Trouble @ Cobra Lounge, Chicago (US)

TROUBLE / MOTHER OF GRAVES / FER DE LANCE

Date: 25th January, 2025
Venue: Cobra Lounge
Ticket Price: $31/€30 *SOLD OUT*
Promoter: Empire Productions

If you take a look at press releases, you’ll notice the heavy use of the term “legendary”. However, simply existing for more than a decade, does not automatically grant legendary status. I’ll admit I’ve used the term myself in cases where even I couldn’t fully justify it. If you ever struggle to determine what truly deserves that title, just look at TROUBLE as the perfect example. Their legendary status isn’t just because they’ve been around since the late ‘70s. It’s because they have left an indelible mark on the traditional Doom Metal scene with the unmistakable Rick Wartell-Bruce Franklin guitar duo and Eric Wagner’s unique vocals and lyrics. Dig a little deeper and you’ll find a boatload of bands  influenced by TROUBLE’s sound. Given all that, a sold-out show at Chicago’s Cobra Lounge was hardly surprising. After all, this is their hometown, and every show should be a sellout.

Unfortunately, we arrived at the already packed venue as FER DE LANCE were wrapping up the second song from their upcoming new album. Their epic Doom Metal, infused with a True Metal backbone (think of ATLANTEAN KODEX, or DOOMSWORD), makes them a fantastic opener, offering riffs and vocal melodies you can chant along to, or just headbang to. At least we caught “City In The Sea”, which, according to singer / guitarist MP, was being performed live for the first time. Despite the cold Saturday night outside, inside the venue, the atmosphere felt like it was the middle of summer - so much so that opening the door to move equipment out was a welcome relief. The pounding, riff-driven “Fer De Lance” was the perfect setlist closer for the Chicagoan band. I’m very curious to hear what FER DE LANCE are working on as the details of the follow-up to their debut, “The Hyperborean”, are about to drop soon.

FER DE LANCE

In an unofficial attempt to showcase how far the branches of Doom Metal have gone, FER DE LANCE’s energetic set was followed by MOTHER OF GRAVES’ Doom Metal with melodic Death Metal undertones. It was almost like “see how this genre has blossomed,”  leaving the headliners to show us how it started.

In the beginning, it was a bit challenging for MOTHER OF GRAVES to immediately grab the audience’s attention – sure, the slow intro to "A Scarlet Threnody" did not help much. But as soon as Brandon Howe’s deep growl kicked in, combined with guitars reminiscent of early PARADISE LOST, the chatter was finally stopped. While pre-recorded keyboards work well live, I’ve always felt that having an actual player like MOTHER OF GRAVES do, makes a night-and-day difference, both visually and sonically.

Brandon greeted the packed Cobra Lounge and stated the obvious: “We all are here for one reason, and that’s TROUBLE.” Of course we were - but getting to hear MOTHER OF GRAVES’ blend of KATATONIA-esque Doom Metal with the powerful Death Metal layers in “Rain” was an absolute treat. He also mentioned the band’s latest record, “The Periapt Of Absence”, before launching into the faster “Shatter The Visage”. Hearing it live reminded me that their album had been sitting on my to-review list for some time – it’s something I had intended to cover, but never got around to. Then again, rediscovering an album you liked (but forgot about) during a concert ensures it gets burned into your memory. The mid-song riff with its drum-driven build-up sounded massive at concert volume.

As the last metalheads squeezed into the venue, Brandon’s remark felt both funny and accurate: “It’s cold outside, but inside it’s like a humid stew. I love it.” And the humid stew description was so accurate... “Upon Burdened Hands” was the final track from their latest album and sounded incredible with its atmospheric layers and piano-like melodies.

“We’ve got one more for you, and then TROUBLE is coming up next,” announced Brandon, as the double guitar harmonies introduced “Tears Like Wine” - their final song of the night.

MOTHER OF GRAVES setlist:

01. "A Scarlet Threnody"
02. "Rain"
03. "Shatter The Visage"
04. "Apparition"
05. "The Periapt Of Absence"
06. "Upon Burdened Hands"
07. "Tears Like Wine"

MOTHER OF GRAVES

It’s always great to see familiar faces at TROUBLE shows, but what’s even more amazing is spotting younger fans, without a single gray hair. Circling back to what makes a band legendary, it’s the ability to continuously bring new fans into the fold. And what a better place for TROUBLE to do that than their hometown?

