Sonic spectrum fuels SnoCore tour

The annual SnoCore tour’s celebration of all things chilling and thrilling may be appropriate in nearly every other part of the country, but in sunny L.A. it seemed a bit out of context Thursday at the Mayan. Still, it managed to convey the energy and adrenaline of the extreme sports lifestyle with a fervent and more varied than usual lineup of bands, not to mention footage of mind-boggling snow sports feats on giant screens.

Openers Dredg and Hot Water Music provided guitar-driven rock at each end of the sonic spectrum. The former is a young group with an artsy, Tool-like moodiness; the latter a more seasoned grinder riding a straightforward, bluesy, punk-powered wave.

But it was New York’s Glassjaw that brought the energy level up to a heart-pounding level with monstrous metallic guitars and the majestic vocals of Daryl Palumbo. His whiny yet winsome wails created a chaotic chemistry with the band’s dense wall of sound on songs from its latest album, “Tribute and Worship.”

Although not nearly as energetic, closer Sparta, which features three former members of At the Drive-In, showed that riffs don’t have to assault to affect. They may lack the manic unpredictability of their previous band, but these guys are going for something different.

Their angst-filled anthems (somewhere between the Smashing Pumpkins and the newer crop of emo bands), languid melodies and enigmatic atmospheres, combined with an increasingly honed live show, have obviously won Sparta its own set of fans (the Mayan crowd seemed to know every tune), even if a less adventurous approach has lost them some old ones.