For Vancouver classic rock diehards who insist that they don’t make bands like they used to, if they weren’t at one of the two sold out Mastodon and Clutch co-headlining concerts at the Commodore Ballroom on Thursday and Friday night, their argument crumbles into dust.

Last night’s one-two punch from a pair of vastly different bands proved once and for all that there’s still plenty of sensational new music out there for those who like it fast and heavy.

Mastodon, as their epic name would suggest, are the kind of metal band so physically and musically imposing they’d make Michael Ferland think twice about stepping to them. Roaring onto the Commodore’s stage with an onslaught of riffage in the shape of “Tread Lightly,” “Once More Round The Sun” and a screeching “Blasteroid,” Mastodon started ferociously and never let up. With minimal pauses between songs, bass player and nominal frontman Troy Sanders (who looks more like a lion than any other human) focussed on the more important matter of leading the crowd in their appreciation of a relentless barrage of riffs, including the punishing “High Road” and guitarist Brent Hinds’ impossibly complex intro to “Aqua Dementia.”

Even with Mastodon’s jaw-dropping musical dexterity, there’s still something thrilling about watching a band continually on the edge of their abilities. No less an authority than Dave Grohl insisted that Brann Dailor is the greatest drummer alive, and watching the Mastodon man pummel his way through prog metal masterpieces like “Black Tongue” it was hard to argue with that expert opinion.

Mastodon’s music may be heavy and complex, but not at the cost of fun. Guitarist Bill Kelliher was fist bumping with the crowd through “Megalodon” while the band was joined by copper-voiced Clutch vocalist Neil Fallon for the epic last verse of the Moby Dick-inspired finale, “Blood and Thunder.”

“Split your lungs with blood and thunder/When you see the white whale. Break your backs and crack your oars men/If you wish to prevail!”

Mumford and Sons, this was not.

Many bands would understandably be nervous about following Mastodon, let alone joining them on stage, but Clutch are no ordinary band. Although compared to the plumes of hair, handlebar moustaches and forehead tattoos of Mastodon, they do look like a bunch of accountants. Any concern that they wouldn’t be up to the task of closing the show disappeared about ten seconds into opener “The Mob Goes Wild,” which did exactly what the title suggested.

Where Mastodon are purposefully intricate, Clutch are lean, mean and exceptionally groovy. In wild-eyed, pint-sized Neil Fallon they have a hyperactive, lead singer of the old school variety, the perfect deliveryman for the band’s stripped down take on classic blues rock: an angrier ZZ Top with (slightly) less beard and better riffs. “A Shogun Called Marcus” and “Cyborg Bette” both showed off the drumming genius of a newly lean Jean-Paul Gaster, his loose and funky style the diametric opposite to Mastodon’s Dailor. He’s a major reason why Clutch remains one of the few hard rock bands that are great to dance to.

“As far as I know,” smiled Fallon as the show drew to its conclusion, “the only sports team that’s ever used Clutch’s music are the Vancouver Canucks. May they drink heavily from Lord Stanley’s Cup!”

The familiar and much-missed “Electric Worry” followed, the perfect finish to a boozy, sweaty and ear-ruining night celebrating everything that’s still great about rock and roll.