Photo by Greg Cristman
Gregory R. Cristman

The Heavy Lowdown: 1349, Serpentine Path, Mutilation Rites, Maruta, Lord Mantis, weekend shows & more

By Doug Moore

Godflesh at Irving Plaza on 4/10 (more by Greg Cristman)

You’ve already stopped caring about work for the day. Might as well start sorting out your riff-centric weekend bands. HLD time! Let’s knock out the news first.

Noted music writer and general good dude Hank Shteamer is currently running a Kickstarter campaign that intends to reissue a box set of out-of-print albums by the great ’90s post-hardcore band Craw. The campaign has four days left and is a ways off from its goal. Pledge here if weird and smart are prereqs for your heavy music library.

Norwegian black metal stalwarts 1349 and NYC sludge supergroup Serpentine Path have both debuted singles from their upcoming albums. Get a piece below.

Local black metal mainstays Mutilation Rites have announced that their new album, entitled Harbinger, will be out this summer via Prosthetic. Antagonistic Floridian tech-grind crew Maruta have also announced plans to record a new album over the summer; Scott Hull of Pig Destroyer will track drums and mix the final product. Maruta will also tour the East Coast around their MDF appearance in May, including a previously-mentioned NYC appearance on May 21 at Saint Vitus alongside Cripple Bastards. The full run of dates are below.

While we’re at it, Lord Mantis and Hell Militia have announced a brief tour around their respective Martyrdoom Fest appearances here in NYC in early June. Those dates are below as well.

The Psalm Zero-curated Chaos Bodies local showcase series has announced its next installment, again at Trans Pecos. This one’s a doozy: Ocrilim (AKA Mick Barr), Child Abuse, Couch Slut, and Nebadon on April 26 (next Saturday). No presale tix — $10 at the door.

As for this weekend…

Tonight (4/18): This year’s edition of New York’s Alright is in full swing, with Inmates, Anasazi, Omegas, Proxy, Warthog, and Mercenary blowing up Le Poisson Rouge (tix). Zyanose, La Misma, Aspects of War, and Life Chain are playing an aftershow at the Acheron that opens its doors at 10pm, but there are no presale tix available. Master are bringing their tour to Saint Vitus, with local support from Insatanity, Fist Hammer, Nervo Chaos, Hate Storm Annihilation, and Netherion (tix). If you wanna get even more old-school than that, you can catch Iced Earth with Sabaton and Revamp for an evening of clean solos and cleaner vocals at Best Buy Theater (tix).

Tomorrow (4/19): New York’s Alright continues with Infernöh, Crazy Spirit, Gas Rag, Wiccans, Stoic Violence, and Murderer (tix). The Metal Alliance Tour, featuring Behemoth, Goatwhore, 1349, Inquisition, and Black Crown Initiate, will hit Irving Plaza, though it’s sold out.

Sunday (4/20): The entire Metal Alliance lineup sans Behemoth — that’s Goatwhore, 1349, Inquisition, and Black Crown Initiate — are playing an off-night show at Saint Vitus (tix). Nile are playing a surprisingly under-the-radar show at Stage 48 with Winter Nights, Imperial Crypt, and Sunlord (tix). Somehow, no noteworthy stoner sludge or Christian metal shows were booked for this date.

For more options, check out our NYC Metal Show Calendar. It rules.

Over on Invisible Oranges: we checked out new music by Wrong and Graves at Sea. We chatted with notable metal (and non-metal!) illustrator Randy Ortiz about his craft, and we straight-up chilled with Godflesh at their NYC show for our East Village Radio show — don’t forget to tune in next week at 10pm EST. And, as ever, we ran down all the metal fit to buy.

What’d I miss?

Maruta tour dates:
5/17 Athens, GA @ Go Bar
5/18 Greensboro, NC @ Legit Biz w/ Torch Runner, Priapus
5/19 Philadelpha, PA @ Half Moon Cafe w/ Blurring, Backslider
5/20 Montclair, NJ @ The Meatlocker w/ Blurring, Mother Brain
5/21 New York, NY @ Saint Vitus w/ Cripple Bastards, Hooded Menace, Archagathus, Detroit
5/22 Boston, MA @ Obrien’s Pub w/ Hivesmasher, Blurring, Mother Brain
5/23 Bayshore, NY @ Even Flow w/ Dehumanized, Enabler, Mother Brain
5/25 Baltimore, MD @ Soundstage Maryland Deathfest
5/29 Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
5/30 Charleston, SC @ TBA
5/31 Jacksoneville, FL @ Burro Bar

Lord Mantis/Hell Militia dates:
Sunday June 29th- NYC , Hell Militia only (Martyrdoom Fest)
Monday June 30th- Worcester MA
Tuesday July 1st- NYC, Lord Mantis only (Martyrdoom Fest)
Wednesday July 2nd- Baltimore
Thursday July 3rd- Richmond VA
Friday July 4th- Charlotte NC
Saturday July 5th- Atlanta GA
Sunday July 6th- TBA
Monday July 7th- TBA
Tuesday July 8th-TBA
Wednesday July 9th- Chicago IL