Experimental black metal/noise crew Sutekh Hexen (recently profiled here) are heading out on tour which includes a stop at the Hopscotch festival and will hit NYC at Saint Vitus on September 4 with support form High Aura'd, Oneirogen and Andrew Hock (of Castevet). Tickets are on sale.

Sutekh Hexen recently released Larvae, but also have a new LP, Behind The Throne, which is out now via Magic Bullet. Stream some material from the latter alongside all tour dates below.

Continue reading "Sutekh Hexen plot tour, playing NYC at Saint Vitus (dates)"

by BBG

Castevet at MDF (more by BBG)

Fresh off an appearance at Maryland Deathfest, Castevet will play June 5th at Secret Project Robot (389 Melrose St, Brooklyn) where the band will join a decidedly eclectic lineup. The show will be headlined by Icelandic band Muck, which bears resemblance to the spazz pummel of Dazzling Killmen, and will feature an appearance from Kria Brekkan (ex-Mum) and new metal band Vital Pains, which features Greg Fox (ex-Liturgy, Guardian Alien, etc) John Bohannon (Ancient Ocena, Dharana) and Evan Sobel (ex La Otracina). $7 gets you in to this all ages, 8PM event.

Castevet recently added bassist Nick McMaster (Krallice) and is currently working on new material for the follow-up to Mounds of Ash.

The show is one of a few scheduled for Muck, who also play in DC with Citizens Arrest and Ceremony a few days after the Brooklyn show. They're also scheduled to play the Sigur Ros-headlined Iceland Airwaves festival in their home country this fall. A list of all currently known dates, videos and a song stream of Muck, along with a video of Castavet are below...

Continue reading "Castevet playing show with Iceland's Muck, Kria Brekken, and Vital Pains (ex-mem Liturgy, La Otracina)"

by BBG

Godflesh at MDF

Hand in hand, the gasmask wielding pair strolled on to the stage to the sound of air raid sirens. Their arrival announced the coming of reunited grindcore greats Nasum, one of the headliners at Maryland Deathfest on May 25th playing their farewell round of shows. A rare appearance from Godflesh and related band Napalm Death (Godflesh's Justin Broadrick was an early member of ND) were the night's outdoor (read: true) headliners, playing the large stages and rounding out a lineup that included campy thrash, Swedish death metal, noisecore pioneers, Romanian black metal and many stops in between.

Brooklyn's Castevet opened the show at 3:30PM, sporting new bassist Nick McMaster (also of Krallice). I missed the next band Nashgul (and would later miss Setherial in the same room), but managed to catch the campy and fun Ghoul, who take cues from their ex-tourmates Gwar in the theatricality and dousing-the-audience-in-"blood" arenas. Finnish death metal crew Demigod, who were a highlight at Rites of Darkness, opened the outdoor stage and delivered a similarly inspired performance.

Today is The Day were next on the indoor stage, playing quite possibly my favorite performance from the band and definitely a highlight for the day. The band's new lineup featuring the rhythm section of Wetnurse is a perfect match for Steve Austin's madman antics, and I heard quite a few comments afterword to the tune of "I forgot how much I used to love Today is The Day". Their former labelmates on Amphetamine Reptile, Unsane, would also kill it later that evening.

Negura Bunget, or what left of them, followed on the indoor stage (the bulk of the original band was recently replaced), and seemed oddly placed and limp following Today is The Day. Meanwhile, thrashers Artillery riled up the thrashers on the outside stage but didnt do much for me.

Napalm Death headlined the first of the two outdoor stages, playing material from each of their prior albums to a circle-pitting, crowd-surfing audience. Besides being the originators of the genre, Napalm Death is also one of grind's tightest live crews; the term legend is more than well-deserved.

The crowd had lined up in front of the second stage a long time before Godflesh ripped into their first chord, so from the moment that the band kicked into "Like Rats" the pits and surfers had easily migrated to the other end of the parking lot. The duo (and requisite drum machine) played material from their legendary Streetcleaner and though they slightly overstayed their welcome, it was nonethless amazing to see them live.

The reactivated Nasum (who we recently interviewed) headlined the indoor stage at Sonar and similar to the Godflesh and Napalm Death, the crowd let loose by the time Rotten Sound's Keijo Niinimaa belted out the first vocal. The five piece will be missed, but they definitely went out with a bang.

More pictures from day two at Maryland Death Fest are below. If you missed it, check out day one pictures HERE and a set of Rorschach's pictures HERE.

