After problems with the case surfaced earlier this year, charges against Harley Flanagan have been dismissed according to a report via New York Natives. Harley Flanagan was charged with attacking two current members of his former band Cro-Mags at a July show, weilding a knife and stabbing them both. Check out a video statement from Harley Flanagan below.

Speaking of Cro-Mags, the band will team with Sheer Terror for a show on December 30 (tickets). Expect metal detectors at that one.

The Sheer Terror show will mark the final appearance from Gary Bennett on guitar. The also-Black Anvil guitarist will play Saint Vitus on 12/21 with Evoken (tickets).

Head below for Harley's statement.

Continue reading "Charges against Harley Flanagan dismissed, Harley releases video statement"

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

Black Anvil at Saint Vitus, Nov 2011 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

Black metal bruisers Black Anvil (now a four-piece!) and death-doom dealers Evoken will co-headline a BrooklynVegan-presented show at the end of the world, or at least when its prophesied to happen (12/21/12) at Saint Vitus. Joining them, each making their only NYC-area appearances until the new year (if there is one), will be performances from Teloch Vovin, Penetration and Leech. Tickets are on sale. At least if we're all going down, we'll all go down the right way.

photos by Wyatt Marshall & Greg Cristman, words by BBG

Inquisition wishes Saint Vitus a happy birthday
in their own unique way (photo by Wyatt Marshall)

Happy Birthday to Saint Vitus, who celebrated the start of their second year with a string of shows at the venue that started with Young Widows (pictures), ended with Revocation and included sold-out appearances from Inquisition on 4/26 and 4/27. The pair of shows featured two completely different lineups, including Black Anvil, Woe and Trenchgrinder on the first night and Castevet (with new bassist Nick McMaster of Krallice) with Villains on the second. Pictures from both shows are below.

Black Anvil, who is also scheduled to head out on the road with Watain on their make-up dates, is playing a second NYC show in the near future at Saint Vitus, this time with Phobia. Tickets are on sale.

Pictures and video from both nights of Inquisition at Saint Vitus are below.

Continue reading "Inquisition played one year-old Saint Vitus twice (pics/video)"

by BBG

Phobia at Fun Fun Fun Fest 2011 (more by BBG)

After teasing with an EP in late 2010, long-running grind crew Phobia are back with Remnants Of Filth, the band's new LP due via Willowtip on June 5th. Phobia has always had a bit of a revolving door in terms of lineup but their current is impressive: Bryan Fajardo (Noisear, Kill The Client, Gridlink) sits in on drums and Dorian Rainwater (Noisear) on six-string alongside Callum MacKenzie, CC Loessin and lifer Shane "The Pain" Mclachlan. It's this lineup, with Scott Hull behind the boards, that makes Remnants of Filth so potent, as exhibited on the scathing new single "Dementia Having Overdose" available to stream for the first time below. Preorder your copy of the record via the label.

As discussed, Phobia is playing both Chaos in Tejas and Scion Rock Fest this year. The band ALSO has a show scheduled at Saint Vitus on June 9th with Black Anvil (who played Saint Vitus last night), Strong Intention and Ramming Speed. Tickets are on sale.

All dates and that stream, below.

Continue reading "Phobia prepare 'Remnants of Filth'; stream a new song, see them @ Saint Vitus w/ Black Anvil & Ramming Speed"

photos by Stephanie Crumley, additional photos & words by BBG

Black Anvil @ Saint Vitus (by BBG)

With Turbonegro/Andrew WK at Santos and Judas Priest at Izod Center, Friday night in the NYC area was heavy on metal/punk outings. A third choice that night was at Saint Vitus, where Black Anvil headlined a show with Bloodiest, Mutilation Rites & Grudges. Here are some pictures from that one.

The Brooklyn show was a true one-off for Bloodiest, who came in to NYC to specifically play the Saint Vitus date, and one of two over the weekend for Grudges, who also opened a show at Acheron the next night with Coke Bust, Masakari and Sick Fix. Check Grudges's demo below.

In related news, Black Anvil have announced that they will hit ABC No Rio on December 3rd with Inhuman and Tombs. The show is one of the last at the ABC No Rio space before renovation.

More pictures and video from Saint Vitus, as well as some song streams, are below.

