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What’s the loudest concert you’ve ever been to? Until I manage to get front-and-center at METALLICA, my new answer is going to be OLD WORLD VULTURE at NXNE.

Don’t get me wrong I’ve been to my fair share of loud shows, but normally you can still do that thing where you plug your ears and scream directly into someone’s face. Even that wasn’t effective at this particular gig, as iM Photo Editor Liz Gareri and I had to resort to text communications while standing side-by-side.

In case you are mistaking my tone in this fine little essay, OLD WORLD VULTURE’s volume was not painful; rather, it was fucking awesome! Their music is exactly the kind that you want so loud that you can barely breathe. It’s epic, instrumental, and totally badass (and psssst, they’re releasing a new album soon).

The band – whose list of accomplishments also include opening for MOGWAI – is anchored in huge, sweeping builds and sweet payoffs. Think EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY or 65DAYSOFSTATIC, but more rock-based and grittier. I was actually blown away at how much pure sound was coming from the four-piece.

They got right down to business, with little stage talk between the typically long style of songs that instrumental acts tend to gravitate towards. If they had vocals, they would have been totally drowned out; fortunately I can safely say that OLD WORLD VULTURE is an act where I don’t want to hear a word.

Photos by LIZ GARERI