Psycho Las Vegas ~ A Photographer’s Vision:
Elizabeth Gore

~Film Clips by Billy Goate~

The year 2016 brought the heavy underground in the United States its first European-style music festival: Psycho Las Vegas. Riffians from the four corners of the map converged upon the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino for the big meeting in the desert. Doomed & Stoned was there to capture the sights, sounds, and experiences of these epic four days of stoner rock, heavy psych, and doom fuckin’ metal, with a hellish line-up of bands that have long skirted popular metal glory. A festival this big required the lens of three photographers, and we’ve previously shown you photosets by Alyssa Herrman from Portland, Oregon and Sally Townsend from Melbourne, Australia (who also had her festival photos published in Brazilian and Japanese magazines).

Now, in this third installment of the series, we give you a glimpse of this weekend through the lens of Elizabeth Gore from Los Angeles, who previously covered Psycho California and Night of the Shred, from which Psycho Entertainment (formerly Thief Presents) emerged. Liz is an invaluable member of the Doomed & Stoned team, who also manages our merch (we sell a t-shirt here and there, mostly operating in the red, all for the love of the game). “I got to see and shoot a little over half of all the bands at the festival,” she says, “which, if my sore, aching feet were any indication, was quite an accomplishment. Let’s just say I put my work into Psycho ‘16.”

Besides the music itself, Liz says: “What I liked the most was talking to all the people who asked me who I was shooting for. I was shaking hands, making introductions, getting to know people, developing a comradery with other photographers. I got into 45 minute conversations with people who had travelled all the way from Australia, Japan, the UK, Mexico. And I don’t know what it was about the stage at the Paradise Pool, but I got offered a lot of drinks there! It was really an experience I hadn’t had at any other festival before.”

What follows is a collection of the bands that surprised and impacted Liz the most at the first annual Psycho Las Vegas. (Billy)

CHRCH

After a hectic arrival, checking in, getting my press pass, and figuring out where I needed to be and when, I entered the Vinyl Stage at the Hard Rock to see Sacramento’s CHRCH. These guys are seasoned musicians and I really enjoyed their debut, 'Unanswered Hymns’ (2015), but I wasn’t sure what to expect from them live. In all honestly, I’m always a bit harsh on my female singers because of my background as a classically trained vocalist. There was something ethereal about how Eva delivered these songs. She was concealed by a veil for a large portion of the show and you could sense the music moving through her every motion very naturally. Her lyrical expression was depressing and wicked all at the same time. I don’t get to see that a lot in female vocalists, because they think their sexuality is something they have to turn down or their vocals are lacking, but Eva dropped her guard, made herself vulnerable, and allowed us to feel this earthy, pagan sense of sexuality. It made a very powerful statement.

SUBROSA

Now for SubRosa, I knew exactly what I was in for. I already knew they were going to make me cry! (laughs) Apparently, they did that for almost everybody in the venue. The emotions that they emit from their instruments can be extraordinarily harsh and exquisitely gentle, and I think that’s why that performance affected me so deeply. (Read our interview with Sarah and Rebecca and stream our SubRosa Psycho Las Vegas Special here.)

DEMON LUNG

This Vegas-based five-piece has a lot of synergy – they feed off each other and at times seemed to be almost telepathically connected. Shanda Fredrick is a powerhouse, with the kind of control over her voice that afforded her a perfectly chilling performance. Her gothic lace dress and, later, that striking red pagan robe added to the atmosphere. There’s a seething rage that comes through her lyrics, like a cunning serpent waiting to strike. “You will not be saved by the Holy Ghost…” Those cold words came across as a stern prophetic judgement, because she believes what she’s singing through and through. I talk to bands that have a fascination with the occult – they dabble in it, but that’s as far as it goes. I haven’t interviewed Demon Lung, but I suspect their worldview is more comprehensive. While some bands work occultic symbolism into their stage shows, watching a Demon Lung, CHRCH, or Tribulation performance is like participating in a ritual…an incantation of song. (Read our review of Demon Lung’s A Dracula here.)

BEELZEFUZZ

These Maryland psych rockers wowed me with 'The Righteous Bloom’ (2016), which I’d just listened to just a few days before the festival. I know that Greg, Daren, Bert, and Dana are veterans of the scene and masters of their craft. Beelzefuzz songs have very simple phrasing, but hit you like a brick splashing in the water. I stayed through the entire set, even though I had other bands to shoot, not sure if I’d ever see them again and wanting to take in these precious moments. (Read 'Beelzefuzz: Sojourn To Psycho’ here.)