Continue reading "Black Anvil, Bloodiest, Mutilation Rites and Grudges played Saint Vitus (pics/video/streams)"

by BBG

Defeatist at Shea Stadium (more by BBG)

Defeatist have announced that "this turd has been circling the bowl long enough, so we have decided to flush it for good." The trio have a pair of NYC dates left on the calendar before they call it quits. on Saturday, 11/12 they play Acheron with Gaza, Tiger Flowers, & Don't Give A Fuck, and then their final date is on 12/17 at Death By Audio with the great Triac, Psychic Limb, Disciples Of Christ (mems of Magrudergrind), and Backslider. Advance tickets are not available, so make sure you get to the Acheron early to send-off NYC's best grind band right.

Defeatist recently released their final LP Tyranny of Decay. Stream it below in full and order your copy before they (the band and the LP) disappear for good.

Reminder: a pair of bands featuring members of Magrudergrind, Coke Bust & Sick Fix, will hit NYC on 11/19 at Acheron with Masakari and Grudges. Grudges will ALSO play Saint Vitus the night before (11/18) as part of a show with Black Anvil, Bloodiest and Mutilation Rites. Tickets are on sale for the BA show.

Stream that Defeatist, as well as other material from Masakari, Bloodiest and others below.

Continue reading "Defeatist call it quits, announce final shows"

by BBG

Black Anvil supporting Urfaust at Union Pool (more by Greg Cristman)

Black Anvil will headline Brooklyn club Saint Vitus on 11/18, bringing along Chicago's Bloodiest (who last played Union Pool with Indian), Mutilation Rites (who ripped it at Acheron last week), and Grudges. Ticket info is forthcoming. The NYC black metal trio will also hit the Backstage at Championships in Trenton, NJ on 10/15 with Immolith, and play the Reverb in Reading, PA on 12/10. All dates are listed below.

In related news, and as previously mentioned, None More Black (with Paul Delaney of BA) will hit the road for a string of dates that will include Knitting Factory on 10/25 with Polygon, TheCore, and Dig It Up. Tickets are on sale. More dates, including Asbury Lanes, are listed below.

In semi-related news (a quick reminder), Singaporean black metallers Impiety will play Saint Vitus on 10/14 with Funerus, Sacristy, Discordia, and Warstrife 666.

If you're looking for something to do TONIGHT (10/10), tickets are still on sale for Hull, Rwake and Primitive Weapons at Mercury Lounge! I'll be DJing.

Album streams from Black Anvil, Bloodiest, Mutilation Rites, and Grudges are below, alongside the flyer and all NMB tour dates.

Continue reading "Black Anvil schedule shows, None More Black & other stuff too"

photos by Greg Cristman, more Urfaust photos by Samantha Marble, words by BBG

Urfaust @ Union Pool

That powerful crooning voice and mid-tempo black metal reverberated Union Pool on Saturday (9/17), the second US date for Urfaust as part of their East Coast weekend with Black Anvil. Like some sort of maniacal Octoberfest, the Dutch pair had a good portion of the crowd swaying and singing along (in German!) to their headlining set with beers raised high, while another batch of fans moshed (albeit slowwwwwly) to songs like "Der Halbtoten Dichters Schein-Existenz" and "Dämmert, Gelähmt Und Mit Scheinbar Erloschenem Geist" from Auerauege Raa Verduistering (known to me as tracks two and four from their split with Circle of Ouroboros, ha). While the lyrics are indecipherable to most Americans, Urfaust's distinctive vocal melodies and mid-tempo delivery make their songs, and this band, instantly memorable.

Black Anvil was direct support for Urfaust, bringing out the NYDM contingent and tons of on-stage energy. It had been some time since I last saw Black Anvil (since Cake Shop with Trap Them/All Pigs Must Die), and either their live show has gotten wilder or bassist Paul Delaney was feeding off of the sold-out crowd. Either way, excellent set from the NYC trio.

The Saturday show was also the second of two dates with Krallice on said tour and possibly Krallice's final show of the year. I feel so privileged to have seen Krallice as much as I have these past few months, (with Wolves in The Throne Room, and for free with Converge) especially considering their somewhat sporadic live activity. Another great set from the Brooklyn band.

