It looked like a metal show was going to erupt at Barracuda last Tuesday: the crowd were clad in black concert tees, and opening act Uniform brought enough pummeling cacophony to suggest the headliner would follow suit.

But those who attended were clamoring for a different type of heavy: the brooding and sensual brand of electronic rock that only The Black Queen (fronted by ex-Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Greg Puciato) could deliver.

The band’s setlist pulled from last year’s stellar sophomore effort Infinite Games and their 2016 début Fever Daydream, kicking thing off with the pulsating Games track Thrown Into The Dark, which showcased Puciato’s elastic vocal stylings to wonderful effect, followed by the percolating, cinematic rush of No Accusations.

Ice to Never was another standout, fusing new jack swing and new romantic synth-pop, while Maybe We Should/Non-Consent went even further into funky textures and entrancing beats.

Despite being more melodic in content than Puciato’s metal pedigree, the singer’s (and recent author) onstage physicality and rambunctious personality remain intact–tossing water bottles into the audience, swinging monitors, and interjecting humorous patter in-between tracks.

Guitarist Steven Alexander also flailed in wild abandon, often wielding his instrument over the crowd, who were perfectly in sync with the band’s energy throughout the set. This was especially evident during the stomping post-punk of  Secret Scream and burrowing industrial number Distanced.

The trio have impressively translated their slick, densely layered soundscapes live, with songs like Talman Shud and Your Move sounding appropriately larger than life, etched out in further sonic detail by the synth stylings of Josh Eustice (Telefon Tel Aviv, Nine Inch Nails, Puscifer).

This was clear on the emotionally epic One Edge of Two, which allowed Puciato to soar above the glittering mix in widescreen glory, and his melodramatic delivery brought some of the biggest cheers of the night.

The set ended with the brooding synth simmer of Apocalypse Morning, before the trio detoured into a wailing wall of feedback that left eardrums ringing upon the exit.

The Black Queen may have originally struck some listeners as a one-off project in the aftermath of Dillinger’s breakup, but their Barracuda set prove they’re in it for the long haul, and Puciato sounds just as natural wailing new wave melodies as he did mad scientist math metal. Bring on the third album…and another stop in Austin.

Setlist:

Thrown Into the Dark
No Accusations
Ice to Never
Maybe We Should/Non-Consent
Distanced
Your Move
Taman Shud
That Death Cannot Touch
Secret Scream
The End Where We Start
Now, When I’m This
One Edge of Two
Strange Quark
Apocalypse Morning