photos by Greg Cristman, words by BBG

Batillus @ Le Poisson Rouge

It's a a triple threat of events at Saint Vitus this weekend. Things kicks off Friday (7/22) with Hull/A Generation of Vipers/Marching Teeth, continue with Batillus/Mutilation Rites/Phantom Glue on Saturday and end with Dreams Were Made for Mortals, a collective art show on Sunday (7/24).

The art show features the work of Karlynn Holland (responsible for art that has appeared on LPs by Krallice, Dysrhythmia, many others) among many others. Karlyn describes it like this:

"My dreams, frequently, are broadcast across neural pathways in vibrant color. They are so vivid, the dreams feel more real than my waking life. It haunts me. Life feels like the dream, a series of passing moments. As I rise from paralysis, they evaporate from memory. How could something so real fade so quickly? I often find myself asking this question. Exploring the dawn hours of your fervent mind, please choose or create work that exposes our perishable nature and echoes human frailness so often deified by gods of rock and roll."

Batillus is currently on tour with Mutilation Rites and will return back to NYC on Saturday. Their last show was at LPR with Yob & Dark Castle. The NY Times was there:

[Mike Scheidt of YOB] did several things at once, singing in grunts and high precise wails, working bits of melody and middle-register guitar cries into the music without breaking the flow of the chord riffs. But there was also a feeling of conscious restraint: he didn't actually solo, in the usual sense, until nearly the end of the show. His chord repetitions were composed, micro-arranged, and they pulled you down, down, down; Mr. Scheidt uses a baritone-guitar tuning on a standard guitar, a perfect fifth lower than usual. You feel this music a lot; it's body-centered, in its rhythm and its mass. -[New York Times]

Continue reading "more pics from Yob @ LPR, 3 reasons to head to Saint Vitus this weekend (Hull & Batillus included)"

photos by Markus Shaffer, more YOB photos & words by BBG

YOB (by Markus)

YOB and Dark Castle played Le Poisson Rouge last night (7/12) with help from local doom faves Batillus. The show, part of a larger tour for YOB/DC, featured Dark Castle skinsman Rob Shaffer behind the kit for the final two band's sets. Dark Castle's set focused primarily on newer material like "Seeing Through Time" from their current LP Surrender To All Life Beyond Form, but also closed with faves from their breakthrough Spirited Migration like "Awake in Sleep" and "Into The Past". YOB's set, which was a bit too bass-heavy in the mix for my liking (and yes I know their sound has tons of low-end), covered favorites like "Burning The Altar" and "Grasping Air" (with guest vocals from DC's Stevie Floyd") as well as new burners like "Prepare The Ground" and the title track to the new LP, ATMA.

A full set of pictures from LPR last night and some videos below...

Continue reading "YOB, Dark Castle & Batillus played LPR (pics & video)"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Hatred Surge - "Brutal Tyranny" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Scapegoat - "Jailed" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: STAB - "Blinded By Force" (MP3)

Disma at Union Pool last year (more by BBG)

Save the date folks. August 6th will unleash the most holiest of lineups as part of a record release for Disma's brand new tower of destruction, Towards The Megalith (due via Profound Lore in July). Disma will celebrate their record release at Saint Vitus with the return of Coffinworm (!), an exclusive east coast appearance from Loss (who I recently interviewed), and the mega-destructive Oak from Baltimore (who killed it at MDF)! Ticketing information is forthcoming, but the show will be $15 and kick off at 8PM. More details as they come available. The show is one of a few scheduled for Coffinworm this summer, and one of only two East Coast dates so far.

Indian team up with Bloodiest and Hallux at Union Pool TONIGHT (6/25) Win a pair of tickets at our Facebook page.

--
Dark Castle at Scion Rock Fest (more by Adam Murray)

There are a few must-see shows this summer, and Yob/Dark Castle/Batillus (yep! thats right... Batillus just added) is definitely one of them. The trifecta of doom killers at Le Poisson Rouge on July 12th is one of the biggest doom shows of the year, as the Yob/Dark Castle tour checks into the tri-state area as part of a larger US tour that preceeds a European one. Tickets are still available. Both Yob and Dark Castle played Scion Rock Fest (the former in 2010, the latter in 2011) and if you missed the LA show (like I did) then live vicariously through videos of the band at the fest, which make their debut below.

