One last time for Satan

Tooth - Duke Coffeehouse - Sept. 11

I'll be honest with you. I hated metal when I arrived in Chapel Hill a little over 3 years ago. Raised on the Beatles and Springsteen, I just didn't think there was any place for screaming and sludgy guitars. I was wrong, and Durham's Tooth, which played what is touted to be its last show Friday night at Duke Coffeehouse, was one of the main catalysts in showing me the error of my ways. And while I'm obviously sad to see them go, I can tell you they got one hell of a send off.

Durham's Grappling Hook was entertaining to start out the night, jaunting about with its keyboard infused brand of hard rock. But things really got started when Chapel Hill's the Curtains of Night took the stage. Roaring through huge pillars of dark metal, the female duo filled the Coffeehouse with a brutal wall of sound. Philadelphia's the Claw, whose split with Tooth was at the reason for the night's celebration, was good if not great with new singer Jason Goldberg. The band's previous singer, Mikey Brosnan, was killed by a drunk driver last fall. While there was still plenty of rage in the band's quick brand of slice and dice thrash, there seemed to be a little bit of a disconnect between the band and its new singer. But it seemed to be something that the outfit will be able to move past with more time working in this new configuration.

But the mighty Tooth owned the night clearly. Stomping out on the stage with all the swagger that a curtain call deserves, the band laid it on thick and powerful. Hitting with cconcussiveblasts of deeply toned guitar, bass and drums, Tooth assaulted the audience like a champion prize fighter in the prime of his game. Singer J-Me Guptil attacked his songs with gusto, pushing his muscular bark as far as he could. It was an epic performance, a fitting goodbye from one of the area's most vicious ensembles.

Click below for more photos.

Grappling Hook