2014 has been a great year for doom metal. For veterans like Eyehategod, Yob, and Electric Wizard, this year was a celebrated return to the throne. For some of the newer bands looking to emerge in the genre, they were faced with the formidable task of producing work that rivaled the monoliths that had been in place for over a decade. Newcomers like Pallbearer and and Fórn have added to the zeitgeist, and have helped make this year so special.

The show took place at the Middle East Upstairs, and was packed tight for every set. Mutual Benefit was playing Downstairs, and knowing what was in store for the evening, I felt a little guilty about the massive wall of noise that was about to crash through the venue.

Fórn played the first set of the night for their first hometown show of 2014. Vocalist Chris Pinto announced that, “technically” this was the record release show for their debut album, The Departure of Consciousness. Having just come back from playing a few shows along the West coast, the band was polished and primed up to present a powerful set.

Fórn’s stint on the other side of the country happened just as they released The Departure of Consciousness, but it became apparent that their debut record high had not worn off. Starting off with an instrumental intro, the five-piece outfit paced themselves well throughout their crushing set. The band kept a precise, tight sound, which is a hugely important element in doom. Their drummer, Christian Donaldson, laid down thunderous rhythms that seemed all too enormous for his drum kit.

Pinto’s voice was enormous; being a rather small individual, one wouldn’t assume he was behind Fórn’s monstrous vocals. With the microphone held up high above his face, Pinto let his sludgy vocals explode out of him. It wasn’t hard to discern the passion that he expressed. From time to time, he let himself beam a massive smile.

The band’s setlist was mostly selections from their new album their album, but they also managed to dip into their demo EP from last year, which was a treat. Their last song was The Departure of Consciousness highlight “Suffering In The Eternal Void.” At this point, Pinto accidentally ripped the cord from his mic, but continued howling without it. Their performance is one to be seen, if you ever get a chance.

Fórn set a high bar for the next band, Ilsa, to follow, but they admirably held their own. After wrestling with some technical difficulties, which frontman Orion Peter called a reoccurring “curse,” Ilsa followed Fórn’s insane performance with their own strong set. They carved out some dirty punk metal with ample gusto. Peter’s high-pitched wails were backed by Ilsa

The penultimate band, All Them Witches, were a definite stand out of the night. The band plays a psychedelic blend of Southern blues and doomy stoner rock. That sounds like a bit of a mess, but All Them Witches balance their influences well, and have managed to perfect their recipe for an original sound. Michael Parks Jr. laid down his almost Bob Dylan-esque vocals over cool, heavy riffs and galloping drums.

Windhand finished off the night with a highly anticipated set. Their last album, Soma, was released on metal goliath Relapse Records, so people were anxious to hear them play. They were slow to start due to more technical difficulties, but as soon as they fixed the problem, their guitars immediately hummed to life. Windhand’s powerful, distorted low end was contrasted nicely against barely-contained feedback. Dorthia Cottrell provided her syrupy, low-key baritone over thick guitar and bass riffs. Her performance carried energy, but the vocals slipped out of key from time to time.

Windhand provided a reliable set of songs, but fell a little flat compared to some of the other bands that played. In no way however, does that mean that they did not live up to their hype. The whole band was particularly into this performance, and it appeared in their music. They managed to sync up their headbanging without missing a beat, and the classic heavy metal solos were top notch. All-in-all, the whole night gave up wav after wave of stellar performances, and I bet the walls are still shaking at The Middle East.