Batillus play NYC again 11 days later (7/23) with Mutilation Rites and Phantom Glue at Saint Vitus. The tour is part of a larger set of dates for Batillus & Mutilation Rites in celebration of their split 7" with Shinebox Recordings. All tour dates are below.

Painkiller have a few new releases including the new Scapegoat LP, the Brutal Supremacy 2x7" (with Mind Eraser, Hatred Surge, Scapegoat), a Stab cassette, and various represses by Vaccine and others. Check the webstore for more details, and download tracks from those releases above. In addition, Painkiller also has a new 7" by Put To Death, which features members of Mind Eraser and Hatred Surge playing "some good old fashioned No Comment style PV".

Pollution has called it quits. Bum. Out.

Sourvein have a new LP in Black Fangs (out now) , and the band will hit the road for a string of dates that will include Saint Vitus on July 8th. Full tour schedule is below.

More suggested NYC shows, tour dates and videos below...

Continue reading "Evillive (Disma, Indian, Dark Castle, Batillus, Scapegoat, YOB, Pollution, Sourvein, STAB & more)"

words & photos by BBG

Beer & Cable @ the Acheron

Saturday was also the day Bushwick venue The Acheron celebrated one year of depravity with a block party of sorts, an eight band bill featuring a barbecue that kicked off at 5PM that day. After Coliseum at Public Assembly, I managed to scoot over to catch the tail end of the show featuring beer-soaked performances from Beer & Cable, Defeatist & Batillus. Pictures and a video from that show are, below...

Continue reading "The Acheron celebrated a birthday w/ help from Batillus, Defeatist, Beer & Cable and more (pics)"

photos by Greg Cristman, words by BBG

Batillus

Let it be known, Batillus was officially the heaviest band in Brooklyn on Saturday night (4/23). The band's earth-shaking volume forced a premature ending to their record release set at Union Pool due to a "neighbor's noise complaint". It was fun while it lasted (they finished most of their set) and, once again, a guest appearance from the always incredible Kat (Agoraphobic Nosebleed, ex-Salome) was a welcome/unholy addition. I've said before that Batillus is a band that improves with every outing, and I thought Saturday night was their crowning achievement.

Co-headlining were the always malicious Morne, whose crusty prog-sludge set of over an hour was fantastic. The band played material from their forthcoming LP Asylum. Their set was amazing, and definitely topped their last NYC performance at Studio B with Tragedy.

Belus, featuring members of the once-great Curandera, opened the show and were an excellent way to set off the night.

Saturday was a disappointment and a huge triumph in equal measure, but that just makes room for an exciting set at Batillus's next appearance, May 14th at Acheron as part of a one-year-anniversary celebration of the venue with Trenchgrinder (pretty much Atakke sans Chloe and avec a new vocalist), Mutant Supremacy, Mortals, Defeatist, Tournament, Bad Dream & Beer & Cable.

More pictures from Union Pool below...

Continue reading "Batillus, Morne & Belus played Union Pool (until the show got shut down) -- pics"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Morne - "Edge Of The Sky" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Morne - "My Return" (MP3)

Morne

As previously discussed, Morne is following up their stellar debut for Feral Ward, Untold Wait, with the new doom opus Asylum at their new home Profound Lore on 6/14. Sprawling and progressive without meandering, the furious and anthemic Asylum is their best work to date. Check out "Edge Of The Sky" (which makes its premiere here) and "My Return", both of which are downloadable above and streaming below. The new LP features guest shouts from the likes of Kris Force of Amber Asylum and the one and only Jarboe, who guests on the album closer "Volition".

Morne hits Union Pool on 4/23, one of only two US dates scheduled for the band so far. Morne will be joined by Belus and Batillus who will be celebrating their spanking new burner Furnace. The Batillus record is due in hard formats via Seventh Rule, but you can purchase an e-copy via the label for the very amenable price of "whatever you want". Pick up a copy of Furnace at the Seventh Rule bandcamp and stream the entire record, with the Morne tracks, below...

Continue reading "listen to the new Batillus LP, a new Morne song (MP3 debut) "

by BBG

Morne (photo by Jeff Allen)

Morne's Untold Wait LP and Demo were both well done (as discussed previously), and now the band (featuring Jeff of ex-Grief/Disrupt fame) is prepping their newest abomination for a new label. Details on that are forthcoming, but look the the New England band to dip into said new material when they return to play NYC at Union Pool on April 23rd. The show is their only current US date and will double as the Batillus album release show (a co-headlining show). Batillus will drop their new LP Furnace via Seventh Rule on 4/16. Belus will support both doom killers.

