Thursday night at the beloved Corona Theatre was electrifying, as per usual. For fans of “Psychedelic Rock,” “Neo-Psychedelia,” and “Garage Rock,” The Black Angels had us well taken care of.
After a number of rescheduled tour dates due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the time had finally come to safely celebrate their new album release, “Wilderness of Mirrors.” This is the band’s sixth album thus far since the release of their first critically acclaimed album, “Passover,” in 2006.
Over the course of an approximately 2-hour long set, I felt personally entranced from beginning to end. Lead guitarist Christian Bland first took control of my attention with a heavy grunge-inflicted riff that was far too satisfying to my ear. I already felt the pull of my head start to bob up and down, which is always how I know a great show is amongst me. I later learned this opening song to be called “Without A Trace.”
Next on the setlist was “El Jardin.” Another heavy grunge-inflicted song accompanied by outstanding lead singer and frontman Alex Maas. While I was observing from the front row, I couldn’t help but notice the slight quivering of his mouth as he projected each vocal note. This, in my opinion, only further proves one’s musical abilities when you can physically see the effort made as a vocalist. He was able to take control of the atmosphere with riveting vocals that continued to make my eardrums tickle. There is something very unique about the way that Alex Maas can make his voice project in the most soothing yet “Psychedelic Rock” way.
Now with a setlist comprising seventeen songs, I was crossing my fingers the crowd amongst me would keep their energy consistent. However, I soon realized about halfway through, The Black Angels had us all taken care of. Everywhere I looked, people were smiling. I could feel the happiness radiate from others around me, and I know the feeling was mutual with the band.
I can humbly say this was definitely the darkest I think I had ever seen Corona Theatre. The stage was so incredibly dimly lit, with accompanying hues of green, blue, yellow, and pink. I’m sure this was done on purpose, as I’ve come to learn it’s a part of their style. During their performance, I felt the illusion of spinning a little bit with how their talented light technicians create this psychedelic ambient experience The Black Angels are especially known for.
As the night began to come to a close, their most popular song, “Young Men Dead,” was about to come on next. Judging from the amount of screaming and yelling around me, I knew this highly enthusiastic fan base would be a tough crowd to quiet down. An extended encore surely had to be in store for us… After a quick water break, the band came back out again to greet us with one more final song!
It was at this very moment I was beginning to lose hope that my personal favourite would be played, “Bloodhounds On My Trail.” This is an old one off their first album, “Passover,” and is highly talked about in the fanbase as some of their best work.
However, the odds were in my favour that night, as the distinctive intro to “Bloodhounds On My Trail” slowly filled the Corona Theatre. This was their final gift to us tonight, and even more cheers engulfed the space around me. Frontman Alex Maas thanked us all for coming and waved as the band exited the stage and left all our hearts full.
As I lingered for a bit after the show, I was able to catch guitarists Christian Bland and Nate Ryan outside on my way out, who kindly signed my setlist. I thanked them for coming; they were all very kind and seemed happy to be here with us. Until next time!
Rachel Lynn
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