Primitive Man brought an eclectic lineup ranging from experimental noise to the heaviest doom metal to the Lodge Room in Highland Park/Los Angeles on December 1, 2025. Opening the show was post-metal supergroup Guiltless. They hit on all the elements of the lineup from noise rock to sludge metal.

Fronted by NYC’s Storm of Light and Battle of Mice guitarist/vocalist (and former Neurosis visual artist) Josh Graham, the band also features Storm of Light and Generation of Vipers drummer Billy Graves, but Brian Fell of Rile is filling in on drums for this tour. Bassist Sacha Dunable from LA’s Intronaut and Dan Hawkins on guitar round out the lineup. Their full-length debut Teeth to Sky was released earlier this year on the Neurosis co-owned Neurot Recordings. 

Playing their first show of the tour, and their first in LA in over a decade, were the noise metal legends TODAY IS THE DAY. The Steve Austin-led mainstays are touring in support of their latest album, Never Give In, the first part of a two-album concept, with the second part slated for release in 2026.  The album was written, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Austin at his studio in Maine. Austin also handled art direction and is releasing the album through his own SuperNova Records, which now releases all TODAY IS THE DAY projects after previously releasing music through Amphetamine Reptile (AmRep), Relapse Records, BMG, and more.

The band is doing a two-week stint with Primitive Man and will continue their Never Give In headlining tour through the end of the year, including a date with Eyehategod in Augusta, GA.

Past Primitive Man tourmate (with Elizabeth Colour Wheel), Chinese musician/film composer/artist Lane Shi Otayonii was up next with her solo project Otay:onii. Otayonii also fronts the funeral doom sludge band Forn. Elizabeth Colour Wheel was called one of the 5 bands you need to know by Revolver in 2019, and Metal Injection described their album Nocebo as “a testament to all that is heavy, beautiful, and twisted.” 

Her solo performance (truly solo with no backing band) was hard to classify. There are no blatant doom metal sounds, but you can vaguely feel the undertones buried under a more darkwave sort of art pop sound. At times, she evoked feelings of a post-industrial Bjork with both her face and voice. Her latest album True Faith Ain’t Blind is out now on WV Sorcerer Productions.

Arguably one of the loudest doom metal bands around, Denver’s Primitive Man finally took the stage with a comfortably loud volume, probably thanks to the Lodge Room. The self-proclaimed “Planet Earth’s 1st and only death sludge band” came out to a crowd clamoring to finally experience the headliners. The band delivered an expected crushing set that followed the experimental vibe of the night.

Their latest album follows suit. “Despite leaning into their more experimental side, Primitive Man maintain a tight grip on the heavy sound that has defined them for years,” and is considered their best album to date by many critics and fans alike. Observance is out now on Relapse Records.