Sceneazine Sept. 2014 | Page 7

Sceneazine.com The grooving metal of Robot Plant By John Huiett Robot Plant bassist Quincy Mckagan has a message for the world: “Robot Plant is one of the best f***ing bands out there. And no one can stop us.” hose are pretty cocky words from a member of a band whose average age is not even 20. But once the Columbia groove metal band takes the stage at Ground Zero in Spartanburg on August 15, it’s obvious that Mckagan is on to something. Lead vocalist Brik stalks the stage – and the floor below it – like he owns the place. And for Plant’s 30-minue set, he does. Combining guttural screams and soaring melodies, Brik propels the band through a set that punches you in the face and leaves you craving another right hook. Rhythm section Mckagan and drummer Justin Collins pound the bruising backbeat. Guitarist Cody Kirtan crunches thick riffs and thrashes his long blonde locks, creating a headbanging cascade of hair and precision. At stage left, guitarist Alex Johnson’s fluid solos provide a perfect complement to the controlled chaos around him. Plant opens with the grind of “Amazing Disgrace” before leaping into the more up-tempo, double-kick-driven “Dysfunction.” Then they surprise the enthusiastic crowd with a cover of Rage Against The T Machine’s “Killing in the Name Of.” Brik’s melodic screams make the song Plant’s own, while he spits out the words of the chantalong chorus with all the venom of the original. He then announces that they are going to, “soften it up a little bit” as Johnson strums the ominous opening chords to “Fear.” But the “softness” doesn’t last long. A pulsing, heavy groove kicks in, with screamed verses and a smooth, bittersweet chorus. The syncopated power of “Hear The Echo” is next, before the band closes with a spot-on cover of “End of Heartache” by Killswitch Engage. Offstage, Brik has an affable charm and almost constant smile. The sharp silver studs poking up from the shoulders of his tattered denim vest seem to match the mischievous glint in his eyes. Combined with his commanding stage presence, Brik seems like the kind of guy who could give you a severe beat down and then buy you a beer afterwards (once he turns 21, of course). “A lot of front guys want to be hard all the time, but they’re not badass offstage,” Brik says. “Why you gotta be a different person?” At stage right, Kirtan’s ripping rhythms help anchor the onstage momentum. And while Plant sounds undoubtedly modern, Kirtan’s Gibson SG and Marshall half stack give the band a bit of an old- school vibe. “I like to keep it classic,” Kirtan says. “Simple, if you will.” Also keeping it simple is Collins, who can bring huge beats from a small kit. He is known within the band as the “breakdown enthusiast” for powering traditional metal breakdowns, and also for his penchant for anxiety attacks in the band’s earlier days. But there’s no anxiety this night. He puffs on a cigarette, leading Mckagan to scream a warning that smoking will kill him. Collins shrugs it off and returns to the business at hand. “Playing a smaller kit helps me get into the groove,” he says. And keeping it in the groove is what Robot Plant is all about. But that wasn’t always the case. According to Johnson, the band’s sound has changed significantly since their 2011 inception. “We recorded an entire CD, but the band’s sound changed so much by the time we were done, we didn’t put it out,” Johnson says. What’s most important now, he adds, is “being accessible, but not being cheesy. We want it to be something that everybody listens to, but still be really heavy.” And while the band plans to record again soon, a busy show schedule might postpone that. Currently, they are slated to play August 22 at the Chop Shop in Charlotte with SkinKage, A Light Divided, Auxilla and Fall Of Corruption. August 31, it’s back to Columbia at New Brookland Tavern with Invoking The Abstract, VOROV and Burnt Books. Then it’s The House in Greenville on September 13 with Edge of Eternity, before being back at Ground Zero on September 24 with The Illumination, It Lies Within, The Party Foul, and From Gallows To Graves. When I asked him to describe Robot Plant in one word, Johnson pauses for a few seconds, then says, “Unpredictable.” However, I think it’s safe to predict you are going to be hearing a lot more about Robot Plant. reverbnation.com/robotplant facebook.com/robotplant Twitter: @OFCLRobotPlant Page 7