Anasazi @ Saint Vitus

It was the Christian Death and Resurrection show at Anasazi’s Saint Vitus appearance on Saturday, with a lineup featuring former members of New York’s now deceased post-punk band of brothers, The Hunt, (J. Vigil on bass, Christian Count on keys), and a performance that brought the brooding, vicious creep of Southern Death Cult to life.

Back in 2006-2008, a cadre of bands in a similar vein played weekly across the city, often in lineups that evoked every sonic and aesthetic aspect of 1980’s post-punk to a point where it was commonplace, if not a bit tired. But as Cinderella says, you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone, and all bands have since broken up, putting a spiritual cramp in our style and forcing us to seek DJ nights and not live shows in which to hear the sickly drag of sepulchral synths and guitars with reverb ringing steady beneath stern, funereal vocals, braced with a smash of bombast to emphasize the punk behind the post. Witness the second coming of this sound in the clip below, as Anasazi frontman Chi Orengo draws out the drama, stance sturdy and threats real enough to snap bones and slice leather. "Deceive me once, shame on me, deceive me twice, you'll pay with your life..."