Steve Janiak of Devil To Pay

Honing their skills with one last hometown gig before heading on a three-week national tour, Devil To Pay put on a show full of heavy music and tunes designed to take the listener back to the days when Black Sabbath ruled the rock world.

The long-haired band mostly road-tested numbers from their debut CD, Thirty Pieces Of Silver, which recently saw a nationwide release. Stunners such as “The Lamb” and “Tractor Fuckin’ Trailer” were given intense workouts, with vocalist Steve Janiak meshing well with Rob Secrist’s heavy guitar work.

The secret weapon of the band is drummer Chad Prifogle, who provides a fierce, tribal sound without overplaying or overshadowing others. Purists can debate whether the band is more stoner rock or doom rock; the rest of us can be content with describing their sound as catchy, hook-heavy metal with a retro feel. Devil To Pay is the rare band that understands its strengths and plays to them without ever trying to be something they’re not.

Their set was a worthy launch for their first true national tour.

Battle of the Bands finalists About The Fire also played an impressive set, full of the invigorating quasi-hardcore songs which have made them one of the area’s buzz bands. Vocalist Sammy Clevenger, as always, was on point all set with his trademarked growl. The rest of the band, excellent players all, complement Clevenger’s voice unusually well.

Local music icon John Zeps’ new band Lukewarm Bodies At Best opened the night and received a great reception from the Patio audience. The one common theme of Zeps’ many bands — most notably Burn It Down and Majhas — is economy of expression mixed with virtuosity, an intriguing blend. It will be interesting to see how this new band develops its own identity in the weeks and months to come.

The only disappointment of the night came with the relatively low attendance at the show. The night would have been much more powerful if the Patio had been jam-packed with people shaking their fists, throwing horns and enjoying the music. As it happened, the decent-sized crowd stayed late and had the pleasure of seeing some of the best groups Indianapolis has to offer.