Batillus recently destroyed The Studio at Webster Hall with Hull, Horseback & Caltrop.

All tour dates and some video is below.

Continue reading "Morne & Batillus working on new LPs, playing a show"

photos by Samantha Marble & BBG, words by BBG

Tombs @ Lovejoys

After a day of mayhem and floorpunches with Ringworm on Friday (3/18), the BrooklynVegan/Profound Lore Records day show on Saturday at Lovejoys centered more on the metal side of things. The 3/19 show featured nine bands in total, of which four called the label home. The amazing Tombs headlined, and I couldn't help but feel a large share of local (NYC) pride since three of the nine bands call Brooklyn home (Tombs, Castevet, Batillus).

more below....

Continue reading "BV/Profound Lore Day Party @ Lovejoys - pics & video (Tombs, Bruce Lamont, Mike Williams, Batillus, Dark Castle & more)"

photos by Markus Shaffer & Greg Cristman, words by BBG

Kat (ex-Salome) joins Batillus on stage

With the upstairs packed to the gills (and a few of hardcore stragglers making their way downstairs), The Studio at Webster Hall had a party of their own on 3/26 with the convergence of the homecoming show of the Hull/Batillus tour (which previously hit SXSW) and the NYC debut of Horseback with NC breathren Caltrop. As usual, Hull & Batillus's pyrotechnics were impressive, with Batillus getting the extra-nod for inviting the awesome and now band-less Kat (ex-Salome) to guest on stage (awesome stuff). If you haven't seen either band, you are missing out on some of the finest metal bands that NYC has to offer.

Horseback was a revelation though... though their set only consisted of only three tracks - "Invokation", "The Invisible Mountain", and a cover of The Stooges' "TV Eye"- the songs traddled the lines between western, post-rock, stoner, and black metal. Caltrop, who shares members with Horseback, brought a technical, yet southern swing with touches of big riffs. Caltrop opened the show, but probably should be playing to much bigger crowds; these dudes smoke.

More pictures and video from the show, below...

Continue reading "Hull, Batillus (w/ Kat!), Horseback & Caltrop played the Studio (pics & video)"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Batillus - "Uncreator" (MP3)

Batillus at Cake Shop (more by Justin Tyler)

Not to get all annoyingly misty-eyed, but I remember the first time I heard the Batillus EP (download it for free). I've waded through my share of demos and from the opening note it was easy to see that there was a spark in the NYC band. Not long after, the then-trio added NY musician Fade Kainer and completed the quartet. Every moment since has served them well; Batillus is now one of the tightest and most impressive heavy bands in NYC.

Furnace is Batillus's new LP for the venerable Seventh Rule and it shows the relatively young band in growth mode, experimenting more with ambient darkness and black metal yet remembering the importance of a great doom riff. Their time with engineer Sanford Parker at the controls has done them well; individual instrumentation is discernible yet guitar/bass tones sync to bang like a thunderclap. This is one fantastic record, and we have the first look at "Uncreator" from the LP (download it above/stream below) along with another track, "...And The World Is As Night To Them", streaming below.

Batillus are hitting the road with another impressive NYC riff juggernaut, Hull (who was recently featured on Vol.2 of NYC Sucks, Batillus is on Vol.1). Make sure to get out and catch them both, whether on the road, at SXSW (Full Metal Texas, BV/Profound Lore day party, or around town) or at The Studio at Webster Hall on 3/26 with Horseback & Caltrop.

In related news, the vinyl for Hull's awesome Viking Funeral is on the way and looking pretty impressive.

All tour dates and those song streams are below...

Continue reading "Batillus releasing 'Furnace' (MP3 premiere), touring (dates)"

by BBG

Flyer, with art by Glyn Smyth of Scrawled Design

I am ecstatic to announce my partnership with the great Profound Lore Records for an Austin day party at Lovejoys (604 Neches St, right downtown) on March 19th! The free day show (lineup above) will run from noon-7pm and include Dark Castle, The Body, Deafheaven, Wolvhammer, Grayceon, Castevet, Batillus, Altaar from Norway (!), and the blasting NYC killers Tombs. Set times and more details are forthcoming but in the meantime save the date!

