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Black Mountain and Blood on the Wall, two esteemed experimental rock bands, will perform together on Saturday, Feb. 16 at West Asheville's Grey Eagle Tavern and Music Hall. Black Mountain's sophomore effort In the Future and Blood on the Wall's third album, Liferz, came out on Jan. 22.

The show, booked by West Asheville's Harvest Records, will be the second to last date on the two bands' eight-gig tour leg, which ends the following day at Chapel Hill's Local 506.

Headliner Black Mountain hails from Vancouver rather than Western North Carolina, as their name might suggest.

Fronted by singer and guitarist Stephen McBean, Black Mountain draws influences from the 1960s and '70s, paying due homage to the repetitive druggy guitar riffs of art rockers the Velvet Underground and the tight sludge of classic metal bands like Black Sabbath.

But such direct influences are obvious only on their 2005 self-titled debut.

"No Satisfaction" is a blatant reference to the Rolling Stones that could serve as a re-write of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." "Don't Run Our Hearts Around" sounds almost equivalent to an early Led Zeppelin hit like "Whole Lotta Love" with its crisp distortion and quick guitar licks.

In the Future delves head first into bold experimentalism as Black Mountain begins to shape an enormous rock sound of their own.

"Bright Lights" begins with an acoustic verse-chorus mode before unwinding into a brilliant series of quiet guitar and keyboard drones and loud riffs, stretching to an astounding 17 minutes.

With a multi-faceted new record, Black Mountain should sound nothing less than epic in a live setting. Black Mountain is a five-piece band on their new album, incorporating electric and acoustic guitar, bass guitar, mellotron, organ, synthesizer, drums and piano.

People who are familiar with Black Mountain probably know of their evil twin, the Pink Mountaintops, also fronted by McBean.

Longtime fans may even prefer the Pink Mountaintop's more stripped-down atmospheric sound, but In the Future touches on so many styles that a great live show seems inevitable.

Harvest Records booked the Pink Mountaintops in summer 2006.

"The Pink Mountaintops show had a small crowd with a more sexed-out Velvet Underground sound than Black Mountain," said Matt Schnable, co-owner of Harvest Records. "They had an awesome smoke machine, and I hope Black Mountain does too."

Blood on the Wall brings intense back-to-the-basics energy from New York City. They look directly back to the early 90s, borrowing styles from grunge-era Sonic Youth, Pavement and the Pixies.

Brad and Courtney Shanks, Blood on the Wall's guitar/bass songwriting combo, are unique because they make more noise with less equipment than any of their predecessors.

Though they wear their influences on their sleeves, their stage presence is very distinct.

At a 2006 show in Chapel Hill, the trio sported only three total effects pedals and two small amps.

Their new release, Liferz, offers several solid songs, but new listeners are better off thumbing through their previous efforts.

Awesomer, released in 2005, remains the highlight of Blood on the Wall's catalog.

Awesomer is catchy, free-wheeling and danceable, while Liferz has a murky production on the guitars. Such a warbley tone makes for a more headier listen.

Liferz may be rewarding for BOTW fans because it shows a subtle evolution in their sound, but for new ears with low attention spans, Awesomer is more worth the money.

The Black Mountain/Blood on the Wall show offers great variety for any rock music fan.

Whether you stick to the classics or punish your brain with indie rock volume force, there will be at least one great set at the Grey Eagle come Feb. 16.

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