Photo By Amanda Macchia

For anyone who enjoys easy psychedelic rock that sporadically turns into lightweight metal, The Horseshoe Tavern would’ve been a satisfactory destination this past Friday night.

Black Mountain brought their live show to a packed Toronto house, (which was warmed-up by homegrown talent Quest For Fire), plowing through previously released tracks as well as songs from their upcoming LP Wilderness Heart, set to be released this coming September.

“Old Fangs,” the band’s new single driven by spacey synths and the eighth-note chugging of Stephen McBean’s power chords, appeared to resonate with the generally immobile but attentive audience, filling the sweaty venue with the band’s distinctly distortive sound. “Angels,” off of the band’s last full-length In The Future, highlighted the lo-fi melodramatic harmonies of McBean and vocalist Amber Webber, although enthusiasm from the performers was not exactly in abundance.

Nonetheless, the set list rolled around to tracks like the bluesy, brand-new “The Hair Song,” as well as the well-known powerhouse of synthetic drones and drum fills “Stormy High.” The latter, reminiscent of a tranquilized version of Wolfmother’s “Woman,” transitions from a conventional guitar riff to looping vocals suffocating in reverb and echo, all to the crowd’s satisfaction.

Mid-way through the encore, Black Mountain brought out what was probably the most exhilarating number in their set list “Let Spirits Ride” – a track off of their new record, filled with the band’s signature fusion of blues riffs, power chords, and synths, with a built-in energy that accommodated for any that was lacking from the individual performers.

If the crowded venue and welcomed display of the band’s new tracks are any indication of the future, it’s safe to say that Black Mountain possess a high level of musical creativity that will continually be observed by a solid number of onlookers. Belay on.

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