Rustbelt Rock Review

By: Z.M. Delgado

Rustbeltrockreview.com

Volume #144: Laundrofest II feat. Pillars, Body Farm, Salt, Razorblade, Ancient Torture, Night Freak, Attaxia, Fleshpile, Blackpowder

June 29th, 2024

Prototype Collective 9800 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, OH 44102

Greetings my friends and welcome back to the mad rambling mess that I like to call the Rustbelt Rock Review. This week I decided to go deep into the underground and checked out a new venue along the way. This past Saturday I attended Laundrofest II hosted by the Prototype Collective. I began my evening by searching for the elusive location. I initially passed it, and had to loop around, returning to turn down a narrow driveway and follow it to the rear of the building. Here I saw a few heavily tattooed characters unloading musical gear, and I deduced that I was in the right place. I parked and got out. The day was sweltering and I was in no mood for the heat. However I decided to enjoy the air for a few before heading in. I drank an energy drink and hit my vape pen while surveying my surroundings. I approached a gang of musicians an introduced myself. They turned out to be the band Ancient Torture, who for all intents and purposes were very cool and generally a pleasure to chat with. When that conversation ended I decided it was time to head in. I turned to face the building, a tower standing all alone on the road. I entered and found not the door to a club, but rather a staircase. Already sweating from the heat I began my ascent. Up I walked… and up and up. With each flight passed the temperature of both the air and my body rose. In good time I reached the landing of the fifth floor and found a man set up to collect cash. I paid my dues, received my wrist band and headed in.

Once inside I took in the room. I was an early bird to the gig, so the club was populated by mostly just the band members at this point. It is a large space with a low stage set to one side. It has unfinished floors and ceilings with pillars spaced throughout the room. At the end nearest the door is a single unisex restroom. At the opposite end sits a bar where beers are for sale (Though it is also a BYOB venue!) and bottles of water are free! Despite numerous fans circulating the air, the room was very hot already. With the room mostly empty, I wondered just how blistering the room would become once the bodies started piling in. I hung about, checking out the merch and drinking in the vibe. I ran into Zac from Pillars, who greeted me with a hug and thanked me for being there. People continued to arrive and soon we had a sizable crowd in place. In due time the clock struck 7pm and the show kicked off more or less as scheduled.

First to the stage was Blackpowder. This is a three man outfit made up of Guitar/Vocals, Bass/Backing Vocals and Drums. In from Columbus they brought a Death Metal sound with a distinctly hardcore edge to the underlying sound. Their singer delivered a deep guttural sound while their drum work was upbeat and Rockin’. They displayed excellent stage presence; their vocalist headbanging whenever not singing and the bass player jumping about, leaving the stage and even jostling members of the crowd while playing. The bass player also added some truly bad ass backing vocals to the mix which punched up the sound considerably. They had the room engaged from their first notes, with the crowd banging their heads to the Death Metal sound. My notes praise the band for their overall heaviness, cool riffs and killer solos. I think they played a total of five songs and they finished strong. The crowd gave them much love as they finished up to big applause. I really enjoyed Blackpowder and was glad I got the chance to check them out. Without a doubt they were a great choice for the shows opener and they kicked things off like a “no knock” raid.

The crowd continued to grow, and with it so did the heat. I puffed away at my vape as I watched the bands change over. Up second was Fleshpile. This is a four member, female fronted band from Columbus, OH. They are made up of Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Drums. They had a noisy sort of Sludgy/Punkish sound. The vocals were deep and guttural or wicked and raspy with a timbre that bordered on Black Metal. They opened up and immediately the crowd responded. A pit erupted and people started dancing all around. There were kids skanking, picking up change and doing handsprings throughout the pit. As the set progressed the energy rose. The skanking gave way to hardcore dancing. Despite the heat, it was all knuckles and fists as Fleshpile continued to hand out consistent heaviness. The band had good stage presence, especially the singer who danced nonstop throughout the set. I believe they played eight songs, which included a cover of the intro to Korn’s “Blind.” Fleshpile received huge applause as the finished up, and my notes reflect that the crowd absolutely loved them. From their first note to their last, the fans went wild and were hell bent on violence. In short, Fleshpile killed it.

Another band down, another pull from my pen and I was ready to go. Third to the stage was Cleveland’s Attaxia. This is a four piece, female fronted group constructed from Vocals, Guitar, Bass/Backing Vox and Drums. They opened up nasty as fuck, delivering a super aggressive form of Punk Rock. The vocals were abrasive and grating and perfect for the intense sound the band exudes. Immediately the floor came to life with kids dancing. The heat was oppressive yet the crowd was not deterred; feverishly dancing the two step. Attaxia delivered absolutely savage Punk in short sweet little packages. The band had excellent stage presence, with every member throwing down hard and the singer even venturing down to the floor for stints of the set. The crowd loved them and went bananas as the temperature seemed to soar. I believe they rattled off 8 songs in quick succession before calling it a night. Heavy, fast and over, Attaxia, came and went and left destruction in their wake. They received an outstanding crowd response with good pits and a lot of dancing. It was during this set that I gave in to the heat and took off my T-shirt. I was not the only one to do so either. I would say half the room had stripped to the waist. Men as well as women many of who were now moshing in bras and corsets. With the temperature as high as it was, all sense of shame and self consciousness was cast aside in the exchange for some semblance of comfort. Side note: During this set I ran into Jake from Necroprophecy, who is always an interesting cat to chat with.

