Today is generally considered to be a significant day culturally, depending on what kind of lifestyle you might lead. Since the olden days, Christians everywhere are taking the day to celebrate that Jesus fellow from all the Deicide songs. Stoners of NYC and beyond are celebrating 4/20 and lighting up absolutely everywhere – a welcome tradition despite the widespread legality of weed. And there’s one final group – NYC metalheads – who have quite a bit to celebrate today (and for many, there’s significant overlap with the 4/20 crowd) – Faetooth are making their first New York appearance since the explosion of their 2022 full-length Remnants of the Vessel. Faetooth’s brand of fuzzy fairy-death-doom is one of the most refreshing sounds to rise from the underground in recent years. All the best parts of doom, combined with dual clean/death vocals, thought-out arrangements, and clean riffs that hook the listener, are all parts of the Faetooth experience. Several days ago, Faetooth also dropped their latest single, “Death of Day,” their first since Remnants – so this is an unmissable show. It’s no surprise this is a sold-out show, with only a handful of tickets reserved for the door.
Considering the bill is Faetooth, Sunrot, and Comet – one of these things is not like the others. Comet’s brand of post-grunge is adjacent to the doom to follow, but it’s got a more accessible vibe to it, underneath the distorted guitars. The vocal melodies are firmly rooted in a more mid-90s sound, and there’s no denying how talented and how much potential Comet has. A quick chat with another attendee up front told me they’re branded themselves as “nu-grunge” – and while it’s the first time I’m hearing the term, I support whatever the hell this is, wholeheartedly.
Comet
Photo Credit: Tom Mis
Direct support comes from east up-and-coming doom band Sunrot. Though they lack the commercial appeal of Comet that preceded them, Sunrot really sets the tone of the evening. They’re chaotic, abrasive, and unhinged in all the best ways. Their commentary on LGBTQ+ rights, with an emphasis on trans rights, between songs was incredibly refreshing, given the current state of the world. Given how much of the audience identified as something outside of the heteronormative straight white male demographic, they were speaking directly to an audience that needs their message now more than ever. Maybe the fact that they’re a local band that many of us have seen before, there’s a sense of comfort and safety in their set – not one that takes away from their performance, but rather a familiarity that wraps you like a warm blanket in the cold.
Sunrot
Photo Credit: Tom Mis
While you expect a band with doom/stoner vibes to play to a relatively low-key audience, the room was buzzing by the time Faetooth hit the stage. Not that folks weren’t excited for Sunrot or Comet, but there’s an understanding that this show is significant. Though they’ve become a trio since their debut album, they fill the room like dual guitar bands before them, with all three members taking up vocal duties in some capacity. I won’t pretend their big moment wasn’t their smash single “Echolalia” and album closer “Saturn Devouring His Son” – one of the most energetic moments I’ve ever seen at a doom show. There’s something different about Faetooth. They attract more than the classic doom-and-gloom metalhead. The audience is noticeably younger & angrier. They owned the room like they were Gen Z’s very own Black Sabbath. And I suspect that for some of the younger members of the audience, many of the genre’s classics are unfamiliar to them. A band with a handful of average metal dudes just doesn’t have nearly as much to say (and much less they feel they need to prove) than a trio of young fem individuals playing a largely inaccessible style of death-doom. The iron is still hot – and the new single will hold us over for now. Faetooth will lead a new generation of TikTok metalheads who don’t realize they’re one of us just yet – just give them time.
Faetooth
Photo Credit: Tom Mis
