Tragedy and Nails - Echoplex - 4/29/12

Tragedy

Tragedy, Nails
Echoplex
4-29-12

Better than... the Bee Gees cover band of the same name.

Most musicians nowadays are accessible via Twitter or Facebook, making Portland hardcore/crust punk group Tragedy quite the anomaly. Since their formation in 2000, they have shunned interviews, photo shoots, and other forms of publicity. All of which makes their sold-out show at the Echoplex last night even more impressive.

Nails

When supporting act Nails took the stage, the pit opened up like a chasm getting ready to swallow the earth. Since the release of their 2010 album Unsilent Death, the hardcore trio from Oxnard has been slowly building a loyal following through their crushing live performances.

Back from a two-week Japanese tour, Nails culled songs from both Unsilent Death and their debut album Obscene Humanity. Blending everything together seamlessly, they whipped the crowd into a furious frenzy, with the mosh pit at times even reaching back behind the soundboard. Nails were a very hearty appetizer.

But then Tragedy took the stage.

When the band launched into opener "Conflicting Ideas," the chasm in the middle of the building opened up even further. It has been four years since they last played Los Angeles, and the pent-up energy exploded into an all-consuming force that could not be escaped.

The dirty crust of Tragedy's D-beat hardcore rendered a level of darkness that few bands match. The song selection seemed to focus mostly on 2006's Nerve Damage ("Incendiary" and "Crucifier") and 2002's Vengeance ("Call To Arms" and "Vengeance"), with scattered pockets from the rest of their catalog throughout.

This was the first time most Tragedy fans heard music from their new album, Darker Days Ahead, which was released this past week. Tracks like "The Feeding Hour" kept them viciously pitting it up like they were old favorites.