Up fourth in our lineup, from Chicago, was Night Freak. This is a three man band made up Guitar/Vocals, Bass and Drums/Backing Vocals. They exploded into their set, with speed and aggression. Likewise the fans exploded, immediately bursting out with dancing and headbanging. The vocals were shouted and the guitar work contained some nice solos. The band had solid stage energy, each member rocking out hard. There was lots of dancing and moshing and even a circle pit for a time. The energy was palpable, driving and intense and I found myself getting drawn in to the music. A bottle of Jagermeister got dropped and smashed near the pit. Punks scrambled to pick up the glass before anyone was hurt. Simultaneously Night Freak was delivering pure ripping Rock n’ Roll with mammoth force. I believe they played six songs before calling it a night. Their closing number was a killer, that had the crowd dancing enthusiastically. When the song ended, the crowd gave up some huge applause and screamed in approval. Night Freak had killed it, plain and simple. With unquestioned intensity they tore through their set and absolutely rocked Prototype Collective.

Eric Stevenson: The Official Tattoo Artist of the Rustbelt Rock Review

Reaching the midpoint in the evening we approached our fifth performers. In from Pittsburgh, it was Ancient Torture. This four piece, female fronted band is forged from Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Drums. Their vocalist had the voice of a demon; guttural, snarling and vicious. They opened up sludgy as fuck and immediately kids started two stepping. Fists began to fly as the music shifted between hard and fast to slow and heavy. Someone produced, what I believe was, a plastic skeleton which began to be swung around the pit. It’s life span was short as it was bashed against the floor until it shattered into pieces. As Ancient Torture continued to hand out punishment, the madness on the floor only increased. The pit went wild. Fists swung and spin kicks were unleashed, simultaneously kids rode piggyback through the pit like jousters. The Bass hummed and the heavily distorted chords slammed. To a bad ass chugging tempo, I established that I really dug Ancient Torture. I was far from alone as the crowd seemed to be completely under the bands sway. A group of fans dropped to the floor and began to row in unison, a feat I have only previously witnessed at an Amon Amarth show. For their final song bodies flew while the band slammed onward like and unstoppable force. Ancient Torture was amazing. They really impressed me with their intensity and straight up grit. They are a band that I would definitely check out again. Side note: Midway through the set my friend and cohort, Jimmy “The Dook” Fedor from Roxxxstarradio turned up and together we would watch the remainder of the show. You know what’s a great thing about Jimmy? Besides being a righteous dude and a huge supporter of the scene… he always has a few doobies on him. So once Ancient Torture finished up we decided to walk down to the parking lot to blast a joint. Down, down, down we went and out into the blessedly cool night air. We blazed the doobie and ran into Lou from Pillars. Then we were met with the wretched task of returning to the fifth floor club. Up we went, until we made it back into the oven otherwise known as the Prototype Collective. (Not that it was all bad though, there were fans everywhere, some of them pretty big, that kept the air moving. If you could secure a spot in front of one of those, well then the heat was tolerable.)

Sixth in our procession of bands was Pittsburgh’s Razorblade. This three piece act is made up of Guitar/Vox, Bass and Drums. They produce a nasty form of Punk Rock that is all ripping, blazing speed. Highly aggressive, the sound inspired some early light moshing that was quickly amped up to a full blow explosion. Maniac moshers assailed the each other and those around them as Razorblade served up a wretched feast of Punk Rock delights. I believe it was their fourth song in when they asked “Who wants to hear ‘Shit Pipe?’” The song started and the mosh pit exploded again, with the two step soon coming into full effect. A young woman seized the mic and unleashed some savage vocals of her own. This would happen again on a later song, with a different woman and then again with a man; their voices were equally sick. Near the end of the set we got a brief and hilarious sing-along when the band broke into the intro of Quiet Riot’s “Cum on Feel the Noize.” Following that it was back to the rabid Punk Rock. The pit raged wild and sloppy, and when it ceased the two step started up in it’s place. I think Razorblade played eleven songs and got a big cheer at their completion. The fans at Prototype seemed to love everything they were putting out and they applauded accordingly.