Ruin Lust opened the night, drawing from Revenge-style chaotic war metal with atonal and shapeless qualities. Brutal stuff, made all the more frightening by drummer Michael Rekevics wide-eyed maniac stares and evil grins. Frightening and incredible, especially considering that Ruin Lust are a relatively new band with only a cassette demo to their name.

More pictures from Union Pool are below.

Continue reading "Urfaust, Black Anvil, Krallice & Ruin Lust played Union Pool (pics)"

by BBG

Urfaust

The sound of the Netherlands' Urfaust is completely unmistakable; atmospheric black metal riffs colide with an operatic vocal that is tuneful yet powerful, and completely harrowing. We are proud to announce that Urfaust will hop the pond to bring their darkness on a set of dates with Black Anvil and Krallice, as part of a short BV-sponsored East Coast stint. After beginning on 9/16 at Golden West in Baltimore, NYC gets their date at Union Pool on September 17th. Brooklyn war metal destroyers Ruin Lust (mem Fell Voices) are also on that bill. Tickets are on sale. The trip ends in Philly, but without Krallice on the bill.

The three shows (Baltimore, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia) will be the band's only east coast dates for the forseeable future, and only US shows until they make the trek down to the Alamo to play Rites of Darkness in middle December.

All four bands on the Union Pool bill have recent releases under their belts. Urfaust released Der freiwillige Bettler via Van Records last year to much acclaim, despite its limited availability in the US. Black Anvil released Triumvirate via Relapse last year. Ruin Lust has a new demo that is currently available on CD-R (available at live shows). Krallice's Diotima was released earlier this year and is already garnering tons of year-end buzz. The band also recently released a Orphan covers EP.

All tour dates, the tour flyer, and some video/audio is below.

Continue reading "Urfaust is coming, playing shows w/ Krallice & Black Anvil"

by BBG

Marduk at Gramercy (more by Paul Birman)

Despite their failed tour with Mayhem, Marduk have almost become live staples in the US as of late with two visits to NYC in as many years (with Nachtmystium/Black Anvil/Merrimack at Gramercy, and with Withered/Tombs/Black Anvil at Gramercy). The Swedes will be back in the US to play Maryland Deathfest, but this time will hit NYC with the self-proclaimed ugliest band in the world Aura Noir (!!!), Panzerfaust, Black Anvil and HOD at Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 3rd. Tickets go on sale at noon on Friday (1/21). All other known tour dates are below.

Black Anvil played two sold-out shows with Trap Them and All Pigs Must Die this past weekend, at Union Pool and at Cake Shop.

More tour dates and some videos below..

Continue reading "Marduk playing Brooklyn w/ Aura Noir, Black Anvil, Panzerfaust & HOD (and other dates)"

photos by Samantha Marble, words by BBG

After raging the night before at Union Pool, the Trap Them/Black Anvil/All Pigs Must Die destruction caravan made its way to the tiny basement of Cake Shop on 1/15, adding Psychic Limb as an exclamation point to the beatdown.

The early show kicked off with Psychic Limb a shade before 6PM, who played the entirety of their forthcoming LP Queens before turning it over to the positively fantastic crust-core killers All Pigs Must Die. Black Anvil followed the pair, trotting out a good selection of tunes from their latest LP Triumvirate before Trap Them whipped the anxious-and-circling-pit-dwellers into a frenzy, inciting crowd-surfing and gang vocals alike. Trap Them's incendiary live renditions of songs like "Damage Prose", "The Facts" and "Every Walk A Quarantine" from the band's forthcoming Darker Handcraft prove that these songs don't just kill on LP, but are also highly translatable live too.

More pictures from Cake Shop are below.

Continue reading "Trap Them, Black Anvil, All Pigs Must Die & Psychic Limb played Cake Shop (pics)"

photos by Meghan McInnis, words by Klaus Kinski

Trap Them draws some blood

On Friday January 14, 2011, BrooklynVegan hosted a pair of shows at two separate Brooklyn venues. One show was at Acheron and featured Castevet, Lake of Blood, Seidr, and Falls of Rauros. The other was at Union Pool (a BV/1000 Knives production) and featured All Pigs Must Die, Black Anvil, and Trap Them. Reviewing metal shows is not really my forte, and I didn't attend the show with any intention of reviewing it. But since BBG attended the Acheron show and the Union Pool show kicked so much ass, I can't help but want to pontificate about the proceedings.

