137 Brings Caveman Metal to the Bug Jar

So, there's a framing narrative for the rest of this review - I had a review of the album all written up, but it didn't feel like I captured what I wanted.  The show was only a week or so after, so the following is my effort to combine the two into a single, coherent whole. For song order, I prioritized the set list because some of the tunes came from their EPs.  Lemme know how I did.

I know this band from a charity concert a couple years ago.  I've seen them on a couple bills for shows I couldn't attend, but I know they're a hard-working local band from central and western New York.  So, when my social media suddenly and barely contained Keith Baughman's pride (his initial announcement of the album came in a liner-notes-length post on FB) about their first album coming out and announcing a release show that didn't conflict, I was ready.  
If you've never been to the Bug Jar on Monroe Avenue in Rochester, NY it's an experience. They go for a CBGB vibe, combined with nostagia porn. Perfect gritty venue for a pretty gritty band.

137's utterly raging new album "Prey For Your Deception" drops on streaming near you.
So, to celebrate the release of PFYD they played the Bug Jar January 11.
137 brand themselves "Caveman Metal" - a mixture of sludge, doom, and almost death-metal vocals.  Pretty much.  My first comparative thought was another local act - Babayaga. They're not clones, but could definitelty share a stage and fans.  Their website (137metal.com) proudly proclaims "Since Fucking 1996" which explains the three preceding EPs and other recordings.  "Prey To Your Deception" is 14 tracks of bass-heavy, distortion-riddled, barely coherent growly vocals and discernable roots from the Black Sabbath/Pentagram side while keeping it modern with those gravel-gargling vocals.


Set List
>>This is a Fist
This is the fourth song on the album, but the first of the show.  My review prediction came true:
"This is a Fist" starts with a less-distorted guitar attack joined shortly by all the aggressive elements Keith Baughman and friends bring to every aural assault.  This tune lets Gudmunsen and Weissinger get more distinct and crank out solos.  That tune's gonna be fun to see live.
It was
>>Savior
More rhythm-heavy distortion-fuzzy guitars. Nice reverb guitar solo. Worthy successor tune to keep growing the crowd in from the bar.  The righteous monsters pummelling the crowd's ears kept up the abuse for us masochists.

>>Parting Sabbath
This was where Keith really got to growling out lyrics to go with the Caveman rock. Continuing the rhythm assault, but with a couple guitar solos, proving they don't have to be finger-shredding fast to be good. Couple nice time changes.
The ZZ Top-like commitment to a sound really underlies the whole of the set. Each song is sttong, unique, and enjoyable, but within a self-imposed range allowing the nuances to really gleam.

>>Slug
The Pentagram-meets-metalcore caveman metal sound works for these guys and they go for it. Intereting that they shared a single with Paro, the opening act. Paro uses far less distortion and crunchy rhythm. By now, if you haven't trashed your hearing, this tune'll finish the job.

>>Born Again
Ooh. A bass solo! Somehow, despite being the same groove, this one's more aggressive, almost soundtrack to a foot pursuit. These guys are real workmen on their instruments. Very little flash (except the Gene Simmons Axe bass guitar) and righteously solid.
The cleaner guitar solo out of nowhere was a nice switch-up. Admittedly the Bug Jar stage will never be described as capacious, but much like Paro, the music matters more than rock star energy.

>>Wrecking Ball
Continuing the standard of the rest, but giving the  drums a bit of solo work to do. The relationship between Paro and 137 came out to play as Paro's drummer added a ridiculous amount of audience energy to the stage as the set was ending. It's always obvious when the band is having that slightly goofy collaborative fun, and this set ended with that.

Interesting the set ended with the track that opens "PTYD". My initial response to the album opener was:  Distortion-laden guitars from Andy Gudmunsen and Donnie Weissinger open "Wrecking Ball", followed by opening growls from bassist Keith Baughman.  Jason Brickey's drums drive everything, including the bass solo smack in the middle of "Wrecking Ball".  If you're in at this point, the other 13 tracks won't disappoint. (Remember this is the opening tune.)

If you're with me thus far and see my byline elsewhere, know that a lot of my references are going to be for music from western NY and acts that have come through.  I already referenced Babayaga, but some of the instrumental parts of some of the tracks, like "Force Controlled Culture" bear a strong resemblence to Glass Skeleton Death March.  Otherwise, "Caveman Metal" is what the label says:  distortion, sludge, cymbals, and vocals so rough you need a 4x4.
I once had a mathematics professor tell us on day 1 "I know my accent can be tough, but stick with me and in a couple weeks you'll be fine with it."  He was right.  I bring this up because here in the third track, "In Vain Pt. 1 - Midnight" is when you start beginning to discern more of the lyrics Baughman is just gnashing out.  There's a nice break for a simple guitar solo about 80% in. "Slug" follows with all the subtlety of artillery; a powerful assault that would look like an angry wendigo if it were a person.
I've already addressed the fourth song above, but the fifth tune, "What Doesn't Kill You" has a driving bass/drum bit mid-song that sounds friggin' familiar and I can't remember why.  Then the pace slows a bit.  Not necessarily a single, but a good tune where it falls in the track list.  "Born Again" opens about as Black Sabbath-y as they can get away with.  The pace is low, slow, and powerful.  I'm a huge fan of guitar solos, and this tune features a nice one near the end.  Slow, not flashy, but very welcome.
"In Vain Pt. 2 " opens with the first sample - a heart machine beeps and a pulse give way quickly to more conventional 137 fare - until two more beeps mid-tune indicate a few creative beat changes and false stops.  Don't get me wrong about the lyrics.  It's not like they ever get overly discernable, but some of that is 40+ years of musically self-inflicted hearing loss as well.  The rest of the album develops fun, different forms of the "Caveman Metal" style.

I can't really give a number, but the album was as fun as the show, and boy did they crank.