Altaar @ by:Larm 2010

March 19th is the last of FOUR BV DAY PARTIES catering to fans of heavy music, including the previously discussed Full Metal Texas show on 3/17 at Emo's with Trap Them, Rwake, Hull, All Pigs Must Die, and the recently added Kvelertak! Details on March 16th and 18th are still to come.

Moments after the BrooklynVegan/ProfoundLore day party comes to a close, the official Profound Lore SXSW showcase will begin at Valhalla! That show kicks off at 7PM and will feature a headlining set from Slough Feg, as well as performances from KEN Mode, Castevet, Grayceon, Bruce Lamont, and Wolvhammer. Check out the incredible show poster below and get a screened copy of it at the show from the artist, Glyn Smyth of Scrawled Design.

Bruce Lamont plays Union Pool in Brooklyn on SUNDAY (2/27) with Lichens, Kevin Hufnagel & Cocaine & Abel. Union Pool will also host The Body TONIGHT (2/22) with Braveyoung & Elks.

Show flyers, a stream of Deafheaven's awesome demo and more pictures of the mighty Altaar from Norway's by:Larm 2010 are below!

Continue reading "BrooklynVegan & Profound Lore present a Free Day Party @ Lovejoys (lineup, related shows, live Altaar pics & more)"

by BBG

Horseback's Invisible Mountain

Invisible Mountain will come to life, as I am proud to announce that one of my 2009/2010 favorites, North Carolina band Horseback, have joined on the bill for the forthcoming Hull/Batillus/Caltrop show at The Studio at Webster Hall on 3/26. Tickets are on sale.

Horseback recently dropped a split 10" with Voltigeurs (members of Skullflower) via Turgid Animal Records. Limited to 250, pick up a copy today before they're gone.

In related news, Batillus have released details on their new and forthcoming LP for Seventh Rule, Furnace. The new effort was recorded with the great Sanford Parker (Yob, Dark Castle, Nachtmystium, too many to mention) and mastered by Collin Jordan (Ministry, Ohgr / Skinny Puppy). Look for in 4/16 on vinyl/4/19 on CD, and catch them on tour to snag a tour-only vinyl pressing with silk-screened art and limited to only 55 copies.

Furnace tracklisting and some video below...

Continue reading "Horseback playing NYC, Batillus announce 'Furnace' details"

by BBG

Hull at Europa (more by Keith Marlowe)

BrooklynVegan and 1000 Knives are proud to present Hull their SXSW-bound tourmates Batillus (all dates TBA), and Caltrop and one more very special guest TBA on March 26th at The Studio at Webster Hall at 7PM. Tickets are on sale.

Hull are working on a new full length, and was last seen in NYC at Europa supporting doom greats Pentagram. The band will release their epic Viking Funeral EP on vinyl via Science of Silence records this spring.

Caltrop are currently finishing up the recording of their second full-length with the help of Nick Peterson (Megafaun, Horseback). The band is scheduled to play the Bull City Metal Fest in Durham, NC on 2/4 & 2/5 alongside bands like U.S. Christmas, Royal Thunder, Sons of Tonatiuh, Colossus, Music Hates You, and many others. Tickets are on sale.

Batillus signed onto Seventh Rule for the release of their new LP, due out this year. We last saw the doom quartet in 2010 when they teamed up with Cough, Naam, and Sea of Bones at The Charleston. Batillus was recently contributed to the NYC Sucks compilation by MetalSucks which features new songs from faves like Tiger Flowers and previously released material from Made Out of Babies, Castevet, Naam and others.

A couple reminders while we're on the subject: Radiation Black Body (featuring Josh of Castevet), Vaz (2/3 of Hammerhead), Xaddax (Nick Sakes from Dazzling Killmen) and Fall of Another Day will play Bruar Falls TONIGHT (1/26) while Josh's other two projects (Castevet & Defeatist) will play Acheron on Friday (1/28) with Phantom Glue. Naam plays a FREE show on Thursday (1/27) at Union Pool with Liturgy, Your Youth and ARMS (the first show recommended in both an Evillive post and This Week In Indie).

Another reminder: Kylesa, Rosetta, Fight Amp, and East Of The Wall play Santos TONIGHT (1/26) and tickets are stil available. The show kicks off a shade after 7PM.

Some videos of the bands in action are below.

Continue reading "Hull, Batillus, Caltrop, Vaz & others are playing shows & stuff (Kylesa is playing Santos TONIGHT) "

words & photos by BBG

Cough (and new stage)

Cough, Naam, Batillus, and Sea of Bones converged on a rainy Saturday (12/11) to play the packed-out Charleston as part of a BrooklynVegan-sponsored event. I haven't spent much time at The Charleston as of late, and in my absence some work has been done to the dingy basement.