Union Pool, the bar, is one of the saddest, most crowded, annoying, infuriating, meat market hook-up joints in all the land on any given Friday or Saturday evening. The gauntlet of amateur-hour drunks and annoying clucks one must pass through to get to the bathroom or the area leading to the live room and backyard area is like a cruel challenge of patience preceding the grand reward; the best small room in the world to see metal in. Once you pass through the doors to the live room, you are instantly greeted by a PA system cranking metal of all eras and genres as well as a roomful of your like-minded metal compatriots; you are immediately ready to rock and the trauma of the journey dissolves (until you have to go to the bathroom).

I arrived at Union Pool right at the start of All Pigs Must Die. I am glad I got there when I did because they played an absolutely pulverizing set and I would have killed myself had I missed any of it. Vocalist Kevin Baker, (yes, I mean Kevin Baker) noted during the show that this Union Pool gig was their first gig ever which I couldn't believe. I still can't. I even drunkenly asked Kevin after the show if he was serious about that being their first show and he said it most definitely was. First gig or not, the pedigree of these players combined (members of The Hope Conspiracy, Converge, Give Up The Ghost, Bloodhorse, etc) made for a supremely tight, aggressive, and flawless set. The drummer was superior and drove the music at a relentless breakneck pace. Add to that their super heavy bass, guitars, and vocals, and it was a sonic experience that made you want to punch someone. They played much longer than I thought they would, and that's a good thing. They're from Massachusetts and I hope they come back to NYC soon, and often. This band is an absolute can't miss. Also, they've got one of the best t-shirt graphics since this, and it's gracing my body as I type this.

After an intermission that saw half of the room evacuate for smokes and tinkle-time, Black Anvil menacingly took the stage. Black Metal, as far as metal goes, is borderline for me. Sometimes it can seem almost like parody. But Black Anvil are absolute pros. Paul Delaney is not only a ruthless vocalist, but he damn near beats the living shit out of his bass. The sludge of distorted bass bleeds from his massive amp and rumbles your guts and soul right out of your body. Guitarist Gary Bennett looms over his gear like a brooding spectre, occasionally interjecting his own heavy vocals into the mix. It's the sonic equivalent of being pummeled in the face but suddenly and without notice being kicked in the yams. I do wish the drums were mic'd/eq'd/whatever a little better because I felt like the blast beats were sort of lost in the rest of the chaos. Other than that, those mofos CRUSHED.

Last up was Trap Them. I really don't know what else to say about this band except that they were absolutely phenomenal. Straight away, the combined sonic boom created by both guitarists (Brian Izzi and Andy from Every Time I Die who added a second guitar for the weekend) and the bass player immediately made me think of Entombed's record Left Hand Path. Then, about three songs in, I noticed an Entombed sticker on one of the guitars. Whether it was a coincidence or a deliberate attempt to capture Entombed's guitar sound doesn't really matter I guess because whatever they were doing they did it right. The guitars were so freaking clear, yet completely lethal and crushing. And the drummer was sort of the highlight of the whole evening for me. This guy is GOOD. His blast beats were just as devastating as the slowed down, thrashy parts. I'm a dork about stuff like that, and consistency is everything, so to see this guy pummel his kit without losing any consistency or dynamics was a thrill. And I liked the singer right away too. When he took the stage, he took his mic and whacked some dude standing up front right on top of his head; it created such a satisfying popping sound over the PA. I totally LOLed, yo. I have to admit straight up that Trap Them got me about as close as I'll ever get to starting a bone breaking mosh pit. I am 33, a little paunchy, and completely uncoordinated, but the intensity of this band was almost enough to unleash a weird, psychotic spell of The Mosh outta me. But the reality is that I am 33, a little paunchy, and completely uncoordinated and the best I could do was stand there pumping my fist and banging my bald, rather large head, back and forth.

That night, the live room at Union Pool wasn't just a place where an incredible metal show took place; it was also the location of a true miracle. For on January 14th, 2010, your pal Klaus Kinski was the recipient of one of New York's rarest honors; a buyback. Huzzah!

