2006 was an amazing year for the night’s three bands: Priestess broke out of its Québécois-hard rock niche and found a welcoming fan base internationally; longtime hardcore mainstays Converge took their sound and expanded its audience based on the heels of its acclaimed album No Heroes, an album which found praise from the likes of Pitchfork Media, Revolver and Drowned in Sound; and in 2006 an underground band from Atlanta released an album that many thought would be metal’s Nevermind, Mastodon’s Blood Mountain. Though it didn’t capture the same level of success as Nirvana found with its breakthrough release, it still helped broaden the band’s reach, resulting in a #32 debut position on the Billboard 200, a Grammy nomination and countless mentions on critics’ year end lists. To say the least, the night would be a good one for hard music.

Read the rest of this review at How Was the Show.

Listen to Mastodon Audio Here
Mastodon – Official Site
Mastodon – MySpace Site
also: Mastodon “Blood Mountain” Review

Listen to Converge Audio Here
Converge – Official Site
Converge – MySpace Site

Listen to Priestess Audio Here
Priestess – Official Site
Priestess – MySpace Site
also: Priestess “Hello Master” Review