On their debut album, Closing In, Brooklyn-based — but Columbus-bred — rockers Early Man alternate between sludgy stoner-rock anthems and axe-shredding metal epics. Either way, it's hard, riff-heavy material best played loud. At its most dissonant, the band recalls Ozzy-era Sabbath, in the sweet spot between when Sabbath first cuddled up to drugs and before it were ruined by them. Best is "Death Is the Answer," in which 30-plus years of heavy metal plays out in four killer minutes. Live, it should be an eardrum-bleeding experience worthy of the Prince of Darkness.
Mon., March 6, 9 p.m.