Now on to our seventh act of the night, Columbus’s Salt. This is a four man Hardcore outfit assembled from Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Drums. Up to this point if I have used the words intense, or aggressive to describe the bands, I will have to reevaluate their definitions. You see once we reached the point when Salt took to the stage, the intensity and aggression went through the roof. The whole band was moving, the singer in particular who was spin kicking wildly. Pandemonium erupted. The entire room seemed to go mad, as Salt unleashed their savage assault. Violence washed over the crowd as moshing ran wild. The frontman alternated between singing himself, and handing the mic off to fans who knew the lyrics. The pit thrived and bodies flew in every direction. A rogue mosher collided with a raised speaker, it tottered, threatening to go down, before being stabilized by an onlooker. It was madness. At the mid point of the set my notes read, “Salt is disgustingly vicious.” That my friends, is about all I can say on the subject. Salt played seven songs I believe. The final one, being heavy as shit, wound the room into fits of two stepping and sent fists flying. Salt truly Rocked the house. They threw down hard and the crowd fed off of that and went wild. It was a thing to see. With Salt now finished, The Dook and I decided to head back down to the parking lot for another doobie.

We got stoned and enjoyed the night air for a sweet but brief period, then we climbed Mount Prototype for the last time that evening. Up eighth in the parade of Rock N’ Roll was Body Farm. They are a four piece, female fronted, Punk band. Their members hail from both Pittsburgh as well as Ohio, so they both are and are not a local band. They are made up of Vocals/Samples, Guitar/Backing Vocals, Bass and Drums. They came out fast and spastic with a high pitched vocal attack. Their songs were short and abrupt. Starting and stopping in quick succession, I got confused and lost count. They had outstanding, high energy stage presence. Their vocalist was in constant motion. While the Guitarist ran down onto the floor just to stir things up a bit. The floor was full of people dancing and headbanging, near the end of the set they paused so we could all take a group photo on an old school disposable camera. After that Body Farm fired up the jams again and the two step broke out on the floor. In a shrieking cacophony of Punk Rock fury Body Farm finished their set strong. The crowd cheered and applauded ferociously in obvious approval of what had just gone down. With Body Farm finished they drew the winners of a raffle (benefiting children victimized by the war in Palestine.) the winners of which received a squishmallow.

Eight bands down and one to go, and lucky me, it was the band that drew me to the club in the first place, the mighty Pillars! For those of you who don’t know, Pillars is a three piece Sludge/Punk hybrid band from Cleveland. They are made up of Guitar/Vox, Bass and Drums. They came out beneath heavy feedback and an abundance of distortion. Unleashing a brutal assault on our ears the crowd immediately began headbanging. The vocals were a vicious bestial roar that washed over the listeners like a tsunami breaking. Excellent stage presence across the board is what I saw as Pillars poured out their music with passion. Quickly a pit formed and the floor came alive with swirling bodies. With a mixture of driving tempos and brutal breakdowns Pillars set the room on a course for destruction. The fun loving atmosphere of the earlier acts seemed to disappear and the dancing girls melted into the background as the pit was overtaken by large sweaty men. The floor became a much more dangerous place as the moshing gained momentum and fury with each passing song. The pit became unpredictable, the collisions more sloppy, as fatigue overcame the fans. But Pillars wasn’t through, not yet. They continued to hammer forward, chords ripping, Bass thrumming and Drums hammering their point home. It was fantastic. With The Dook by my side we watched as the demented fans tore themselves and each other into little bitty bits. And then it was over. Pillars finished with colossal strength and left the fans in a state of satisfied exhaustion. They cheered the mightiest cheer they could manage in their weakened state and then collectively began to say goodnight.

The Dook and I made our way to the door and said farewell. I headed to my car, strapped in and headed east with a strong desire for a shower. It had been a sweaty affair after all. Sweaty, but more than fun that’s for sure. I had the opportunity to finally check out the Prototype Collective, and I found it to be a bad ass spot to take in a show, even if it was on the fifth floor of blazing hell. Heat and stairs aside, I will gladly return to Prototype because of it’s free spirited and inclusive atmosphere. I was also fortunate enough to see NINE kick ass bands from around our region and I have to say I enjoyed them all in their own way. The house was packed and the crowd was hyped from the get go. Everyone was dancing and moshing ans in general having a great time, while laughing in the face of unholy heat. Suffice to say, it was a night worth reporting on. It was a night worth remembering. On that note, I will leave you for another week. Bang your heads, support your scene and as always, wear your earplugs and thank you for reading.

Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt,

-Z.M. Delgado

Rustbelt Rock Review

Rustbeltrockreview.com

6/30/2024

IG handles:

@saltstyle614

@pillars_ohio

@razorblade_pgh

@ancienttorture

@nightfreakchicago

@_attaxia_

@fleshpile614

@blackpowderofficial

@bodyfarmohpa

@prototype.collective

Vol. #144: Laundrofest II

Vol. #146: After The Apocalypse “Factions” Release Party

Vol. #143: Bound by Fate, Avowal & Tundra