TRIBULATION

Ok, Tribulation is hands down one of my favorite bands. I’ve shot them multiple times over the years. I’ve chatted with guitarist Jonathan Hulten, who danced around stage in a 19th century ballerina outfit without any self-consciousness whatsoever. Now that’s freedom. When I heard they were booked for Psycho, I said, “You guys are going to be the darkest band on the roster.” As it turned out, they were a suitable complimented to Candlemass and Electric Wizard, even SubRosa, because Tribulation is so filled with emotion. They’ve always affected me deeply, because they sing of chaos, the void, and hidden Luciferian concepts that I don’t practice, but certainly identify with.

BELZEBONG

Now we come to the two bongs of the fest: BelzebonG and Bongripper, who played back to back on different stages. I was fighting inner turmoil – who do I go to first, Bongripper or BelzebonG? I started with BelzebonG and they didn’t fucking disappoint, this being the Polish band’s first ever US performance. What I didn’t know is how violent an all-instrumental set would be. They surprised the hell out of me with just how jarring the performance is. The way those guys thrashed about made it a challenge to photograph, to get those perfect shots that would capture the magic.

BONGRIPPER

The Chicago band rarely comes to my area and the one time they did, I missed them (of course). As expected, Bongripper’s Psycho performance was powerful, earthshaking. They were one of the few bands that weekend that managed to stir up a circle pit in the swimming pool. Later on, Frank Heredia caught up with the irreverent Dennis Pleckham for an interview, in which he talked about Psycho and why the tip of his finger suddenly went missing.

ELECTRIC WIZARD

I only got to see Electric Wizard once before when they came through LA a year ago. That was a very different experience for me, smashed up against the rail in a breathing room only auditorium, trying to enjoy what I could while grabbing a few snaps while dodging elbows and sneakers. Their Psycho performance was far and away a different experience for me. For one, I was not expecting the incredible imagery and symbolism from the visuals Jus Oborn created to accompany the show, which integrated clips from seventies Italian and English horror movies, rituals of the Satanic Church, and raw grindhouse sleaze – all presented in a dizzying psychedelic kaleidoscope. It left me with lasting imprint of each song. After a long day, feet hurting from choosing the wrong shoes, it was nice to grab a drink, sit on the balcony, and just drown in the sound.

GOYA

You might say Goya was on my doom bucket list. I’d heard they were one of the best live performances, bleeding deep with feelings of horror and revenge. Right after Electric Wizard, we were all tired (it was two o'clock in the morning when Jeff, Nick, and Sonny took the stage). Me, Stephanie Cantu, and the boys from Goya were in the green room prior to, laughing about how we’d all chosen the wrong shoes. I noticed Jeff was wearing a Creepshow shirt – one of my favorite shows as a child. If Goya didn’t have my devotion before, they had it 100% now! Playing to a room that was still filling up when they began, Goya were absolutely keyed in, playing old favorites, a Nirvana cover, and a brand new song.

MANTAR

Mantar travelled clear from Germany and seeing them at Psycho was a must for me. Contrasted with their wild, frenetic blackened death stage persona, these were a couple of super-sweet guys and so grateful to be at the festival. The Vinyl Stage was packed from the rails to the back doors, and you could tell they were feeding off the energy of the audience. I mean they really played their guts out, metaphorically and literally! Immediately after the set, Erinc Sakarya came right up to the garbage can and proved it. I went to the green room, got him a bottle of water, and asked in German how he was feeling. “A lot better now,” he said, answering back in his native tongue. “Thank you for staying for the show.” Mantar play hard, take their art seriously, and bring it night after night, city after city. I know a lot of bands from the US that work really hard, but more often when European bands come to the US, they’re extraordinarily devoted, getting up at the crack of dawn, and touring relentlessly.

