June 29th brought both FORMING THE VOID and YEAR OF THE COBRA to the Red Brick Bar in Norman, Oklahoma for a stacked Saturday night show. Situated just south of OKC, Norman, OK is a bustling college town that hosts live music nightly. On this night, fans of music on the heavier end of the spectrum were in for a treat as both bands laid down some heavy riffs and thundering rhythms. The night's line-up additionally featured a bevy of local talent with opening sets from PSYCHOTIC REACTION, BUGNOG and a closing set from TURBO WIZARD. I found each of the local bands extremely promising, and they each delivered high energy, fun and well received sets.
 

PYCHOTIC REACTION originally formed in 2007 and delivers "psychedelic punk blues" at maximum velocity. Consisting of Nolan Dacus and  Robert Layton, both on guitar and vocals, as well as Rodrigo Serrano on drums and Kavan Barnett handling bass. The band is hitting the road for dates well into October, so many will have an opportunity to check them out. You can find more info on PSYCHOTIC REACTION by visiting here: Music | Psychotic Reaction
 

Next up was the heavy vibes of BUGNOG. Also hailing from the Norman area, this band is a duo consisting of Bug manning drums and vocals and Nog holding down guitar and vocals. This is a new band, but I found BUGNOG to be vastly intriguing. They manage to create a uniquely full sound as a duo, and as a new duo at that. Their cover of SABBATH's "The Wizzard" was lots of fun. This was apparently only their second live performance, but pay that no mind, as undoubtedly there will be many more in their near future. Lots of power and energy and really entertaining.
They're definitely a band to keep an eye on. Visit the band's Bandcamp page for more details: https://bugnog.bandcamp.com/releases
 

Next up we had the fury that is YEAR OF THE COBRA. Another duo, this one calls Seattle, WA home, and easily became one of my new musical fascinations. Comprised of Amy Tung Barrysmith on bass and vocals and Jon Barrysmith on drums, this band absolutely captured my attention. As a duo, they manage to use their minimalist approach to their advantage. It truly becomes a situation in which it's the notes they "don't play" that are as important as the notes that are.
 

Amy Barrysmith's reliance on clean vocals gives the band a unique approach that's simply fascinating. I wasn't familiar with YEAR OF THE COBRA prior to this evening, but as often can occur, they've become a new obsession. Their most recent release is the EP "Burn Your Dead" that follows their 2016 full length, "…in the Shadows Below". I definitely want to dive into their catalog soon and I'm excited that new material is on the way as the band is working on a new full length album that hopefully will be released later this year.  YEAR OF THE COBRA has become one of my favorite musical discoveries of 2019. Do yourself the pleasure of checking them out. The band is touring heavy and more information including those tour dates can be found by visiting: http://www.yearofthecobra.com/
 

Coming in next was Louisiana's FORMING THE VOID. A perfect blend of doom, stoner and prog, the band had one of my favorite releases of 2018 with "Rift". This was my second opportunity to catch the band made up of James Marshall on vocals and guitar, Thomas Colley on drums, Shadi Omar Al-Khansa on guitar and Luke Baker on bass. They've simply become a band that I don't want to miss should they tour close, and you shouldn't either.

 

Their straight forward live approach is stunning in it's simplicity. A perfect blend of riff, rhythms and soaring vocals, the aftermath of their set leaves you as though you've been on the grandest of adventures and absolutely craving more. FORMING THE VOID is also currently working on a new album, and is easily one of my most anticipated new releases forthcoming. Information on FORMING THE VOID can be found here: https://formingthevoid.com/?fbclid=IwAR39V1GidNojSkNoe76kPySleNbc_CO3s607rlp7SIe6WNvJf4rCAN__I3I
 

The last set of the evening was Oklahoma City's TURBO WIZARD and they made the absolute most of their closing set, throwing down roaring live versions of songs from their independent self titled 2016 album. Highlights included "Battle Dragons" and the always raging "Shitty Wizard". The band includes Zac Lindahl and Bradley Nance on guitars and vocals, Trey Allen on bass, and the evening's birthday boy Loren Williams on drums. TURBO WIZARD is OKC supersonic warlock rock 'n' roll at it's finest. It's always a good thing to see them on the billing. Check out more about them here:
https://turbowizard.bandcamp.com/album/turbo-wizard
 

There's nothing better than going to a show and discovering a new band that blows you away. On this night it was YEAR OF THE COBRA for me. But as always, FORMING THE VOID and TURBO WIZARD brought the heat, and PSCHOTIC REACTION and BUGNOG impressed as well.
Moral of the story? Get your ass out there and support live music, and more importantly, support your local bands. They're the future of metal.