More pictures from the show below...

Continue reading "Trap Them, Black Anvil & All Pigs Must Die played Union Pool (pics & special Klaus Kinski commentary)"

by BBG

Eyehategod at Europa (more by Samantha Marble)

The Gauntlet: Did you have any 'Spinal Tap' moments [in 2010]?

Mike "IX" Williams of Eyehategod: Maybe only driving around the country in the shape of a crooked pentagram because of poor tour routing. Also we've played in a couple clubs on this last tour that were seemingly built for Spinal Tap only!

The Gauntlet: What were some of your favorite releases from 2010?

Mike "IX" Williams of Eyehategod: 2010 saw a new Killing Joke album and I been digging on that a ton. A few other records I like are the Crazy Spirit 7", new Autopsy, Sleepies, Triptykon album, Double Negative new one, Die Wasted cassette, Floor box set, everything on Housecore Records....

The Gauntlet: What's on your ipod?

Mike "IX" Williams of Eyehategod: Gawd, everything from Hawkwind, Talking Heads, Brian Eno and Theatre of Hate to State of Alert, Warhammer, The Spits, Zero Boys. It goes on forever....Saccharine Trust, Testors, Rolling Stones, Viletones, L.A. Stains, Deadbeats, David Allen Coe, Fuck-Ups, Jesu, The Lewd....

Arson Anthem, the supergroup containing Phil Anselmo, Mike Williams and Hank Williams III, has a few southern dates in the near future too. All tour dates and some video is below.

Continue reading "Eyehategod playing shows w/ Misery Index (2011 dates)"

by BBG

Trap Them at Knitting Factory (more by Samantha Marble)

Trap Them was forced to cancel their NYC appearance at Santos Party House last week due to illness, but the band intends to make up for it! Though the band already has a headlining show scheduled for 1/15 at Cake Shop with All Pigs Must Die, Psychic Limb, and Black Anvil (tickets), BV/1000Knives will also present Trap Them on 1/14 at Union Pool in Brooklyn (one night earlier). Tickets are on sale for the new Brooklyn show that will be also be opened by All Pigs Must Die and Black Anvil.

The Union Pool show is one of two BrooklynVegan-presented events set for 1/14. The second is Castevet, Seidr, Lake of Blood and Falls of Rauros at Acheron.

And like Kylesa's Pillip Cope, Steve LaCour of Trap Them and Paul Delaney of Black Anvil made us lists of some of their favorite things that happened in 2010. Check out those lists, with the NYC show flyers and some videos, below...

Continue reading "Top 10 lists by Steve LaCour & Paul Delaney ++ another Trap Them & Black Anvil NYC show (dates)"

by BBG

Black Anvil at Santos (more)

CRAVEONLINE: So you guys are still at odds with the Black Metal purists?

PAUL DELANEY OF BLACK ANVIL: To an extent and I think we'll always be. When you read a review about us and New York Hardcore or Kill Your Idols is mentioned in the first sentence, it makes the metal kids pause. Then they feel like they have to read the rest of the review with a question mark on us. I tried to avoid that when Black Anvil first came out. I wanted to just release a record without anybody knowing who we were. That didn't happen. I guess we can't deny who we are and that it is important to what makes us up as people. At the end of the day we really don't care.

Cake Shop is Black Anvil's only upcoming show, but Trap Them is on the road now with Skeltonwitch, Misery Index, and Job For A Cowboy. Tickets are still on sale for the 12/16 show at Santos.

For a list of other recommended metal shows happening in NYC this month, check out the latest edition of Evillive.

Black Anvil releaesd Triumvirate via Relapse on 9/28. Listen to a recent audio interview someone recorded with Paul of Black Anvil (and posted to Youtube) below...

Continue reading "Black Anvil added to Trap Them show & stuff"

words & photos by BBG

The rotting putrid stench of decaying flesh on skull filled the halls of Santos Party House last night (12/2), as the gods of Black Metal, Watain returned to NYC. The show, part of an ongoing tour with Goatwhore and Black Anvil (that was supposed to be with Behemoth and Withered and Black Anvil), also featured a set by Hamsoken, the latest project from Nick Forte of Rorschach.

