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Felix Octavio
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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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Felix Octavio
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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
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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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Felix Octavio
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Ad Nauseum at the Hourglass Brewery
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Felix Octavio
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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
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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