Flourish, Paradox Rift, Broodmonger and Ignominious
Volume #35: Flourish, Paradox Rift, Broodmonger & Ignominious
9/23/2022
The Foundry 11729 Detroit Ave, Lakewood, OH 44107
Good evening, my friends and thank you for partaking in yet another edition of the Rustbelt Rock Review. This week we will be taking a look at four bands in a familiar location. Once again I set out alone, traveling to the west side to visit The Foundry. I had a scheduled interview with Ignominious and was anxious to finally get the chance to sit down with the fearsome foursome. Typically I was early, and was waiting in the parking lot when the Igno-minibus arrived. We exchanged greetings and soon enough sat down to chat. (As usual I will share the content of that discussion at a later date.) Shortly after this I ran into some old acquaintances, Paradox Rift. As an RbRR reader, you are surely as familiar with this act as I am. At this point, they have made numerous appearances in my travels. Luckily these boys were also willing to take some time with me, garnering another interesting interview from the evening. I was also fortunate enough to meet photographer Lance Littlefield who was working the event. Lance was kind enough to snap some photos the Paradox Rift interview, which I will also share with you in due time.
Ignominious/Colin
Norwalk, OH’s Ignominious was first to hit the stage with a decent sized crowd populating the rear of The Foundry. You’ll remember I caught their debut performance way back in April (RbRR #7). Since then the boys have been sharpening their teeth all over Ohio, gaining experience and working out some new material along the way. They opened with “a song about a fish” entitled “Dunkleosteus.” Vocalist Colin immediately put his neck to work, windmilling his head wildly. This remained a constant throughout the set at all points when the man didn’t have the mic to his lips.
Ignominious/Josh
Ignominious’ extremely heavy, bass driven sound earned them immediate and vigorous crowd support; the room erupting into a frenzy of headbanging. Next on the setlist was “Bestial” which I noted had a great Bass breakdown. They followed that with another original entitled “Whale Cock” and then a pair of covers: Dethklok’s “Face Fisted” and Divine Threat’s “The Tide.” Next was their single “47 Lacerations” with its pounding, chugging rhythm.
Ignominious/Cody
Their closer, “Continental Conflagration” had some great groove and really brought the set to a thunderous conclusion. Like the prehistoric dunkleosteus, Ignominious is a horror from the deep. They thrive in the darkest, abysmal waters where the pressure is so intense that you have a completely different take on what constitutes heaviness. What many consider to be the heaviest of heavy metal, Ignominious shrugs off like dust motes.
Ignominious/Ethan
Their sound is fundamentally low, pounding, rumbling and grinding with vocals that are gigantic and monstrous. Continuing to grow their catalogue, they are now up to five finished originals, with more in the works. The band told me they hope to have an EP out by the end of this year, if not sooner.
Broodmonger
Our next performer was a second act from the Norwalk area, Broodmonger. They are a currently a four piece outfit, (they are short one guitarist) and have been together for about three years. I would say they are fundamentally a Death Metal band, though I won’t speculate as to which sub type. (I have to admit I am no scholar of the myriad variations of the genre that exist.) A fog machine kicked on at the beginning of the set adding some nice atmosphere to the room. My first impression of Broodmonger was they were very heavy. They utilized a laptop to compensate for the missing guitarist, but also to add sampled melodies.
Broodmonger/Colin
Their bass player was none other than Colin, frontman of Ignominious. Not surprisingly, it seems the Norwalk scene is every bit as incestuous as the Cleveland one. Broodmonger’s guitarist, Derrick, summoned punishing riffs while exhibiting some nice lead work. Their frontman, Hunter, has a voice that is nothing short of demonic. His presence was fundamentally intense throughout the performance, moving constantly; amping up the crowd.
Broodmonger/Hunter
The room was simmering throughout the beginning of the set. Screaming and headbanging was constant, yet a pit failed to manifest. That is until Hunter, apparently frustrated by the amount of crowd participation, called out the floor and demanded one. Well, he got one. Led by a cat that goes by the name of “Sage the Oracle” and followed by members of Mutilation Barbecue and Paradox Rift the moshing began, and persisted.
Broodmonger/Derrick
Bodies began whirling and flying about. I saw Mr. Littlefield in a precarious situation as he weathered the maelstrom. Selflessly, or perhaps self destructively, he risked his body and camera in pursuit of epic photos of the event. I was nearly hurled into a drumset that was stacked in front of the sound board, saved only by a helping hand lent by our good friend, Mr. Dylan Andras (Assault/Mutilation Barbecue).
Broodmonger
So now on to my assessment: Broodmonger was pretty good. They had a very heavy style, brutal breakdowns and some technical solos. (I particularly enjoyed the song “Raw Nerve.) I caught up with Sage the Oracle after the set and asked him what he thought. He told me “they were really good.” While he thought Hunter could have been “a little bit more personable,” he went on to say “the drummer was all right,” “the bassist was pretty damn good with that double bass twang,” and “the guitarist was on point.” There you have it, straight from the mouth of the Oracle; A fair assessment of a pretty solid band. Who are any of us to disagree with that? Not me, that’s for sure.
