Every review I write usually starts off with how unique The House Café is to see a show, most likely because the performers there are not usually bands one would see in a coffee shop.

Wednesday night was no exception as the glass shook on the windows outside throughout a powerful barrage of thrash and doom metal.

Local favorites Loose Lips Sink Ships opened the show with their unique, signature post-rock sound. The first time I saw them (which was admittedly longer ago then it should be), they sounded too much like Explosions in the Sky. Well, Wednesday night’s crowd was floored by their performance. Though they only played a short set, the crowd got into it and the people who were there just to see them appeared satisfied. Also, it should be noted that their merchandise booth got some significant looks from fans, so hopefully they gained some new followers after their performance. To those that are not aware, Loose Lips Sink Ships plays a very tight brand of instrumental rock that offers glimpses of acts like Pelican, the aforementioned Explosions in the Sky, and even a dash of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. They come very highly recommended, so check them out the next time they play in your neck of the woods.

After the longest sound check in recorded history, Bison b.c. from Canada came out and absolutely tore the roof off. Their combination of thrash, doom, and punk was loud, angry, and fast in all the right places. To try to describe this band would be like trying to explain an atomic bomb from inside ground zero, as they raged with a style that seemed borrowed, but was completely unique. Every time I tried to think of what other band they sounded like, I came up short. The list of bands that ran through my head ranged from Planes Mistaken for Stars, to the Bronx, to Earth, to Suicidal Tendencies. The drumming was furious and the guitar/bass work had the intensity to match. It takes a lot to impress the usually fickle metalheads out here, but there was quite the line to buy CDs that yours truly had to wait in to spend his money on this outstanding band. That was the type of set that people will go drive hours to be a witness to.

While the sounds of the previous band were still ringing in everyone’s ears, High on Fire came out and provided a master course in Metal 101. Of all the bands that have played recently at the House, High on Fire may have been the most precise and technical. They hit every note perfectly, and as the fists pumped and the heads banged, they kicked out some of the most awesome “stoner metal” jams that I have ever seen. Middle aged men with long hair were rocking out just as hard as the young girls in the crowd, a rare sight in DeKalb.

To review a show is to try to capture its essence, and the air on Wednesday was heavy with chunky guitar riffs, a bass that pulsed defiantly, and some super technical drumming. Though some people there were obviously not huge High on Fire fans before the set, they were certainly converted in the wake.

All in all, the set was highlighted with unique amounts of crowd interaction for such a heavy show, and their great performance certainly made this reviewer a fan.