Building Sound Sculptures In The Air

Jucifer, founded in Georgia in 1993, are pioneers of the sludge/doom/death metal duo genre. Notorious for their use of massive amplification, and for their entirely nomadic lifestyle, the band has literally been homeless for two thirds of its 23-year existence.
Lead singer and guitarist Gazelle Amber Valentine and her drummer husband Edgar Livengood have stated that this homeless life was undertaken to facilitate playing “as many shows as we possibly can.” Their endless tour typically covers 20 or more countries each year. Jucifer literally has no “home base” having spent all year, every year on the road since moving into their tour vehicle 15 years ago. This Sunday, Jan. 17 Jucifer makes a pit stop in West Ashley when they play The Tin Roof along with Hooded Eagle.
Unlike other heavy duos that use loops, backing tracks, or triggers to fill out their live sound, Jucifer relies on compositions designed to decimate with only real-time drums and distorted guitar. And for sonic reinforcement, a wall of speakers that typically rises 10 feet high and sprawls 15 feet wide.
Jucifer’s use of many different amps and cabinets to create a full-spectrum, full-body sound experience predates the 21st century’s “amp wall” trend. As well as being originators of using stadium-appropriate amplification in clubs, Jucifer’s rationale for their gear differs from later bands’ approach.
Although Jucifer is renowned as one of the loudest bands around, both Valentine and Livengoodhave have stated that volume is not the primary reason behind owning so much equipment, but rather a byproduct of their desire to be immersed in sound and of Valentine’s method to create her ideal tone. She says never turns her amps up all the way and that playing guitar through such a dynamic array of gear is “like building sound sculptures in the air.”
Jucifer shows are known for being extremely heavy and loud, blending elements of sludge, black metal, doom, death metal, powerviolence, thrash, crust, grind, drone, and noise with occasional psychedelic passages. The band has expressed distaste for conforming to a genre but has sometimes called themselves “deathdrone” or “sludgethrashdoomgrind.” Confining description of Jucifer to a single genre would truly be misleading, as within their live show they incorporate aspects of almost every type of metal, and on albums have been known to veer from shoegaze to grindcore to doom and folk within one side of a single LP.
Live performances are ritual and cathartic for Valentine and Livengood, who possess a rapt intensity and physical abandon as they play. The drums are outsized and guitar is downtuned to various non-standard tunings, which lends an unexpectedly pleasing quality to the high volume employed.
Jucifer’s live sound has been compared to Celtic Frost, Melvins, Slayer, Black Sabbath, Necrophagia, and Napalm Death, as well as bands of their own generation (Jesus Lizard, Darkthrone, Neurosis, Morbid Angel, Harvey Milk, Electric Wizard, Eyehategod, Acid King). Because of their knack for odd compositions and onstage improvisation, some have even likened Jucifer shows to the experimental work of Miles Davis and John Zorn.
Jucifer have performed steadily and released albums since the ’90s on both major and indie labels as well as founding their own Nomadic Fortress label in 2010, distributed by Relapse.
Jucifer and Hooded Eagle play Sunday, Jan. 17 at Tin Roof, located at 1117 Magnolia Road. For more information, call 571-0775 or visit www.charlestontinroof.com.