REVIEW: Metal, Makeup, and Mayhem With Tavern, Haunted Cat, and Ritual Arcana
5/22 @ No Fun, Troy
Photos by Pete Perry
“There’s no other way to say it: [Ritual Arcana’s] set was a ritual. A descent, a death, a resurrection, and a goddamn cosmic awakening…”
Full disclosure: I’ve never been to a metal show before. Not really. But goddamn, do I get it now. The volume. The energy. The way it grabs something buried inside you and drags it to the surface. This show, held at No Fun in Troy, was loud, unhinged, and somehow still tight as hell. I walked in, out of the rain, and straight into something darker, weirder, and way more alive than I could have ever anticipated.
Opening the night was Tavern, a Catskills-based metal band with a grungy, gut-punching sound and a frontman who dared you not to look at him. Their lyrics flirted with whimsy one moment and veered into the shadow realm the next, all while riding the steady churn of guitar, bass, and drums that hit like a landslide. Beyond the music, it was the presence—the kind of set that makes you lean forward and stay there.
Next up: Haunted Cat. Drummer Seth Maset, keyboardist Nick O’Brien, and bassist Eric-Jon Tasker laid the foundation, but the group’s gravitational center is lead singer Drew Benton. Think glam rock meets punk meets metal, but reimagined. Part Bowie, part Mötley Crüe, part something entirely their own. Dressed in a sheer, glittering costume with dramatic makeup and a stare that didn’t blink, Benton gave everything. Their voice cut through ballads and psych-rock with abandon, twisting into something punk and theatrical. It was bold, it was weird, it was electric. As a treat, the group debuted a new song, “Understudy Sugar Daddy”, a synth-tinged banger wrapped in shimmery gold that immediately became my favorite track of theirs.
And then, Ritual Arcana.
There’s no other way to say it: their set was a ritual. A descent, a death, a resurrection, and a goddamn cosmic awakening—not just trying to paint a picture, that was the actual arc. The trio of Sharlee Lucky Free (bass/vocals), Scott “Wino” Weinrich (guitar), and Oakley Munson (drums), conjured something and took all of us over with their unapologetic, hard-hitting sound.
Munson on drums was pure metal muscle, relentless and precise, a storm behind the kit. You could feel the rhythm in your chest and your teeth. It was the heartbeat of the whole set, dragging us deeper into the ritual.
Weinrich’s guitar work was a revelation. I’ve seen people play before, but I’ve never felt it like this, every note sharp, powerful, and finessed. The kind of guitarist who doesn’t need to say a word because the way he plays tells you everything: how long he’s been doing this, how deep it runs, and how seriously he takes the craft. It’s not flashy. It’s locked-in, relentless, and sharp as hell.
And Sharlee? Holy hell. Her vocals reached from something ancient and monstrous up to something divine. She played bass with ease, commanded the stage with grace, and led the crowd through a story that felt less like a setlist and more like a séance.
At one point, she took us into the underworld, growling and howling, and then lifted us with a scream so piercing and beautiful it felt like a siren call. That moment, when she told us we were awakening the goddess, hit me hardest, haunting and ethereal. Theatrical without being cheesy, dark without pushing us away, it was, simply, transcendent.
This was a sick fucking show. Every band came out swinging; Tavern was filthy in the best way, Haunted Cat turned the place into a glam-punk fever dream, and Ritual Arcana took the fuck over. It was loud, heavy, sweaty, and a little unhinged, exactly how it should be. Nothing felt overthought, nothing felt safe. Just full-force sound and presence that hit you straight in the gut.
Stay on the lookout for Ritual Arcana’s debut self-titled album, dropping later this year, and Haunted Cat’s upcoming single, “Understudy Sugar Daddy”.
