Last week, I braved the G train to see one of the best Brooklyn bands around; Goes Cube (featured in the Winter 2008 issue of Beyond Race) played a set at Europa in Greenpoint, which was the perfect fit for the triple dose of hard rock bands to grace the stage that night. Red-lighted chandeliers hung from hollowed out holes in the ceiling, and the dim ambience, lounge seating, and hip décor were ideal for the menagerie of metal kids, hipsters, and general music fans filling the space.

First up was the rather unknown band Naam. In today’s world, not having a music Myspace page means that you must be authentically underground, or at least that you’re not in it for the online fame! Naam certainly isn’t; the rather heavily bearded post-metal doom (plus keyboards) band tore through their set with fierce, well-constructed aggression and nearly deafening noise. Next up was The Pax Cecilia from Rochester, NY, who are currently racking up online reviews. The lead singer/cellist/keyboard player was unassuming in a nice blazer and tie, but when the multi-instrumental sound started to swell, he grabbed the mic, opened up his throat, and let out some throat-curdling screams, his entire face beaming red. The band sustained their prog-rock, avant-metal take on classical (with both violin and cello accompaniment, along with the keys, bass, drums, and guitar) through a riveting set, with almost painfully evocative soft-to-loud moments and a richly textured effusion (such as in “the Water Song”) that seemed to endlessly reverberate.

Goes Cube had a large fanbase present for the show and many fans came from lands much further than Manhattan. With immense distortion, ferocious percussion, and David Obuchowski’s raw screams, the trio is somewhat of a throwback to the grunge era and the bare-bones creativity of the early ’90s. Inherently DIY and influenced by such bands as Isis, Torche, and Helmet, they define themselves merely as “heavy rock,” or “post-hardcore,” but with “nothing kitschy.” They offered the crowd several new songs (and David made up names for each, since all of their song titles are numbered), along with better-known tracks such as “Goes Cube Song 30,” (from their EP Beckon the Dagger God) which really got the crowd going! Their energy was consistent and also refreshing because it was apparent how much they simply enjoyed playing, and they thanked the audience numerous times for coming out in support. All in all, taking the V to the G was worth it.

-Amy Dupcak