The night easily belonged to Watain, whose bloodspattered (literally... my clothes are flecked with crimson) megawatt set was both lightning fast, and bulldozer tough. Every detail of Watain's set is devoted to the dark arts: tattered Mad Max style clothing, rotting corpses, candlelight, torches, smoke machines, scowls, corpse paint - they have it all and more. Goatwhore may have won the "loudest band" title for the night, but Watain won the most mesmerizing.

That's not to say that the support wasn't great. Goatwhore's live prowess is unstoppable and when the band broke into "Apocalyptic Havoc", that's when I first realized how rowdy this Watain/Goatwhore crowd would be; we got a taste during Black Anvil's set but this was next level. Black Anvil yet again impressed with their blackened thrash-and roll, something I hadn't experienced since their set with Eyehategod. Dudes rule. Hamsoken opened the night, delivering competent, primitive black metal that neither disappointed nor impressed.

More pictures from the uber-packed Santos are below...

Continue reading "Watain desecrated Santos Party House (w/ help from Goatwhore, Black Anvil & Hamsoken) -- pics"

by BBG

Black Anvil at Europa (more by Samantha Marble)

Black Anvil's latest LP Triumvirate is due at the end of this month via Relapse (9/28 to be exact) and the band will celebrate with an album release show on the same day at The Studio At Webster Hall alongside The Absence and Ipsissimus (who are working on their debut for Metal Blade). The show is free with purchase of the CD at Best Buy ("NOTE: Fans purchasing the CD at the Union Square Best Buy will receive a wristband. Fans purchasing the CD on-line will receive a receipt. Bring either to the door to get into the show."). Shortly after, the band will hit the road for a string of dates with Watain and Goatwhore (including Santos on 12/2 without Goatwhore).

Full tour dates as well as some video is below...

Continue reading "Black Anvil schedule record release show (free w/ CD purchase from Best Buy) & other dates "

by BBG

Adam "Nergal" Darski, the 33-year-old guitarist/vocalist from Poland's greatest extreme-metal export, BEHEMOTH, has been diagnosed with a life-threatening form of leukemia, a cancer of blood-forming tissues of the bone marrow. The disease, for which Adam is currently receiving treatment at the hematology division of the Gdansk Medical University Hospital, has advanced to the point where he is in urgent need of a bone-marrow transplant. (A bone-marrow transplant is when special cells [called stem cells] that are normally found in the bone marrow are taken out, filtered, and given back either to the same person or to another person.) In light of this, Darski wants to remind everyone about the need to be on the marrow registry. The more people get tested and donate, the more of a chance for life there is for him and others in the same situation. -[Blabbermouth]

Behemoth cancelled all previous dates of a tour with Watain, Withered, and Black Anvil. Now Watain have rescheduled, but this time with Black Anvil and Goatwhore. The tour (sans Goatwhore) will play Santos on 12/2. Tickets are on sale. While Goatwhore isn't on the NYC date, they WILL play NYC on September 30th at Europa supporting The Black Dahlia Murder with Arkaik . Tickets are on sale.

Our wishes are with Nergal. All dates and some videos below...

Continue reading "Nergal needs bone marrow, Watain reveal rescheduled dates, touring w/ Goatwhore who are touring w/ Black Dahlia Murder"

by BBG

Nergal of Behemoth

Behemoth has cancelled all upcoming appearances, including the upcoming tour with Watain/Withered/Black Anvil. Details can be found in the (messily) translated statement below issued on the Polish portion of their official website...

Continue reading "Behemoth cancel upcoming tour, Nergal getting 'treatment'"

by BBG

Watain (photo by Steven Brown)

The Lawless States of Heretika Tour will envelope the nation in darkness, featuring Watain and headliner Behemoth along with Withered and Black Anvil. The tour will include a NYC stop at Irving Plaza on Dec 2nd. Tickets for that show go on AMEX presale at 10AM on Thursday (8/5), with general sale kicking off at 10AM the next day. All tour dates for the trek are below.

Before that campaign of destruction kicks off in November, Black Anvil will play Hostile City Deathfest in Philadelphia on August 27th - 29th. Featuring headlining sets from Incantation, Hate Eternal, and Exodus, the fest will also feature appearances from Origin, Enthroned, Destroyer 666, Pathology, and many others. Full details, including set times are below.