A small stage now sits in the left corner and the sound booth has moved to the rear. The intimate basement feel is still there, but now the venue's steel supports obstruct the view of the newly-minted stage that most bands awkwardly only used as a drum riser. The stage was especially crowded when lined along the back with a wall of amps. Most of the guitarists and vocalists opted to play on the floor directly in front instead. Venue issues aside, a good performance can happen anywhere, and the audience got their share that night.

Sea of Bones opened the show, and though the band was sporting a considerably leaner lineup (guitarist count has gone from three to one), they were no less potent. As the band adjusts to the trio formation, look for them to get even more deadly.

Batillus was next, and even though their new record will be released next year on Seventh Rule, Saturday was Batillus's last show for a while to concentrate on new material. Good for them. The Brooklyn band's show at The Charleston did nothing but affirm my belief that Batillus is a live juggernaut and one of the best bands in NYC.

Naam followed Batillus, sporting tunes from their previous recorded efforts but it was no less interesting. Naam's melodic and bluesy showing was a refreshing change from the dire doom & gloom of the night.

Cough closed their US tour in support of Ritual Abuse with the Charleston performance. The time on the road has obviously benefited the band, as they were more powerful and impressive than their last NYC showing (which was also great). The crowd was similarly excited, as Cough's stuttering doom helped ignite a slow-motion pit.

More pictures from the show are below.

Continue reading "Cough, Naam, Batillus & Sea of Bones played the Charleston (some on the new stage) -- pics"

photos by Tim Griffin, words by BBG

Slim Cessna's Auto Club at Spiderhouse, March 2010

Directly after the great Dub Trio teams up with CSC Funk Band, alt-country gothabilly band Slim Cessna's Auto Club play the late show at Mercury Lounge TONIGHT (11/10) with The Lingering Doubts. Tickets are still available for both the Dub Trio and the Slim Cessna show. Slim Cessna's appearance is part of a tour of the Northeast that will include Brighton Bar in Long Branch, NJ tomorrow, 11/11 (where Dex Romweber Duo play tonight).

Slim Cessna's Auto Club played the BrooklynVegan/AnSo day party at Spiderhouse in Austin this year, where these belated pics originate from. Check out more below.

Slim Cessna's Auto Club contains members of Delta 72, 16Horsepower, and Wovenhand. Wovenhand recently announced their participation in Roadburn 2011. Roadburn has also added a gang of other awesome additions in the past week or so, including Voivod (who also played a BV party this year), Rwake, Ludicra, Shrinebuilder (who were supposed to play last year, but played NYC instead), Liturgy, Black Mountain (who just played NYC with Black Angels), Cough (who just played the BV-BBG CMJ showcase), and Yob, who will play The Unreal Never Lived in it's entirety! Full lineup is below.

Speaking of Liturgy, the band recently signed with Thrill Jockey Records and will play Acheron on Dec 3rd with Orphan, Dope Body, and Elks. The show will celebrate Orphan and Dope Body's recent split release on Black Tent Press, pick it up. Liturgy are currently on tour, dig on dates below.

Cough and Naam (both of which will be hitting Roadburn) are scheduled to play The Charleston on 12/11 for a BrooklynVegan presented show with Batillus and new addition Sea of Bones. Congrats to Batillus, who recently signed to Seventh Rule for their new and Sanford-Parker-produced LP Furnace. Look for it next year and look for their tour dates below.

More of those Slim Cessna pics, and all tour dates are below.

Continue reading "Slim Cessna touring (dates & pics), Liturgy now on Thrill Jockey, Batillus to Seventh Rule, Roadburn expands & more"

by BBG

Cough at CMJ (more by Keith Marlowe)

Did I book this show and not realize it? Cough will team up with Naam and Batillus to play The Charleston on 12/11. If you missed them at the BV-BBG show, this is an excellent chance to catch Cough in a small (and suuuper loud) environment. Must.

The previously discussed Incantation-plays-all-of-Onward to Golgotha show with Mortician, Funerus, and Fatalist has a new home :Europa on 11/20 (tickets) (a BrooklynVegan/1000Knives production). The show is the day before Gaza teams up with Tiger Flowers and Meek is Murder at Cake Shop.

