Vaste Burai Photo: Justin DeLord

On the sweaty night of July 11, there wasn’t a better place to be in Texas than The Across the Street Bar. Area stoner/doom bands were proving the local metal scene has more to offer than one-finger power chords and backward baseball cap-wearing knuckle-draggers growling about “their struggles.” In fact, there wasn’t a mosh pit in sight. No assholes spilling beer on you. No pleas from the stage to “Get the f#*k up!” At times, the music moved at a snail’s pace. Other times it swaggered in the blues and even downright sucker-punched.

Longview’s Vaste Burai opened, entrancing the crowd with a thick-as-molasses heaviness usually reserved for bands with more than two members. Dreadful Hours nailed their set of European style death-doom, leaving the audience scratching their heads in amazement. Orthodox Fuzz stunned everyone, churning out acid-boogie not unlike Blue Cheer. Kin of Ettins held court with a traditional doom sound in the vein of Black Sabbath but with more melody. Little Big Horn closed the night with a desert-rock set akin to Kyuss.

This was another successful showcase by local pioneer Justin DeLord, front man for Kin of Ettins and old school favorites Midian. He also organizes Dallas Doom Daze, a spring festival and runs DFW Doomicile (www.myspace.com/ dfwdoomicile), a site chock full of music, videos and show dates. A compilation CD is in the works.

Local label Brainticket Records is another place to get your fix. John Perez of Solitude Aeturnus operates the CD mail order website (www.brainticket.com). CDs from locals Last Chapter, High on Fire and others are available.

There’s a diversity of doom bands in the area. Besides Solitude Aeturnus and Kin of Ettins, That Which Passes is another traditional doom band. Groups such as Blood Ov and Vaste Burai (who just signed an all-vinyl distribution deal in Germany) are on the extreme side, with really slow tempos and low-tuned guitars. The death-doom genre is represented with bands like Dreadful Hours, who are a little more polished but DIY nonetheless. (They turned down a major label deal.)

Viet Kong and Blood of the Sun have a more 70’s feel. BOTS has been exceptionally successful — touring Europe and opening for legends such as Trouble. Wo Fat uses bluesy slide guitar in their Fu Manchu-esque grooves, while bands like Max Cady punk it up. Other noteworthy acts from both sides of the coin include Dixie Witch and Four Days to Burn.

Nobody seems to know why, but lately the scene has grown exponentially compared of other styles, which seem to have declined. Adrian Ramirez (Dreadful Hours) points out, “There’s a definite “sea change.” There’s something missing in metal today — brains.”

“Every body is tired of the same verse/chorus/breakdown,” Vaste Burai’s Kevin Blalock offers.” It’s complex in its simpleness. Everybody tries to please the audience, when the audience just wants you to be yourself.”

“It’s the earliest and heaviest form of metal,” DeLord adds. “It’s something you can sink your teeth into. It envelops you.”

There’s no doubt there is a “sea change.” Local musicians and fans are reaching for more depth. People are starting to take notice of these local artists — who look to the past for a brighter future. Blalock, with the quote of the night, states, “Your mind is an umbrella. It only works when it’s open.”