Dragged Out.

Chelsea Wolfe Was Strange And Endearing At Last Night's Kessler Theater Show.

Last month, Chelsea Wolfe released her fifth studio LP, Abyss, which many a critic has called her heaviest collection of songs to date. And, just last night, the Sacramento-based singer-songwriter returned to the Dallas neighborhood where she recorded that album with John Congleton (St. Vincent, Swans) to play a dark and ethereal set at Oak Cliff's Kessler Theater.

The evening went perhaps the way you'd expect a Chelsea Wolfe show to go. With no special flare or erratic effects to “heighten” the experience, Wolfe's backing band was heavy and the lead performer herself was awash in mystique.

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Powerful and enchanting, Wolfe and her band left room for interpretation within their sea of sound. Reveling in the buzz of Abyss and the occult nature that surrounds Wolfe and her haunting vocals, the crowd was left in a trance — a state of awe, if you will — as Wolfe performed for well more than an hour, including a two-song encore.

It was a strong performance, and it was equal parts strange and endearing — something that should come across in the photos and videos Karlo X. Ramos captured at the event.