Review: The Sword and Zombi rock intimate Lucky You Lounge

Doom thrash legends the Sword rained thunder down upon Lucky You Lounge on Tuesday evening. Instrumental synth rock band Zombi joined the bill to present the crowd with an intimate treat that only a venue like Lucky You Lounge can offer.

Zombi, a Pittsburgh duo consisting of Steve Moore (bass/keys) and Anthony Paterra (drums), uses looping to create layer upon layer of lush sounds. Their sound is inspired as much by classic rock legends like Rick Wright (Pink Floyd) and Geddy Lee (Rush) as it is by synth-laden film score composers like Vangelis and John Carpenter.

After a brief, sultry sax intro, the crowd quickly found themselves lost in Zombi’s layers of grooves. Throughout the remainder of their set, they modulated between hard rock motifs and full-on arpeggiated bliss. At times, it felt as though the room had been transported to some sort of retro-futuristic reality.

Headliners the Sword quickly hopped onstage afterward to deliver a pummeling performance. Hailing from Texas, the group features guitarist/vocalist J.D. Cronise, guitarist Kyle Shutt, bassist Bryan Richie and drummer Santiago “Jimmy” Vela III.

A true heavy metal band at heart, they took the template laid out by Thin Lizzy and morphed it into something heavier and darker during the early 2000s advent of popular stoner rock and doom.

While seasoned road dogs, the Sword remains humble and down to Earth, which added to the intimacy of the event. Shutt could be seen having a few drinks at the bar and happily talking to fans who approached him. Onstage, Cronise gracefully powered through some monitoring issues at the beginning of the set when he couldn’t hear himself onstage.

The set was filled primarily with early fan favorites from “Age of Winters,” “Gods of the Earth” and “Warp Riders.” These early, riff-fueled heavy metal/doom albums are what launched the band into the ears of metalheads everywhere. In the middle of the set, they played a handful of newer tracks off the more ZZ-Top oriented albums “High Country” and “Used Future.”

Strong performances of the night included the opening track “Freya” from “Age of Winters.” The down-tuned, riff-filled track set the crowd ablaze and cemented the tone for the evening. This was followed quickly by blistering performances of “Tres Brujas” and “Seven Sisters.”

However, the standout performance of the night was “How Heavy This Axe” off “Gods of the Earth.” The track and retro Black Sabbath-inspired video that accompanied it introduced many people to the Sword when it was released in 2008. Following Metallica in their critique of war, the track documents the brutality of war and how it’s upon the shoulders of soldiers who fight it.

For fans of the Sword, it was a truly special evening and showcased the strength of a venue like Lucky You Lounge. Not only do true fans of the band get to see the performers they love up close and personal, there’s also something about the limited capacity that creates a camaraderie among the audience.

With any luck, the Spokane metal community will be banging their heads at Lucky You Lounge again soon.