Live music review: Sludge metal act Chat Pile pummeled Mohawk fans Sunday
A lot of Austin residents consider Interstate 35 to be an existential crisis. If you drive far enough north, you might eventually hit the cursed town of Oklahoma City. Even though most of us would never make such a wretched trek, the Oklahoma noise rock quartet Chat Pile emerges from the depths, delivering their socially aware brand of sludge metal for fans that have been indoctrinated into the music blogosphere from their spotty at best college dorm WiFi. On yet another frigid Sunday night in Austin, fans of the outspoken loud rock act packed out the Red River Cultural District stronghold Mohawk for a thought-provoking excursion that pummeled attendees’ eardrums as well as giving a powerful message of social reform.
Kansas City post-hardcore trio Nightosphere kicked off the evening, offering a multitude of genre classification speculation in the realm of shoegaze, noise rock, and a drop of 90s grunge. Driven by guitarist and bassist Claire Hannah and Brittany Sawtelle, the ethereal harmonies between the pair paint an elysian picture of blissful baptisms only a tight-knit songwriting duo could accomplish through their short tenure as their collection of tunes has grown.
The opening onrush felt like a practice of tension and release, with each offering evolving into smoldering catharsis after starting quietly and ending with a bang. The KC band’s first LP, Katabasis, is available everywhere.
When the second act, Gouge Away, appeared, it was a familiar face, given that it was the hardcore group’s third Austin stop in just under a year’s time. Hailing from the swamplands of Fort Lauderdale, the Florida heavy-hitters intended to turn the rusted flame burners up to arsonist levels to warm up the stage for the headlining act. Vocalist Christina Michelle’s shouted vocals backboned the stampeding instrumentals, all in perfect sync to the steady and straight to the point deliveries with unapologetic urgency.
With critically acclaimed record Deep Sage released last March, Gouge Away has shared the stage with the likes of METZ, Full Of Hell, and Militarie Gun. The almost-decade-running five-piece made for a vocal-cord shredding statement for the politically charged spectacle that was about to commence.
Chat Pile formed in 2019, right before the pandemic dark ages, taking its namesake from remnants of lead and zinc mine trails that have contaminated the lands for 150 years in the Southwestern region of the country. With this in mind, the OKC outfit’s sound takes the flammability of its titular moniker, with two full-lengths, some EPs, and a handful of splits and singles in tow. The group members use mysterious, half-comedic pseudonyms: vocalist Raygun Busch, bassist Stin, guitarist Luther Manhole, and drummer Cap’n Ron. A signee of underground record label The Flenser, the last Austin stop from the sludge noisemakers came with the final installment of Oblivion Access Festival in 2023, in which they performed a showcase with other signees from the label, including influential post-punk revivalists Have A Nice Life.
The Chat Pile ensemble released their second full-length LP, Cool World in 2024. The record reasserts an already masterful thesis with its bludgeoning instrumentation and beastly vocals that hack with inquisition-style execution. Frontman Busch is a certified film buff, taking each opportunity between songs to share knowledge of the movies made in the Austin area. Some mentioned films included Sin City, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Slackers, Dazed and Confused, and Spy Kids. With every song transition spent on cinema, the frontman let the politics come out only through the singing words.
Earlier cuts like “Why,” “Dallas Beltway,” and “Slaughterhouse” made the setlist, with new album selections in the vein of “I Am Dog Now,” “Frownland,” and “Tape” also showing their heads to deafening singalong crowd participation. With it being another shivering night in the ATX, Busch arrived onstage unusually wearing a shirt, telling the audience, “I’m trying to find the will to take off my shirt, but it might be a minute.” Soon enough, the shirt came off, setting off the singer’s signature look for their proudly gritty live shows.
The down-tuned guitar and gravely heavy bass make for a concoction of influences that come from multiple varieties of heavy music, including some riffs that hit in the territory of early Korn, Melvins, and fellow noise band Whores, maybe a co-headlining tour with the latter might be in order. “Ugly Truth” from 2021 split single with Austin grindcore act Portrayal of Guilt also made its way in, with Busch shouting out the local band when introducing the track.
Tour debut “Garbage Man” from second EP Remove Your Skin Please closed the night as the lone encore, inching up in near-perfect sync with the Sunday night 10:30 pm curfew. After the conclusion, a mile-long merch line formed, with fans wanting to memorialize the bombastic journey with souvenirs the Oklahoma mainstays had so gracefully provided with a memorable return to the noise-loving Austin.
All photos by Troy Gonzales
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