Nachtmystium will hit Best Buy Theater on March 3rd, 2011 supporting Cradle of Filth, with Turisas and Daniel Lioneye as part of the "Creatures From The Black Abyss Tour" which also hits Starland Ballroom on March 5th . Tickets are on sale. All dates below.

Those looking to get away from their families after Christmas can scoot on down to Best Buy Theater to join Gwar with The Casualties, Infernaeon, and Mobile Deathcamp on 12/26. Tickets are on sale. Both Gwar and The Casualties will also play this weekend at Fun Fun Fun Fest (11/5 - 11/7, tickets). Gwar's new album, Bloody Pit of Horror hits store shelves next week via Metal Blade. They recently appeared on Fallon. Video of that with all dates below.

Speaking of FFFF, Suicidal Tendencies are on tour and will play the fest this weekend and are scheduled to play Terminal 5 on 11/14 with Cro-Mags, Underdog and Death Before Dishonor. Tickets are still available or you can try your luck at winning a pair! Details are at the bottom of this post with updated dates.

Dub Trio will play Mercury Lounge with CSC Funk Band on November 10th. Tickets are on sale.

Great day show at ABC No Rio on 11/13 with Cali killers Punch and Loma Prieta teaming up with the great Vaccine and Death First. Shows start early, and this is a pretty killer bill so get there!

Kayo Dot will support Newspeak at a record release party for the band's new album Sweet Light Crude. loadbang will support at the Littlefield shindig on November 14th. Tickets are on sale for $8 or you can buy entry with a CD for $15.

All tour dates, details on how to enter the Suicidal Tendencies contest, and some video is below.

Continue reading "Cough, Nachtmystium, Suicidal Tendencies, Gwar, Incantation, Kayo Dot, Punch & other upcoming shows & tours"

photos by Keith Marlowe, words & RT photos by BBG

The Body

A big thanks go to all the bands who played the BrooklynVegan-BBG CMJ showcase at Union Pool on Saturday night (10/23), and to everyone who made it out the sold out show. Early entries were treated to free Sailor Jerry's, Bushmills, Firefly Vodka, and earplugs courtesy of Earpeace while Salome's Terminal burned on the system.

A blistering set from Royal Thunder provided the first excursion of the evening, and their killer blues-y jams were quickly followed by the punishing doom of Batillus. The double Richmond attack of Inter Arma and Cough victimized the crowd next, each bringing a different perspective of destruction; Inter Arma's blasting black metal cleansed the palette before Cough battered the crowd with their snail's-pace doom punishment. The Body, who was sporting a third member on noise/keys/samples, sealed the deal with low-end thump and screeching vocals, drawing from their recent All The Waters Of The Earth Turned To Blood.

Union Pool tonight, 10/27, means another BrooklynVegan production, this time with the great Eugene Robinson (of Oxbow) and the awesome Man's Gin supporting. Doors are at 9, and $10 gets you in. Get there!

More pictures from the CMJ show, below...

Continue reading "the BV-BBG CMJ show @ Union Pool in pics (The Body, Cough, Inter Arma, Batillus & Royal Thunder)"

by BBG

Cough at Cake Shop (more by Samantha Marble)

Batillus have joined on to an already stacked bill at Union Pool on 10/23, when the venue will house the BV-BBG Official Showcase with The Body, Cough, Inter Arma, and Royal Thunder. 7PM is the time, $5 is the cost, and deaf is how you'll be left unless you bring a pair of ear plugs or get there early to pick up a free pair courtesy of Earpeace. There will be, as I like to call them, drunk specials as well.

The CMJ show will double as a release party for Cough's upcoming split with The Wounded Kings on Forcefield Records. The new 12", entitled An Introduction To The Black Arts, sees each band contributing a single 15+ minute track of riff-y sludge brutality. Check out the Cough track as well as all tour dates below...

Continue reading "a new Cough track (stream) ++ NYC show now w/ Batillus"

words and photos by BBG

CoC

The Animosity lineup of Corrosion of Conformity played all of their Animosity LP at Highline Ballroom on Sunday (10/10) with one-off help from Today is The Day, Keelhaul, and The Ghosts of Saturday Night (who I missed). The three piece headliner (Mike Dean/Reed Mullin/Woody Weatherman) ripped out jams from the fave LP while sprinkling in new material along the way. Look for that soon on Southern Lord.

