On Friday, August 29th, at the Song and Dance in Syracuse, the mood was set for despair when Thom Wasluck, a.k.a. Planning for Burial, touched down. This was the one man master of drone music’s fourth time playing in Syracuse.
Thom has DIY etched into his bloodstream with previous shows taking place in basements. However, his work reaches high echelons of heavy music with him brushing hands with Have a Nice Life, Chelsea Wolfe and even Deafhaven.
The opener, Dale, promptly took the stage at 7:30 PM and kicked things off with a bang. The local group felt heavily inspired in equal parts by noise and post rock, feeling like Gen-Z’s take on Slint. Dale’s Bassist would accent the band’s heavy breakdowns. You could wonder the specific names of band members but the front man said everyone’s name was ‘Dale,’ something the crowd may have guessed from their matching jumpsuits.
Following Dale was another local band, that being the intensely harsh Char. I had caught this band a little over a year ago at a house show hosted by University students so seeing them at this official venue was incredibly exciting.
Compared to the last time I had checked them out, the group’s sound had grown incredibly intense. The band offers breakdowns that feel like the euphoric black metal of Deafhaven.
The crowd had officially been warmed up which served as an incredible slam dunk for the final local opener, Quantifier. The band offers winding song structures similar to Tool and Mastodon but pummels listeners like the heaviest of modern hardcore.
The band pulls no punches with double kick drums, harsh guitars and wretched growls that paint a horrifying picture of what music could be. The front-man, Jake, would orchestrate walls of death while the crowd would froth at the mouth for his commands.
Once Quantifier had finished, the energy in the room was through the roof. However, as the punk kids went out to get some air and smoke, Thom began to setup his mass of equipment. His gear contained several guitar amps, multiple samplers and over a dozen guitar pedals.
The volume was through the roof but the energy was as low as ever. The sound of Planning for Burial is punishing and demoralizing. Pummeling guitars usually inspire intense crowds but Thom’s drone music lowers the audience to their seats.
Although Planning for Burial offers an intense masterclass on the process of noise music, there is an element of performance art that his live shows contain. Thom flails with the intense energy his guitar provides. Every wave of sonic distortion equates to a physical crash from Thom’s body.
After over a half hour of sonic bombardment, Thom slowly pushes the brakes on his guitar. As the last shimmering notes ring out from his guitar, silence envelopes the room and the crowd erupts in applause. Immediately after, Thom thanked the audience then went to tend his own merchandise table. What a legend.
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