Speaking of Enthroned, Destroyer 666 and Black Anvil, their show with Pathology that was scheduled to take place at Europa in Brooklyn tonight, August 4th, has been postponed to August 31st. Estuary was also on the bill, but has to drop off the new date. Advanced tickets will be honored at what will be Enthroned's first NYC show in nine years.

We interviewed Erik from Watain earlier this year, shortly before the release of their new LP Lawless Darkness. Black Anvil have a record of their own on the way in Triumvirate, due via Relapse on 9/28. BV SXSW alums Withered are currently working on their new LP, the follow-up to the massive Folie Circulaire.

Full tour dates, Hostile City Deathfest details and some video below...

Continue reading "Watain & Behemoth touring w/ Withered & Black Anvil, Hostile City Deathfest coming to Philly, Enthroned postponed"

words by BBG, photos by Samantha Marble

Brian of Eyehategod/Soilent Green

It'd be easy to mistake the Eyehategod/Brutal Truth/Nachtmystium/Black Anvil/Tombs throw down as a full on assault on the audience. And while in a sense it was, to the metal fans in attendance, it was a more of a big party. Songs like "Sister Fucker", "High on Hate", and "Filled With Secrets" don't outwardly point to a celebratory vibe, but in the context of that show, beers were hoisted and invisible oranges were raised.

Tombs kicked off the evening at a ridiculously early 6PM with a set that seemed to be filled with new tunes making full use of their new guitarist. It was my first experience with Tombs as a four piece, and the addition definitely adds a fuller sound.

Black Anvil followed with a set that also relied heavily on newer material from their upcoming Triumvirate. The band's relative cooling to the the live stage in 2010 (to write and record mostly) meant a heaping dose of brutality... of course then again, maybe it's the whole "don't know what you've got, til it's gone" factor. (I missed their set opening for Immortal, and only caught them briefly at Scion Rock Fest)

Nachtmystium was up next, and aside from brainchild Blake Judd, the band was sporting a wholly new lineup made up of members of Lord Mantis and a new guitar player (Jeff Wilson recently left the band). Their set contained little of the controversial elements from their new LP Addicts (meaning, no keyboards, overly-compressed snares, etc) and instead concentrated on the melodic black metal blasting. "High on Hate" from the new LP sound particularly impressive live.

Brutal Truth followed, pulling from across their groovy grind catalogue, as barefooted vocalist Kevin Sharp barked out vocals at the crowd. Their set was good, but I found my eyes glued to drummer Richard Hoek for almost the entire set. Hoek is infinitely watchable/listenable, as he alternates between precision blasting, goofy faces, and making ridiculous remarks at the crowd.

After all that lightning-quick pummel, it was nice to have Eyehategod on stage to take it nice and slow. The band pulled out all of the classics for their shortened set (a shade over an hour), and whipped the crowd into a fever pitch. Pit action, stage dives, and sing-alongs were a-plenty, and the band seemed genuinely more excited to be in Brooklyn than they were just seven months prior. Incredible set.

More Eyehategod dates HERE. Tons of pics, and some videos from the Brooklyn show, below...

Continue reading "Eyehategod, Brutal Truth, Nachtmystium, Black Anvil & Tombs played Europa in Brooklyn - pics & video"

words by BBG, photos by Greg Cristman

Paul Delaney wants YOU!

After more than a year since calling it quits, Deathcycle will reactivate for two special shows in honor of Lee Altomare:

Reunion shows July 30th and 31st, Long Island and Brooklyn. 2 shows to honor the passing of our friend Lee Altomare, who died unexpectedly on 4/16/10. We will Be joined by all bands that were in the direct circle of Lee's friendship. Still sorting out all the details, so we will make the announcement as soon as we have our facts straight. Sat, the 31st is definitely at 538 Johnson St. in Brooklyn.

Meanwhile, two members of Deathcycle (Paul Delaney and Gary Bennett) are plugging away at their current (and awesome) project Black Anvil. The band has a handful of shows sprinkled throughout the summer (while Paul plugs away at a new None More Black album) including the absolutely unmissable show at Europa on SATURDAY (6/12) with Eyehategod, Brutal Truth, Nachtmystium and Tombs (tickets). Full tour dates are below.

