I don’t listen to heavy metal. But based on the turnout Friday night at the House Café, it seems I’m the only one.

Unearthly Trance started the show, the crowd accumulating during the band’s performance. Black Cobra followed with a 45-minute set, then gave the stage over to Pelican for an hour. By the time Trance finished, a tightly-packed audience had amassed and was thoroughly appreciative of the bands.

In the interest of full disclosure, my motive for seeing this showcase of loud, abrasive music was mostly to spend time with my cousin, who I rarely see, and who was in town that night just for the show. It is noteworthy that my taste in music is something more similar to your third-grade social studies teacher’s, or the person whose job it is to create pillowcase designs.

That said, there were, predictably, parts of Friday’s show that weren’t my cup of tea. Surprisingly, however, I was pleased with the performances overall.

New York’s Unearthly Trance started the show with 30 minutes of the most aggressive music of the night. The songs were faster-paced than those of the other two bands, and the time signatures were much more difficult to follow.

The speed and seeming randomness of the performance gave me over to confusion and worry that I had picked an assignment too far outside of my range. At one point, the guitarist manipulated his pedals to emit a tooth-shaking sound effect, prompting my cousin to lean over and remark, “I bet you didn’t know reverb could be used as music AND a weapon.”

Black Cobra’s set was more reassuring: The duo’s guitarist/vocalist demonstrated mastery of his axe, although his lyrics were indecipherable (this was true of Unearthly Trance as well, leading me to the conclusion that heavy metal song lyrics are secret codes cracked only by devoted fans). The drummer was energetically shirtless, giving off a “Let’s-do-this” vibe.

Cobra’s songs were vibrant and raucous, and while the volume was frequently more than I was comfortable with, the band’s devotion and talent were visible.

Instrumental band Pelican contrasted Cobra’s brashness with its more solemn, elegant sound. Bassist Bryan Herweg took center stage both literally and figuratively, producing prominent and artistic low melodies uncommon in the sissier music I’m used to. Brother Larry drummed while wearing not only a shirt, but a baseball cap as well, as if to say, “Rocking is a piece of cake for me.”

Pelican’s relatively more delicate songs were an excellent way to close the night, and Bryan’s “thank you’s” to the audience were something of a surprise after the hour of vocals-free music.

For me to have been pleased that Pelican returned to the stage for an encore is a testament to the talent present Friday night at the House Café. I entered the venue cautiously pessimistic, but left satisfied with the adventure outside my aural comfort zone (albeit temporarily hard of hearing). Heavy metal may yet have a place in my life.