Portland's Dark Descent Showcase in pics: Anhedonist, Horrendous, Sempiternal Dusk, Mitochondrion & more

October 22, 2013

photos by Alberto Gutierrez; words by Doug Moore

Horrendous @ Dark Descent showcase 10/5/2013

This year’s Dark Descent showcase — which took place on 10/5 and which featured Sempiternal Dusk, Ritual Necromancy, Anhedonist, Horrendous, Dire Omen, Weregoat, Gravehill, Mitochondrion, and Insanity — was one of 2013’s better under-the-radar metal events. We’ve got a full set of photos and a band-by-band breakdown over at Invisible Oranges. From Greg Majewski’s writeup:

“From his mile-high throne in the frostbitten peaks of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Matt Calvert rains death upon the masses, elevating his label Dark Descent Records to the same lofty heights by snapping up handfuls of death metal’s most promising acts. To celebrate his four-year reign of punishing our eagerly awaiting earholes, Calvert compiled an all-out, two day freakfest of some of the finest death metal in North America, a muscle-flexing showcase as much as an anniversary celebration. Which all raises the question: Why the hell choose Portland?

“A lot of bands on the label are from around this area, and I’ve done pretty well here,” says Calvert. “Here,” in this context, is Ash Street Saloon, a gritty mid-sized venue a block away from Voodoo Donut on Burnside. Inked-up bartenders in cutoffs sling spicy Northwest ales; bicycles hang from the ceiling. A vintage Neo-Geo cabinet bathes patrons in Metal Slug carnage from its bar-side niche. Basically, as Portland as it gets. Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein would be washing down their vegan fries with a few pints of Ninkasi’s Total Domination if the unholy sounds emanating from Ash Street’s stage wouldn’t send them fleeing to their Subaru. It’s doubtful Calvert would notice from his perch behind the merch booth, shaking hands and thanking the locals (and a surprising number of acolytes who made the pilgrimage from Colorado) for packing the venue to witness a nearly complete lineup of stellar acts.”

Check out the full writeup and photo set over at IO; we’ve got a reduced set of pics below.

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Sempiternal Dusk