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Tuesday, March 31, 2015

The Heard

This Little Underground: Mantar, Ad Nauseum and how Hourglass Brewery could change the north side live scene

Posted By Bao Le-Huu on Tue, Mar 31, 2015 at 9:11 AM

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Mutilations Rites at the Hourglass Brewery - FELIX OCTAVIO

Felix Octavio
Mutilations Rites at the Hourglass Brewery

Like Ashley Belanger reported last month in Feedback, the Hourglass Brewery has recently entered the area live-venue derby with some Saturday night shows and the latest was a metal takeover hosted by noted local heavy bookers Non-Prophet Organization and F.N. Hostile (Mar. 27). The main reason I made the trek was German two-piece Mantar, whose debut album will see a stateside release this May via dope Philly indie Brutal Panda Records.

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Mantar at the Hourglass Brewery - FELIX OCTAVIO

Felix Octavio
Mantar at the Hourglass Brewery

Metal is not a genre that duos have conquered for a lot of obvious reasons. But Mantar not only manages but ravages by stripping the fat and attacking like a lean beast that’s all sinew, claws and teeth. Like their approach, little about Mantar is typical metal – the Hammerhead hat on vocalist-guitarist Hanno Klaenhardt’s head will tell you that. With DNA that’s deeply stamped with punk, they’re a black blast of metal and punk that achieves both heaviness and agility. And live, they’re like coiled lightning.

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Felix Octavio
Mantar at the Hourglass Brewery

The openers represented our local stock well. Mindscar dazzled as usual with their brain-cramping technique. But it was also my first time earnestly watching Ad Nauseum since they first emerged a couple years back. Clearly, a lot of refinement has happened since. Now, their sound has coalesced into a dense storm cloud of noise and atmosphere that looms in dread, strikes with rage and casts a heavy, heavy mood. Most importantly, it’s converged.

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Ad Nauseum at the Hourglass Brewery - FELIX OCTAVIO

Felix Octavio
Ad Nauseum at the Hourglass Brewery

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Mindscar at the Hourglass Brewery - FELIX OCTAVIO

Felix Octavio
Mindscar at the Hourglass Brewery

There’s not usually much musical reason to voyage out to the practically foreign country of Longwood. But from the way the Hourglass is shaping up, that could soon change. It’s a clean, well-run joint as both bar and live venue. Although it has warehouse acoustics, the brewery taproom is a nice open space. To reduce the desert effect of voluminous rooms like this, there are long rows of communal high-tops behind the floor in front of the stage providing ample seating and hang-out space. Most importantly for shows, there’s a stage with real height – not some foot-high riser trying to pass – with dynamic LED lights and all.

The Hourglass stage is an immediate live boon to the north side, but it’s also worth the drive if a decent band is playing, which is a possibility if their calendar continues its roll with upcoming notables like the Cook Trio (Apr. 18), the Mud Flappers (Apr. 25) and the Palmettes (Apr. 25). So keep an eye on it on their Facebook page. Oh, and did I mention the shows are all ages and all free? Boom.

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Felix Octavio
Mindscar at the Hourglass Brewery

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This Little Underground is Orlando Weekly's music column providing perspective, live reviews and news on the city's music scene.

Follow Bao on Twitter (@baolehuu)
Email Bao: baolehuu@orlandoweekly.com

Tags: this little underground, orlando music news, orlando concerts, orlando shows, orlando music, bao le-huu, felix octavio, hourglass brewery, mantar, ad nauseum, mindscar, non-prophet organization, f.n. hostile, ashley belanger, feedback, brutal panda, Image

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