Palms Bring Their Atmospheric Ebb and Flow to Los Angeles Gig

In their respective bands, Deftones frontman Chino Moreno and former Isis members Bryant Clifford Meyer, Jeff Caxide and Aaron Harris have touched on atmospheric rock, but nothing compares to the ebb and flow they pulled off throughout their first dates as members of the new outfit Palms.

The group packed the sold out Troubdour in Los Angeles and didn't waste time setting the mood. The band arrived on a dimly lit stage, with drummer Aaron Harris kicking things off with the hypnotic opening beats of 'Future Warrior.' Moreno, Meyer and Caxide had a few moments to enjoy the embrace and anticipation of the audience before laying into their wall of sound on the epic opener.

The group followed with 'Tropics,' a song that hit just the right amount of ethereal melody early before erupting into a powerful jam with Moreno, Meyer and Caxide in perfect synchronicity. 'Mission Sunset' allowed Moreno the opportunity to show off the slow-delivery emotion in his voice and set off a moody vibe throughout. Meanwhile 'Shortwave Radio' gave the frontman a chance to lighten the mood while nimbly scatting and doing a dance around the stage as he grooved along to Harris' rhythmic drumming.

Being as Palms' debut disc is truly an album listening experience that creates a certain vibe, it should come as no surprise that the night's biggest break from form came during their upbeat performance of Swervedriver's 'Rave Down.' Finishing out the body of their set, the band delivered 'Patagonia,' one of the best demonstrations of their waves of sound. Early on, the track was as melodically pleasing as could be, but Palms finished out the track with a vibe so heavy you could feel the entire room reverberate.

Exiting the stage as guitar distortion continued to ring throughout the Troubadour, the band took a brief breather before returning for the finale, a song called 'Antarctic Handshake' that Moreno dedicated to late Deftones bassist Chi Cheng. Awash in spotlights of orange, green and yellow, Moreno and his band delivered a dream-like, emotion-filled conclusion to the performance, exiting the stage and leaving the crowd wanting for more. Palms concluded their California run over the weekend, and with any luck (and scheduling availability), hopefully there will be more shows in the future.

Palms at Los Angeles' Troubadour Photo Gallery