Cough

Richmond, VA doom metallers Cough wasted no time with their set, getting right to the music and playing non-stop for their 40 minutes. The quartet delivered a massive wall of sound, as they performed the long tracks -- some over ten minutes -- from their latest album, Ritual Abuse. Featuring moments of sludge and psychedelic doom, Cough were impressive and crippling. Their performance of the aptly titled "Mind Collapse" was an epic slow and steady crawl. Guitarists Dave Cisco and Brandon Marcey traded off sharp leads and heavy rhythms, while Cisco's screaming vocals intersected with bassist/vocalist Parker Chandler's dissonant, agonized screams. Throughout, drummer Joseph Arcaro (ex-Sword) held the steady beat, holding you in as Cough led you further and further into their spiral of claustrophobic noise.