speaking of new albums, Worshipper’s One Way Trip was nominated for album of the year by the Boston Music Awards. The release sounds like what the title says it sounds like: psych rock, in the key of metal. Plus, the trio kicked out some heavy guitar riffery and solos that shaded into bluesy territory. The furthur vibe was furthured with the help of visuals provided by “The Dregs” liquid lightshow. Check out the show recap video for a little peek at their work, or head to their Instagram.

Three bands, three new albums.

The five-piece Cortez reclaimed the night as their own with a headlining set that was big on theatrics. You know, the kind of drama that requires a dedicated vocalist to pull off onstage; someone who can roam around with the mic, unencumbered with instrumental duties, who can just bury themselves completely into selling the music to the crowd.

It’s kind of a lost art, but there’s still a strong tradition of the dedicated vocalist within certain strands of the metal lineage. Add in hot licks, hot solos, cannonade percussion, and the occasional deep, medium tempo, instrumental growler grind to square off the metal fundamentals on a night given over to the devil horns.

Check out Cortez’s latest album, Thieves and Charlatans, which may or may not be oblique commentary on Trump’s cabinet member nominations.

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