Paradox Rift/Luke
Up next was a true titan in the scene, Paradox Rift. If you’ve been consuming the RbRR as voraciously as you should be, I’m sure you’ve noticed this band making quite a few appearances (RbRR 12, 21, 31 & 34). This is in a small part because I am a fan of their work. To a far greater extent it is because of what a hard working band this is. It feels like I can’t go out to the clubs without tripping over a Paradox Rift set. In fact, they weren’t even supposed to be at Foundry on this particular evening. You see, another act had dropped off, and they were cool enough to jump on the bill to help out Flourish with some additional support.
Paradox Rift/Knife
With the fog machine still rolling, Paradox Rift took to the stage in a way I choose to describe in just three words: Fucking Bad Ass. Full bore from the first note, Paradox Rift demonstrated that there is absolutely no slack in this line up. Frontman Luke writhed and slithered around the stage in a serpentine fashion, like a Death Metal Jim Morrison. Drummer “Knife” provides a flawless and savage attack behind his kit. Each note performed with power, delivered in explosive increments, as devastating as a lightning strike and as resonant as the thunder that follows.
Paradox Rift/Osha
Speaking of thunder, let’s talk about bassist, Osha. His droning, rumbling bass fills the room with reverberations that are equally heard, as they are felt in the bone marrow. His powerful play is second only to his unrivaled stage energy. Hands down, this man is one of the must see performers in the Cleveland scene. Guitarist Preston’s licks are equal parts nasty and technically impressive. His fingers move like a frantic spider as he mixes highly technical work between crushing riffs. He blows minds on the fret board, lends backing vocals, all while simultaneously headbanging with vigor.
Paradox Rift/Preston
P.R. treated us to some of their new material, including “Doomsayer,” which I really liked. Closing out with their single “Feral Soul,” Paradox Rift left the stage to passionate screams from their loyal fans. It is worth noting that Paradox Rift has been nominated for Best Metal Artist in the Cleveland Music Awards. At the time of this performance, it was still two days prior to the winners being announced. I am happy to report that P.R. would go on to win that award. Congratulations, boys!
Flourish
Closing out the evening was Flourish. This is a four piece Shoegaze act that you may remember from RbRR #18, when I reviewed their album “Ephemera.” I really enjoy the collection, particularly the track “Where the Wind Comes From.” I was stoked to finally get the opportunity to see how that music translated into live form. After three very heavy bands, Flourish was a serious change of pace. Coming off the bone crushing riffs of Paradox Rift, it was an odd transition into the drifting melodies of Flourish. That being said, Flourish does what Flourish does, and they do it very well.
Flourish/Rogan
While their sound is very atmospheric, it does become quite rockin’ at time. Similarly, they are a largely instrumental outfit, but they do have a handful of songs that feature vocals. They deliver lengthy structures that are slow developing. They build, gaining momentum, before unleashing intense crescendos of sound, like waves crashing against the rocks.
Flourish/Kameron
Their music is sonically complex and incredibly dense; layers of technical artistry blended with untold effects, creating a sound that is beautifully ethereal. The crowd really seemed to enjoy what Flourish was doing; watching attentively, nodding their heads, swaying rhythmically and dancing when the tempo allowed for it. Though the fog machine had been removed, you would hardly have noticed, from the amount of vape pens that were being puffed during the set. It seemed that Flourish’s inherently trippy sound had inspired the crowd to bend their minds even further.
Flourish/Marcus
I don’t know how long Flourish played. Five minutes? Two Hours? It’s hard to say. The songs flow and float in such a way that time seems to stop, and the world all but falls away while the play them. Don’t get the wrong impression though; this band is not sleepy or boring, in fact quite to the contrary. Their complex compositions take you on a journey, and each one has highs and lows to be explored. For each ephemeral moment there is an equally important Rock riff that follows. Somewhere between Smashing Pumpkins and Pink Floyd you will find Flourish and it is an experience well worth having.
Flourish/Harley
I headed back to the east side fully satisfied. I had four live sets and two new interviews under my belt and was excited for the prospect of writing it all up. I had once again collected new insights, new stories and, most of all, new music. It’s always a thrill to watch our Underground Artists grow and change as Ignominous has. I love discovering new acts, like Broodmonger or just seeing a unique band like Flourish play. And of course, watching our rising stars like Paradox Rift get some much deserved recognition. This scene is such wild, diverse and visceral place. Blood, sweat and tears are shed each and every weekend. Bands play their hearts out, clubs work their asses off and fans throw down in recognition of it all. It’s honestly amazing and I am just happy to be a part of it, even if it is only a small one. Thanks for reading.
Until next time: Rock on, Rustbelt!
-Z.M. Delgado
Rustbelt Rock Review
Zackolantern.com
9/24, 9/26/2022
Flourish
https://linktr.ee/flourish_music
Paradox Rift
Broodmonger
Broodmonger.bigcartel.com
Ignominious