CANDLEMASS

Candlemas is the first epic doom band I got into, growing up with records like 'Nightfall’ (1987). Even though the vocalist was Mats Levén and not the band’s best known figurehead, Messiah Marcolin, people were beyond excited to see this legendary band and it was one the key highlights of the festival for me. The Joint Stage was running a bit behind and everyone in the crowd was getting super antsy. The members of the band came out periodically to check on their equipment and people would go nuts when one would show his face. The show began and Candlemass opened with “Marche Funebre” and everyone –- I mean the entire crowd – was in total elation. We held our breath through the opening bars and then all the air escaped our lungs as we screamed “Fuck Yeah!” I’ve seen pictures from the 80’s and early 90’s, so it was odd for me to see Candlemass today, a little older and with a younger singer. But I know exactly why they chose Mats for the job. His vocals remind me of Ronnie James Dio, who has to be one of his influences. That vocal range of his is simply incredible. There were times I was just standing in the photo pit buried in awe. I didn’t think I was ever, ever going to get to see Candlemass in my lifetime, so it was a deep honor to be able to capture their essence.

SLEEP

As I was constantly hustling between three stages, seeing a complete performance was a luxury I didn’t afford myself…but I was determined to see Sleep’s entire set. The plan was to shoot early, capture the quiet subtleties of AL Cisneros and the outlandish energy of Matt Pike, then go up to the balcony and soak it all in. In the photo pit, there were a lot of photographers freaking out because the stage was enveloped in complete darkness. And absolutely no flash allowed! Some photogs were just sitting there concentrating intently on each member of the band trying to get a good shot at the first glimmer of light. It was a difficult objective for me, too, but there was a point during the second song when I just needed to chill. After all, this is what Sleep wanted.

Al rarely does interviews because he is an introvert. He is an intellectual, a very spiritual person –- all three of them are. The focal point in this grand operatic setting was not going to be them; it was going to be their music. I began noticing how they shifted around in the shadows and honed in on that, rather than standing there waiting for ideal circumstances. The only drawback to the lighting situation was that I couldn’t really capture their drummer.

Security allowed the press to shoot for the first two songs only, then ushered us right out of there. That was fine by me, actually, because it was time to rest those footsies again. It was Billy Goate’s first Sleep show and he was a little put off by how large the hall was. It just didn’t feel intimate enough. I told him that if you take the name Sleep literally, it involves the deprivation of the senses. I suggested that he close his eyes and let the sound completely immerse him and fade into the subconscious. Looking around me, I noticed everyone was interacting with the music differently. You had the throng on the floor connecting with other Sleep worshippers in a very physical way (actually moshing). Then there were those of us in the balcony who were aiming for a more personal experience with the set. An older couple in front of us was holding hands and appeared to be cuddling, more than likely reminiscing about their first meeting at one of those legendary San Francisco shows in the 90’s. Doom on!

FU MANCHU

Full disclosure: I’m not a Fu Manchu fan of any sort, at least I wasn’t before. I mainly wanted to shoot them because they’re highly regarded veterans of the stoner rock scene. I thought they were going to give a predictable, by-the-numbers performance and that would be that. I was wrong. This was no dog and pony show, but a performance of complete honesty. Next to Midnight, Fu Manchu were one of the funnest bands I got to photograph. I love challenges and Fu Manchu were tearing up the stage, just brimming with energy, so I had to aim and shoot on instinct. When it was over, I came walking away with a big, stupid grin on my face. It seemed to me everyone was feeling the same joy. What a great choice for the first ever Psycho Las Vegas!

TOMBSTONES

Tombstones was one of the bands I’d heard of, but never listened to before, so I didn’t know what to expect from the Norwegians. Well, this thunderous set – the quartet’s first on American soil – beat me to my core. There was definitely something eccentric about their compositions, and of course very, very dark. Especially when it came to the vocals, which were belligerent and frightening. There were moments where I was physically shaken, which is saying something because I document a lot of black metal bands. As with Mantar, the guys were very affable off stage (I ran into them in the elevators beforehand and they were jovial) so their performance caught me entirely off guard. There are bands like Bell Witch that scare the living shit out of me, for similar reasons; because when they perform, they are the Bell Witch. With Tombstones, they’re shaped by a lot of tragedy and set-backs. Perhaps that’s why there’s something absolutely devastating that comes through their music. (More of Elizabeth’s Tombstones photos here.