Black Anvil played Brooklyn Masonic Temple on 3/30 with Immortal. We posted the Immortal pics, but never the opener. The belated pics from that show, and all dates, are below.

Continue reading "Deathcycle reuniting to honor Lee Altomare ++ a belated set of Black Anvil pics"

words by BBG, photos by Greg Cristman

So campy.... but oh so fun! Immortal played Brooklyn Masonic Temple on Tuesday, 3/30, as part of their brief but sweet "Blashyrkh in North America" campaign that laid waste to a select few cities on said continent (namely Toronto, Montreal, Brooklyn, and LA).

With a serious lighting rig and enough smoke machine action to make Greg Anderson proud, the band opened the what-appeared-to-be-sold-out show with the title track and "The Rise of Darkness" from their recent success All Shall Fall. Though guitars were a bit too thin in the mix for my liking, the band blasted their way through killer renditions of classics from across their catalog (setlist below) while the eager and surprisingly not too mosh-y crowd nodded and raised their fists in triumph. It was a big and bold set from the frost-bitten Norwegian legends. If you missed it and can't make it to The Avalon in LA (where the band was already spotted hanging out last night) on 4/2, then pray that the corpsepainted (or should I say warpainted?) horde make another trek to the US soon (and hopefully they don't wait 3 years again this time).

Black Anvil opened the show after Immortal hosted a fan meet & greet (it cost extra money). The band is like Kiss in more ways than one. More pictures (though not of Black Anvil yet), as well as tons of videos, below...

Continue reading "Immortal played (and met and greeted fans at) Brooklyn Masonic Temple - pics, video, setlist, more dates"

words by Kim Kelly, intro by BBG, photos by Christopher Mumma & BBG

Thou

SXSW was a blast, but days before that the Scion Rock Fest shook the college town of Columbus, Ohio (March 13th) with it's mix of metal gods of the past (DRI, Cannibal Corpse, Voivod, Shrinebuilder, etc) and killers of today (Ludicra, Landmine Marathon, Yob, Thou, etc). The one-day fest was spread throughout four of the town's venue, meaning any one person could only see a limited amount of the full lineup. Luckily I went to Columbus with my own camera, two other photographers (Jessie Barber and Christopher Mumma), and crossed paths with writer Kim Kelly along the way. If there is a metal show worth a damn within hundreds (thousands?) of miles from Kim, she'll be there. Her version of the story along with half of the pictures from the day (the rest HERE), below...

Continue reading "Scion Rock Fest in pics & review (part 1) - Ludicra, Liturgy, D.R.I., Yob, Thou, Lightning Swords of Death & more "

Eyehategod at Europa (more by Samantha Marble)

Eyehategod don't do small. First it was Goatwhore, Pig Destroyer and Strong Intention on a boat. Then it was Tombs, Howl, Unearthly Trance, and Strong Intention.

Now, BrooklynVegan and Osiris are proud to announce another unmissable lineup: Eyehategod with Brutal Truth, Nachtmystium, Black Anvil, and Tombs at Europa on June 12th! Ticket info is forthcoming, as well as their full US tour sked. Meanwhile, EHG is also scheduled to play Emo's in Austin on May 7th to perform all of In The Name of Suffering and Take As Needed For Pain. Drool.

Both EHG and Tombs are also playing MDF 2010 (which recently added Nirvana 2002 and Krallice). Tombs recently played the Relapse showcase at SXSW along with Voivod, Kill The Client, and many others. We have pics from that coming soon.

Black Anvil can be seen much sooner. They play NYC on TUESDAY (3/30) with Immortal at Brooklyn Masonic Temple. Tickets are still available. The band recently finished tracking their new LP, Triumvirate. Want to win a pair of Immortal tickets? Details how are at the bottom of this post...

As previously discussed, Nachtmystium's Addicts: Black Meddle part II is on the way via Century Media. Look for it June 8th.

All currently announceed Eyehategod dates, some videos and the contest below...

Continue reading "Eyehategod playing NY w/ Brutal Truth, Nachtmystium, Tombs & Black Anvil (who play Brooklyn w/ Immortal - win tix) "