The only complaint I’ll make is the lack of stage lighting, though I did appreciate the purple hue nodding to their latest (and already 12-year-old) “The Distortion Field”. Then again, nobody inside  Cobra Lounge seemed to care about lighting once the taped intro brought the five-piece lineup onstage. Drummer Garry Naples, the ‘new kid in the block’, took his spot behind his kit, while a smiling Kyle Thomas stepped up to the mic. And without any theatrics or unnecessary buildup, Rick Wartell and Bruce Franklin cranked their guitars, immediately pushing the venue’s speakers to the limit with their mind-blowing signature tone. The drums and bass hit full throttle, with both the band and audience skipping any sort of warming-up period.

Kyle’s vocals sounded fantastic on songs forever linked to Eric Wagner’s signature timbre, which is no small feat. And when the tempo picked up with the guitars leading the charge, it was electric. Without pause, Bruce - with the solid support from Rob Hultz’s bass - introduced the pounding “Come Touch The Sky”. Sure, you can enjoy the back-and-forth between the guitars at the comfort of your home while “Manic Frustration” is spinning on the turntable, but seeing Rick and Bruce dominate the right and left channels, respectively, is an entirely different (and priceless) experience.

After such an explosive opening, Kyle’s joke landed perfectly: “You were amazing, see you next time!” It may have only been the start of the set, but it already felt like the climax of a two-hour performance. Ok, I am exaggerating, but only to emphasize just how sharp TROUBLE sounded. The fast-paced “Assassin” turned up the venue’s indoor temperature a few more degrees, pushing it past the “humid stew” threshold.

Watching Bruce’s Uli Jon Roth-meets-Ritchie Blackmore style, paired with the raw passion he pours into every TROUBLE riff, never gets old. The same goes for Rick’s unmistakable playing with his Flying V in hand, delivering one killer performance after another. If my attempt at describing their interplay doesn’t make sense, just listen to the guitar dialogue in the foot-tapping “At The End Of My Daze”; with both players locking in tight, the riffs crash from left and right, and the rhythm section lays down an absolute monster groove during the solo.

The slower yet groovy “Mr. White” came as melodic and welcomed breather, which Kyle jokingly introduced as “a song about some dusting”. This is one of those tracks where it’s impossible not to think of Eric, and I’ll admit it; it’s hard not to mention his name in this report. Some songs are simply branded by his voice. That being said, this takes nothing away from Kyle, who has truly become an integral part of TROUBLE. For example, his delivery on “Memory’s Garden” was spot on.

“Rob, Garry, and I started out as fans listening to TROUBLE,” said Kyle, before joking about how old everyone was when “The Skull” came out, four decades ago. To mark the occasion, TROUBLE treated us to a special treat: Side A of the album, including the eleven-minute long “The Wish”. Rick seemed to have some guitar trouble during this one, but whatever the issue was, it was resolved quickly.

For a split second, I held my breath when Kyle said, “it is time for a new record,” hoping (even wishing) for a brand-new song. While that didn’t happen, he did confirm that TROUBLE are working on the follow-up to “The Distortion Field”. “Paranoia Conspiracy” went down great, though I’m not sure I caught the signature cowbell action from the studio version. Then, it was time for Kyle to unleash “Psalm 9” with the proper amount of evilness, before delivering a knockout punch with the merged “The Tempter” and the perfect set-closer “All Is Forgiven”.

Cobra Lounge doesn’t have a proper backstage area, and the crowd made sure there was no room for the band to leave. There was no way the show could end after Kyle’s brief “Goodnight.” The band was drenched in sweat, but the 'one more song' chant became reality with the trademark BLACK SABBATH cover. Bruce clearly loves this riff, and the way he tore into it made the entire venue shake.

And with that, the audience bid TROUBLE goodnight, sending them off with fair winds and following seas as they prepare to sail on the ‘70,000 Tons Of Metal’ festival. Let’s hope we meet again soon - with a brand-new record, freshly out of the oven.

TROUBLE setlist:

01. "R.I.P."
02. "Come Touch The Sky"
03. "Assassin"
04. "At The End Of My Daze"
05. "Mr. White"
06. "Memory's Garden"
07. "Pray For The Dead"
08. "Fear No Evil"
09. "The Wish"
10. "Paranoia Conspiracy"
11. "Psalm 9"
12. "The Tempter" / "All Is Forgiven"
13. "Supernaut" (BLACK SABBATH cover)

TROUBLE