Gone Is Gone debuts with a roar at the Dragonfly

on
0
Troy Sanders of Gone is Gone at the Dragonfly. (Photo by Roy Jurgens)

What happens when you combine the mathematical thunder of Mastodon (Troy Sanders on bass), the overdriven squall of Queens of the Stone Age (Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar) the rhythmic fistfight of At The Drive-In (Tony Hajjar on drums) and soundscapist Mike Zarin? You get Gone is Gone, a fascinating and unexpected blend of the aforementioned acts, without one supplanting the other.

The supergroup took its first steps into the limelight Wednesday night at The Dragonfly, which was packed to the rafters with L.A. rock luminaries and fans in anticipation of the debut. Adding to the intrigue was the fact that only one song, a psychotic Sabbathesque 4 minutes and 17 seconds of crunching arpeggios called “Violescent,” had met public ears.

Gone is Gone has been billed as “experimental,” and that they are. Sanders, clad in standard black metal regalia and Van Leeuwen, elegantly gothed in tie and vest, burst forth with an indescribable mish-mash of alt-metal, metal-metal, goth, sludge and ambient, yes, even ambient music. Zarin has that Trent Reznor-type skill set for beautiful, doom-laden shimmers of sound. Gone Is Gone has built song structures that are intricate without being wanky, following a general verse/chorus format, but with interesting time stutters and stops and left turns. Van Leeuwen’s familiar QOTSA tube soaked distortion played surprisingly well alongside Sanders’ throaty growl.

Interestingly, much of the set was down-tempo, even venturing into unique metal trip-hop territory with Hajjar hammering thick shots on the snare. If there is any criticism, it would be regarding Sanders’ bass rig. The dexterity of his playing was lost in the 40hz mush that was rumbling out of his Ampeg. Perhaps this frequency is better suited to the wall of sound emitted by Mastodon, but within Gone is Gone it robs the music of Sanders’ nimble musical gifts.

The band’s inception began during film scoring sessions Hajjar and Zarin were working on. The pair came to the realization that the music they were working on might better suit a band format. A few phone calls followed by drinks and handshakes and Gone is Gone was birthed.

Where the band goes from here is unknown. Given the busy schedules and multiple commitments of the members the future is unclear beyond an eight song self-titled debut EP, out July 8 via Rise Records. If Wednesday’s live debut was any indication, we have an exciting new act in our midst.