Today Is The Day is currently writing new material for their forthcoming LP on Black Market Activities/Metal Blade Records. The band now features Ryan and Curran of Wetnurse in addition to TITD mastermind Steve Austin.

In related news, Wetnurse will play Fontana's on 10/23 with Powerglove, Meek is Murder, Pack of Wolves, Batillus, and The Binary Code. The show kicks off at 4PM, 3 hours before the kick off of the Official BV-BBG showcase at Union Pool with The Body, Cough, Inter Arma, and Royal Thunder. The Fontana's show is one of two for presenters MetalSucks & 1000 Knives who are also bringing A Life Once Lost, Baptized in Blood, and Carbomb to Europa on 10/20 (tickets).

Keelhaul is done opening for CoC dates for now, and will hit the road next weekend for a string of dates with Russian Circles and Call Me Lightning (none in NYC). Those tour dates, as well as more pictures and video from Highline are below...

Continue reading "Corrosion of Conformity played Highline Ballroom w/ Keelhaul & Today is the Day -- pics, video, more dates & stuff"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Gay For Johnny Depp - "Suckcess" (MP3)

It's a hard road to tread when press refers to you as "the band that taste forgot", but depending on what you're going for, that could be a complement (and in this case, I think it is). Bringing to mind the post-hardcore nuttiness associated with bands like Refused, The Blood Brothers and Daughters (RIP?), Brooklyn wildmen Gay For Johnny Depp are prepping to release a new six track EP entitled Sex Vid Singles Club. The band, which features members of Mind Over Matter and Errortype 11 in their ranks, will release the EP on October 12 via Shinebox Recordings (A new label). The EP will serve as a primer for the band's full length which is due in February 2011. Dig on "Suckcess" above and a video for literally every other song below.

GFJD currently has one date on its calendar,10/21 at Matchless Death by Audio with Strife, Cruel Hand, Batillus (who just played Cake Shop), and Primitive Weapons (lineup seems to be up in the air) as part of CMJ (it's the Shinebox Recordings showcase).

The show is part of a short east coast tour one of two in NYC that the ex-straight-edge kingpins Strife are scheduled to play that week, They also play Mercury Lounge on 10/20 as part of the Converse-presented "True Til Def" show with the decidedly non-straight-edge crew of Priestess, Earthless, Disembodied, Iron Age, and Naam. Smoke 'em if you got 'em and head to the site to RSVP to the free CMJ show.

Tracklisting and tons of videos are below....

Continue reading "Gay For Johnny Depp releasing EP (MP3), playing CMJ show w/ Strife who plays free 'True Til Def' show during CMJ too"

photos by Justin Tyler, words by BBG

Destroyed in Kowloon

Kowloon Walled City headlined Cake Shop on 9/18 as part of a tour with NYC greats Batillus. Riff Cannon provided support that night and the next in Boston.

KWC faithfully reproduce some of their fantastic guitar tones live, and then some. The four piece delviered a blistering set at Cake Shop that was as impressive as their recent recorded output. Batillus improve every single time I see them, and the Brooklyn band delivered another fantastic set that included material from their recent split with Hallowed Butchery and future/previously-unreleased material.

If you missed the show, you can catch both KWC and Batillus when the bands play Acheron with Liturgy on Oct 2nd.

More pictures and some video from Cake Shop is below...

Continue reading "Kowloon Walled City, Batillus & Riff Cannon played Cake Shop (pics, video & another show soon) "

by BBG

Batilus on stage with Kat of Salome (more by Chris LaPutt)

Complete Failure. Celeste. Thou. These are some of a few bands that have offered their recorded output for FREE in the past, and considering the quality of those releases, they easily could have charged for those LPs. Now two other bands that have offered their material for free download in the past, Batillus and Kowloon Walled City, will hit the road for a string dates which will include TWO NYC shows. Both shows will be presented by BrooklynVegan & 1000Knives with a performance from Riff Cannon on the first date, Cake Shop on Sept 18th, and Liturgy on the second, October 2nd at Acheron.

Download all of KWC's releases at their site and Batillus's debut EP (before they added Fade) at their site.

Batillus was last seen at Cake Shop, where the band destroyed amidst a similarly fierce lineup of Salome and Landmine Marathon. Video from that show and tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Batillus & Kowloon Walled City - 2010 tour dates (2 NY shows) "

words by BBG, photos by Chris La Putt

Landmine Marathon

Salome, from northern Virginia, is a doom-metal band with no bass player: one of the few... At Union Pool on Tuesday night, early in the band's second song "Master Failure" [vocalist] Kat brought the microphone to her face with both hands, enveloped two small fists around it and began a deep, dreadful growl, altering the tone with the shape of her mouth, something like yawwheeawhhhheee... It was more an earth sound than a body sound; the imagined howl of undersea canyons.

