O’Briens hosted a whole slew of acts last Friday night that, order despite a late start which left me watching Seinfeld at the bar for an hour, order combined to provide a wonderfully loud evening.  When I say loud, I mean “first time I’ve ever had an impulse to buy earplugs” loud. This ended up being a good thing, though; it mirrored the energy that each band showcased.

First up were Boston-based Lady Bones. Their apparent youth was offset by the veteran gravitas that they brought to the stage. Even the bartender remarked on their poise after telling me that they’ve been playing at O’Briens for years. Heavy basslines gave way to a host of high notes on the guitar as the trio skillfully wielded bouts of dissonance in the middle of their songs.

Guillermo Sexo, another local group, took to the stage next. Along with deft guitar work, harmonies highlighted the set and even sounded phenomenal when shouting. They took the time to play a brand new, sprawling track, Graffiti Skies. Guillermo Sexo put on a wonderful display of pacing; subtle shifts in tempo were indicative of a larger shift from song to song. This is a group that simply knows how to put on a live show.

Next up was the New York-by-way-of-Boston crew, Slothrust. This trio was positively tight. Along with grunge sensibilities, twists of the blues shone through to lend a unique marker to their tunes. While staying lyrically pragmatic, Leah Wellbaum added counterbalances in the form of skilled guitar flourishes. This is the act that got the crowd moving. They even added in a masterful cover of Black Sabbath’s “Electric Funeral” to shake up the set.

Carl Shane, vocalist for Kal Marks, has a set of pipes reminiscent of alt-j’s Joe Newman, only set against a backdrop of pure mayhem. Their wall of sound blew the roof off of the place. When taking some notes on my phone during the show, the first thing I put down for these guys was “they go hard”. As trite as that sounds, it was truly sincere. Shane paired the monolithic instrumental heaviness with lyrical content to match the tenor.

Pale Angels closed out the night by somehow managing to ratchet up the intensity. They took to the stage and showcased the absolutely frantic energy that defined the night. Neglecting to take pauses between songs, these guys straight-up rocked. Their sound gained an extra bit of propulsion from the relentless, frenzied attack on the drum kit. My ears are still ringing.