Metal’s here to stay

Welcome back to nights of long hair, screeching and lots of black. Welcome the drunk girls in too-small tank tops dragging friends out onto the bar floor to rock out in the stage lights. Welcome also the stoic boyfriends loitering in the gloom, occasionally flashing a thick mane with a flick of the neck. The chrome and vinyl and, of course, dark, fast and heavy band enters. You have returned to the world of metal.

Lingus is a quartet of Reno metal-heads, two pairs from two different bands who joined forces in November. Standing somewhere between Metallica and Disturbed, they call their brand of pounding chords “millennium metal,” new metal for a new age. They are Gus Caba (bass, vocalist), Matt Kind (drums, maniac), “Doctor” Jerry Lingus (guitar, songwriter) and “Trick” (guitar, scapegoat).

Their shows are an exercise in concentrated energy. They bring production and talent to the stage; they want to make sure it’s all perfect before they cut through the weekend boredom. Before the show, setting up the swirling lights, Kind yells to Dr. Lingus, “Hell with the volume, as long as the levels are right on.”

The band also has a simple desire—they want an audience. Since the live music crowd is fickle and lazy, they often play free shows, just to get the word out.

“We want people to see us. … A lot of local bands don’t want to play with us, or so we hear,” Trick says. “Maybe it’s because of the cover … maybe you should stick around for the show.”

The room is dark as they begin, opening with a sampled monologue of The Exorcist 3. Caba wears a mock Roman collar. Trick, shiny vinyl pants and a superman shirt. Lingus, a simple tank top. And Kind, a T-shirt. Needless to say, all are in gunmetal black. They segue into the opening riffs of their first driving instrumental with flashing lights and metal righteousness. Matt screams at a somber crowd, “C’mon you motherfuckers, metal is not dead!” He lashes into the tempo of the song.

Now, I’ve always had a sweet spot for headbangin', tight pants wearin', dark chugga-chugga metal, so by the end of the third song, I’m thinking, “I’d buy a copy of the CD-in-progress.” By the end of the sixth, I wish I weren’t there working, so I could stand up front and rock out. By the time they launch into a great cover of Rage Against The Machine’s Killing in the Name of, I don’t care and rock out where I am. It’s a solid 50 minutes of grinding guitar, wailing leads, staccato drums and angsty growling.

Lingus closes the show to continuous applause and hooting, as they bang out their last bursts of head banging. After the show, their energy is still there, but they’re much more laid back. Now it’s time for breakdown, beer and screwing around. But, screwing around is only a part of how these boys interact.

“Playing together and getting to know these guys has been really productive,” Caba says. “We’re totally complimentary and write all of our songs together.”

“Every one of us has our own stamp on every song,” Kind says.

Stamps they make and stamps they leave. They are musicians with a mission: to leave their mark on Reno metal.