... Before Salome came Landmine Marathon, from Phoenix, dealing out a combination of death-metal and hardcore punk... The band's music can be rushed and impersonal, with riffing and shifts of tempo predetermined by its genre. But [vocalist Grace] Perry's real-time reactions to it were extravagant. In "Shadows Fed to Tyrants" she opened her eyes wide and rolled them back in her head, drew her hand across her neck, beat her fists on her collarbone and finally went marauding through the crowd for a few quick turns, pushing and being pushed. She's magnetic as she re-enacts boiling over, but then leaves her work at the office. Quickly after the last riff, she was smiling, gregarious, normative. - [The New York Times]

Last night, July 15th, the two marauders destroyed Manhattan, specifically Cake Shop, where they teamed up with Batillus (Cleanteeth unfortunately was forced to cancel due to a funeral). As to be expected, both Salome and Landmine delivered, but I found myself transfixed by Batillus who seems to grow by leaps and bounds every time I see them. The band showcased three new songs, one of which was captured on video which you can watch below. In addition, Batillus was joined by Salome's Kat on vocals at one point, a special treat which added a touch of grimness to the proceedings.

More pictures and some video from Cake Shop below...

Continue reading "Landmine Marathon, Salome & Batillus played Cake Shop, NYC (pics & video)"

words by BBG, photos by Samantha Marble

Andrew of Castevet

Though reportedly no champagne bottles were popped, nor was the gatorade dumped on anyone, Lit Lounge's bill on June 7th was a celebration on many levels. Castevet welcomed their new LP Mounds of Ash into this world via Profound Lore Records (cop it) and brought along with them an unstoppable bill to mark the occasion. Precious Metal recently celebrated four years in existence, and it was PM founder Curran Reynolds's birthday!

No matter what occasion it is, whenever you combine Castevet, Woe, Batillus, and Flourishing, its going to make for an unmissable night of punishing metal. Pics from the show continue below.

Castevet is hitting the road with Altar of Plagues and Velnias for a string of shows leading up to their NYC appearance at The Studio at Webster Hall on August 1st with Man's Gin. Tickets are on sale.

Continue reading "Castevet, Woe, Batillus & Flourishing @ Lit Lounge (pics) "

words and photos by Ilya Blokh

sloth

Saturday (5/15) was my first time at the relatively new Party Expo, to see Divider, Beauty Apes, Chambers, Tiger Flowers and The Abominable Iron Sloth. Mixed feelings on the space - I like floor shows and the sound was better than expected, but the crowd was anemic at best. Not that I particularly miss windmills and spin-kicks, but I'll take them over glazed eyes and sullen stares any day.

Divider opened with a jaw-clenching set of hardcore/metal crossover, followed by Beauty Apes' filthy sludgecore, though I wish the bands' Neurosis and Kylesa shirts showed through a bit more in their music.

Chambers - from NJ - were on-fucking-fire! Doomriders are a decent reference point, but Chambers tread much further into drunken, psychobilly-style guitar rock, colored by Dan Pelic's raspy shout-alongs. Though steeped in metal and punk, this is pure beer-swilling, fist-fucking, bar-fight rock'n'roll at the core. Their "Old Love" debut is out June 22nd.

Not sure why, but I dug Tiger Flowers much more here than at their Public Assembly show a few weeks back. Maybe it was the DIY venue and the floor set-up, but the boys put on a fierce, fluid and raw performance, despite the iffy sound.

After briefly blowing out the power, The Abominable Iron Sloth finally took the floor for a short but massive set. Guitars tuned down to the ground, The Sloth feels like one massive rhythm section, slamming a giant sledgehammer into your chest with every sludgy chord. Apparently they only had 20 minutes of material ready due to a new touring drummer (or is he full-time?) - a damn shame. Check out their recent The Id Shall Overcome album and the song "Hats Made Of Veal And That New Car Smell" off their first record - the riff will bury straight into your brain.

More pics from the show and dates are below...

Continue reading "The Abominable Iron Sloth, Tiger Flowers, Chambers, Beauty Apes & Divider played Party Expo"