The Mass

Einstein postulated that mass is equivalent to energy, and the Mass proves it. Hailing from Oakland, California, the band was formed in 2002 by members of lauded Bay Area acts From Monument to Masses and Totimoshi. Within a year, the Mass's debut disc, City of Dis, shook the heavens. A lightning strike of prog-core intensity, it's still a mild shock compared to the atomic onslaught of the act's brand-new release, Perfect Picture of Wisdom and Boldness. Produced by Tim Green of metal maestros the Fucking Champs -- who also handpicked the Mass to tour with earlier this year -- Perfect Picture ties the disparate attacks of Darkest Hour, Sweep the Leg Johnny and Dillinger Escape Plan into a jazzy, sax-punctured tangle of behemoth riffs and math-defying rhythms. Tonight's show also features local dynamos Action Friend and Love Me Destroyer. Atoms as well as eardrums shall be split.