Live Show Review: Gilded Sorrow USA Tour
The Obsessed, Howling Giant, and Gozu at The Odd, Asheville, NC
It was anniversary weekend for my wife and me, and an occasion for us to have a weekend getaway to ourselves in the lovely mountains of Western North Carolina. One of the highlights of the trip was the great privilege, yet again, for us to see The Obsessed headline a show with a tremendous bill that included Boston’s Gozu and Nashville’s Howling Giant. Thankfully, my very dear and patient wife has taken a liking to some (not all) of the music I love, and she has become a fan of all three of these great bands. The weather was unseasonably warm for March in the mountains, which was much more to her liking than some of our past anniversary adventures.
On yet another personal note, this is my third time seeing The Obsessed. The first time—the most momentous for me—was when they opened for White Zombie at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, NC in 1994. I was a short, scrawny 15-year-old going to my first ever metal show and I had never heard of The Obsessed before. But their music and their performance instantly hooked me. Then and there I bought the cassette for the album they were supporting on that tour, The Church Within. That album was one of the few that I can honestly say changed my life (at least musically speaking). I played that tape so much I wore it out.
Fast-forward to Summer 2022. The venue was Ground Zero in Spartanburg, SC. Although I had seen Wino do his acoustic set a few years earlier, it was surreal seeing him fronting the new Obsessed lineup after so many years. I’ll refrain from going into the details of that show here, but this was their setlist:
Now we return to present time. The Odd in Asheville is a diminutive venue with a lot of character. If you’re claustrophobic, it may be a bit off-putting. If you enjoy seeing live music up close in an intimate space, then this is an accommodating place for it. As soon as you’re in the side door, you’re just a couple of steps from the bar. To the right is a small room where the merch tables are set up. The stage is partially visible from this area, so it allows for some spillover while the bands are playing. To the left is a narrow hallway that leads to the stage and the audience floor. The décor, ambiance, and lighting set the right mood for these bands.
The first band up was local act Tombstone Highway. The band’s name should be very familiar for fans of The Obsessed, taken from the name of the first track of The Obsessed’s self-titled album released in 1990. Interestingly, they also had the honor of playing at Wino and Sharlee’s wedding party last Summer in Austin, TX. So, they were the obvious choice to be the hometown opener to get things going at this show.
Next came Gozu. I’ve been a fan of these guys since 2010’s Locust Season and this was my first time seeing them live. If you’re unfamiliar with them, you must hear them. Inevitably, my words will fall short in accurately describing their unique heavy rock style. If you are familiar with them, you know exactly how catchy their riffs and vocal hooks are. That all translates really well in their live show. They dipped back into that first full-length for two of the six songs they played (“Mr. Riddle” and “Meth Cowboy”). The other four songs were from their latest release, Remedy (prominently featured in my 2023 AOTY list). The highlights of their set for me were drummer Seth Botos’ backing vocal stylings and guitarist Doug Sherman’s Buzzo-esque hair movements centering his relentless, wide-stance rocking. My only complaint is that their set wasn’t longer. Seth told me after the show that they were alternating between a couple of different setlists on this tour, which really makes me want to hit another city to catch what other songs they’re playing.
In the leadup to this show, I binged me some Howling Giant and realized that I had made a grave mistake in the aforementioned 2023 AOTY list. Glass Future should have been ranked much, much higher! What an incredible album! And, undeservedly, I had the great privilege of hearing them play it live, front to back. The talent level on display was impressive. Frontman Tom Polzine skillfully layers in intricate guitar leads while fulfilling main vocal duties. Like Gozu, the band’s dexterous drummer, Zach Wheeler, serves up most of the backing vocals, and, wow, is that some sweet harmonization! Rhythm guitarist James Sanderson just officially joined the band as its fourth member in January and is fitting in nicely in that capacity. Bassist Sebastian Baltes is a happy headbanger, smiling all along the way, providing a lot of the band’s energy in the live show. If the show had ended at the end of their set, I would have left there a happy man. But wait, there’s more!
The Obsessed did not disappoint. Fanboy that I am, I could not help but stand up front, directly facing the legend himself: Wino. By the time they got going with the first song in the set, “Sacred,” the Tecate was starting to kick in and I was feeling pretty loose and relaxed. That helped me temper the more rabid fanboy within as the night wore on.
Their setlist featured a nice sampling of songs from all of their full-lengths, including five from Gilded Sorrow which was released just a month prior to this show on February 16. The songs from that album, many of which were co-written by guitarist Jason Taylor, went over exceptionally well in this live setting. Wino spoke with heart as he introduced “Realize a Dream,” saying that playing for people like us (the audience present) was his realization of a dream. That sentiment was enthusiastically reciprocated by the fans.
No words are needed for the guitar wizardry that Wino puts on display with every performance. The added impact of dual guitars with Jason in the fold is immeasurable. He has comfortably established his place in the band, even though it has been a three-piece for much of its history. Bassist Chris Angleberger holds down the bottom end in a way that’s original, yet faithful to the recordings, and is a formidable presence on stage. Drummer Brian Costantino is stalwart, a humble yet powerful force who never fails to be exceedingly locked in with the rest of the band.
Other highlights from the set, in my view, were “To Protect and to Serve” (to which I couldn’t help but sing along), “Daughter of an Echo,” “Streetside,” “Skybone,” and the riff-laden “Stoned Back to the Bomb Age.” The concluding song was a classic Spirit Caravan track, “Lost Sun Dance.”
I had the great privilege, for the first time, to speak with Wino directly after the show. It was a brief, but heartfelt conversation about my history as a fan of the band, after which he offered me a handshake and some kind words. That meant a great deal to me considering the impact his music has had on my life and my musical tastes from a very young age. That was the capstone of a night I won’t soon forget.
Here’s a playlist containing the complete setlists from all three of the bands on the tour.
The Obsessed: Official Website
The Obsessed on Ripple Music
Howling Giant: Official Website
Howling Giant on Magnetic Eye
Gozu on Metal Blade