MIDNIGHT

I didn’t know if it would be a good idea to have Midnight play the Paradise Pool stage. I mean, that’s just asking for trouble. The people who come to see Tribulation or Candlemass or Mantar are a very distinct group of metalheads, and I didn’t think this particular setting could handle that crowd. There was certain to be a violent pit in this pleasant pool setting. Besides, it was stupid hot outside and the alcohol was flowing freely.

From the opening note, these boys were just all over the place. Talk about reckless! There’s something very punk about their attitude. They don’t give a damn. They really don’t. If they had a mind to take everyone’s beers out of their hands and smash them over their ugly mugs, or even take my camera from around my neck and smash it on the drum set, they would have damn well done so. There’s just something palpably dangerous, certainly uninhibited about their performance.

Members of Midnight had their traditional cowls on (they don’t show their identities). Since they’re veiled, there’s no emotion from their faces for me to pick up on, and that’s a particular challenge to the photographer. You have to focus on other things: the environment, what they’re doing with their instruments, the movement, the bravado, the chaos of the crow – however this manifests itself one moment to the next. Everything is on fire, and you’re on hot coals with them. These boys were just fucking nuts. They were jumping off the drum riser, off of each other. There was something completely primal about it all, like the opening scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey. I felt the photo pit rattling because everyone in back of the barrier was throwing up horns and fists to the blazingly fast progressions they were spewing out. There was a heavy circle pit going on and I didn’t want to be flung into it with my camera.

There is nothing perfect about Midnight, but that is what makes them so wonderful. They are unhinged, dirty, vulgar, smelly, rough around the edges, and, again, they just don’t care. That’s how they want to be. One of my favorite EP’s by them is ‘Farewell to Hell’ (2008) and their full-length ‘Satanic Royalty’ (2011), along with their most recent album, ‘No Mercy For Mayhem’ (2014). There are Luciferian overtones and occult rituals run deep in the fabric of their music. They talk about not being afraid of anything that happens to them and seeing their performance, it is apparent that death is exhilarating to them, and that’s why they play without fear.

DISENCHANTER

I could have easily packed up and gone home on Day Three after Alice Cooper. I planned to beat traffic by pulling an all-nighter from Vegas to LA, but I decided to stay and support festival closers, Disenchanter. I’m a big fan of ‘Strange Creations’ (2015) and had a really nice conversation with Sabine and Joey when I was in the elevator (had a lot of interesting elevator encounters during Psycho, including one with Matt Pike, who I totally fan girled out on). Sabine and Joey seem like extremely genuine people. They’ll sit down with anyone for a chit-chat: black, white, rainbow, rich, poor, clean, sober, with leprosy, they don’t care. That’s something that’s important to me, especially as an introvert. I knew they were married, and I could see the chemistry between the two of them, even before they hit the stage.

The members of Disenchanter are molded to one another in a very special way. They are simpatico. There is no ego to that band. I saw it from the moment those mysterious first notes that rung out. Joey plays in his hair, which is fun to watch, and exhibits a special relationship with the drummer. Sabine is the focal point of the band and she portrays herself very honestly, playing exactly what she needs to. No bullshit. Straight to the riffage. Incredible vocals. Intelligent and enchanting.

After photographing for a spell, I sat in the back of the hall and let the sonic soundwaves soak in, without any compulsion to be anywhere or to do anything. When “Sorceries” started, it was one of the most sublime things I’d heard all weekend. Out of everything, this was the moment that touched me, with the lights fading in and out and the different dandelions and flares enveloping the band, creating this kind of fantasy world that one would identify with Disenchanter. Whether or not they got the 2 am slot on a Sunday after Alice Cooper, they came out with great earnestness, playing with all the energy of a true festival closer. This was the perfect farewell that Psycho Las Vegas needed.

Get ready for Psycho Las Vegas 2017! Complete line-up will be announced soon, along with tickets, at www.PsychoLV.com.

Thank you to Mariela and Arturo for these visuals from one of the coolest events of the month, which happened this weekend at the Breakers Hotel in Long Beach. I speak of MIDNITE COMMUNION III: “Midnite Masquerade” - A Dark Arts, Music & Craft Exhibition, which showcased the dark music of Beneath Oblivion, Brainoil, Buried at Sea, CHRCH, Dopethrone, FÓRN, Morne, and Unearthly Trance (also featured some killer artwork from around the world). The details of the two-day event can be viewed here.

Buried At Sea

CHRCH

Dopethrone

Morne