blackwater holylight

This show is at Cactus Club, located at 2496 S Wentworth Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207.

Blackwater Holylight, as the name suggests, is all about contrasts. It’s a fluid convergence of sound that’s heavy, psychedelic, melodic, terrifying and beautiful all at once.

As a heavy band, their songs aren’t anchored to riffs, but rather riffs come and go in waves that surface throughout the band’s meditative, entrancing songs. It’s a hypnotic sound, with orchestral structures that often build tension and intrigue before turning the song on its head — not by simply getting louder or heavier, nor by just layering elements. They expertly subvert the implied heaviness of a part, dissecting it and splaying the songs guts out to seep across the sonic spectrum.

Now, having toured together extensively following the band’s wildly-successful breakout selsftitled debut in 2018, Blackwater Holylight has honed their sound and identity to a powerfully captivating beast. Their live set is all about the slow build, seeming to combine the melodic tension of early Sonic Youth crossed with the laconic fever-dream blues of the first Black Sabbath album, and wiry experimentation of post-punk and krautrock.

Spirit Mother is a heavy-psych rock group with a sound described as “Jangly, heavy, and rhythmic, with violin ominous, out front, and present.

Conjuring elements of destruction and decay, LUME delivers heavy, hazy, slow-burning rock like a stoned wrecking ball. The Chicago/Detroit-based trio’s latest LP “False Calm” finds the group pushing further into drone and doom territory, offering the truest representation of their live sound to-date.

18+