Kick Out the Jams: Fear Factory, Mastodon and Sworn Enemy at the House of Blues, Aug. 22

The mosh pit as a tool for divination has, alas, been largely unavailed of in this age. What rich commentary on heavy metal fandom is to be gleaned from that whorl of adolescent elan and homoerotic horseplay? The testosterone swirl accompanying Fear Factory's set Sunday night at the House of Blues imparted this message: Dude, Fear Factory rocks! Okay, they sorta do, in the meat-and-veg way of melding grade-school metal grunt with post-industrial thematic trappings, with Steve Tushar's liberal keyboard toots on tunes such as "Slave Labour" illustrating FF's shopworn theme of alienation in the stark face of technology, etc. (See also: the Cro-Mag chant of "Cyberwaste": "Nothing! You say! Matters! To us!") Fear Factory's supposedly cerebral blending of metal, industrial and techno is the most overhyped thing since New Coke; FF pleases instead in its naked pummel that promises nothing but to take your mind off the nemesis that is technology--even if it is that testy cash register at Cinnabon that tries your soul daily.

Headliners Fear Factory made for a nice contrast to Mastodon--the true darlings of this show--who are as brainy in execution as Fear Factory tries to be in concept. Yeah, yeah, I'm a dyed-in-the-stubble fan and I won't recant if this prediction doesn't bear out: Mastodon will wrest metal from the current regime of bloated fakers who make special DVDs about hiring a therapist to keep their shitty ghost of a rock band together. Balancing multipronged guitar invasion and headphone-friendly jamlets, Mastodon performed a brilliant set with plenty of juicy cuts off its latest album Leviatha such as "Iron Tusk" and "I Am Ahab"--drummer Brann Dailor firing throughout like a drunken machine-gunner--and closed with that majestic stomper off a previous album, "March of the Fire Ants." Mastodon exudes magnificence and aggression, and yet is just foolhardy enough to write a concept album around Moby-Dick (instead of say, the bullshit anomie inspired by modern technology). Remember the days of Iron Maiden, when metal was genius in its workmanship and lovably pretentious in concept--all mascots and themes and concept art? The likes of Mastodon and its Leviathan are washing up a second wave.--Andrew Kiraly