Continue reading "Maryland Deathfest Day 2: Godflesh, Napalm Death, Nasum, Today is The Day, Unsane, Ghoul, Demigod and more "

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

Indian at Union Pool (more by BBG)

After killing Union Pool in June with Bloodiest and Hallux, Indian will return to NYC on 9/23 to play Public Assembly with Batillus, Castevet, and Alkahest as part of the latter's record release celebration for Milk & Morphine.

Meanwhile, Castevet will play Saint Vitus tonight (8/5) as part of a bill with The Communion and Artificial Brain, a show that originally included Oregon's Transient who has since dropped off:

On Saturday, while driving to Savannah, Georgia, local grindcore band Transient was involved in a head on accident when a SUV jumped the median and crashed into the band's van. Singer Krysta Martinez was airlifted to a local hospital but should be fine following surgery. The band is currently stranded in Georgia with a totaled van (plus a mountain of medical bills), so they are accepting donations via PayPal. -[Portland Mercury]

In somewhat related news, Will from Indian served as second guitarist for Wolves In The Throne Room who will hit the road for a string of dates that will include The Bell House on Sept 12th with Thou. Tickets are still on sale.

by BBG

Napalm Death at Gramercy (more by Justina Villanueva)

The tenth edition of Maryland Deathfest (May 24-27, 2012) has expanded further, adding names like Autopsy, Napalm Death, Noothgrush, Rwake, Deviated Instinct, Cough, Coke Bust, Infernal Stronghold, Backslider and Castevet to its already impressive lineup (Godflesh, Electric Wizard, Morbid Angel, Suffocation, etc). Full lineup is below. Tickets will go on sale in the coming months.

Cough and CT of Rwake will meanwhile appear at the Slow Southern Steel film premiere at Knitting Factory on August 13th with The Gates of Slumber and Earthling. Tickets are on sale.

Autopsy recently played Slaughter In The Water and Chaos in Tejas 2011.

Noothgrush plays several Power of The Riff shows in the second week of August. The band is preparing to re-release Erode the Person via Parasitic Records.

Full lineup and some video is below.

Continue reading "Maryland Deathfest expands 2012 lineup again"

by BBG

Bastard Sapling at The Charleston (more by Samantha Marble)

Richmond's Bastard Sapling and Inter Arma share a few members, but more importantly they share that very-Richmond, punk rock ethos that makes their scene so fertile. The black metal-tinged pair are on the road in May and will play a string of shows including NYC twice: May 7th at Mother Pugs in Staten Island and a BrooklynVegan presented show on May 8th at Acheron with Castevet.

Inter Arma's last release was the groove-sludge black-metal LP Sundown, while Bastard Sapling's blastingly powerful last effort was the V: A Sepulcher to Swallow the Sea 7" for Tension Head Records. Bastard Sapling is currently working on a full length and Inter Arma have a new EP in the works.

Both Inter Arma and Castevet are BV showcase veterans, as Inter Arma played the official BV-BBG CMJ showcase last year at Union Pool and Castevet played the BV/Profound Lore show at Lovejoy's during SXSW 2011.

All tour dates and a few videos below...

Continue reading "Inter Arma touring w/ Bastard Sapling (NY show w/ Castevet)"

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)"

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 Kim Kelly

Castevet at Bowery Electric (more by Suren Karapetyan)

It was bitter cold outside. A starless sky and biting wind provided the perfect setting for a black metal ritual, as soiled snowdrifts hugged the sidewalk and surely made load-in a nightmare for the quartet of bands slated to perform. Those that braved the winter chill and got to the Acheron in time for the first band on 1/14 were richly rewarded.

Falls of Rauros' set unfolded over a series of long, gorgeously-crafted atmospheric black metal compositions. Their sprawling odes to the wilderness and man's primal past recalled the power and delicacy of Drudkh and Agalloch, with a taste of Ulver's Kveldssanger and a hungry intensity all their own. Unfortunately they'd already sold out of CDs by the time they rolled through Brooklyn, but this Maine collective are working on new material for an upcoming release that will undoubtedly surpass even my high expectations.

Louisville, KY's black/doom cult Seidr have long been a favorite of mine, and did not disappoint. The band, which includes Austin Lunn of Panopticon (who we profiled last year), was unafraid to allow beautiful melodies to shine through the thick black fog that envelops their funereal dirges. Their performance was absolutely riveting - total catharsis, and the strongest set of the night.

California black metallers Lake of Blood commanded our attention, and got it. While their imposing frontman roared and raged down on the floor with a whiskey- and blood-drunk crowd, the rest of the band closed their eyes and hammered away, churning out riff after riff of darkness and light. They managed to sound melodic and refined without sacrificing any of the barbarity and speed that keep underground black metal dangerous - impressive, to say the least. Look for a new album from these guys as well.

Castevet still stand out as one of NYC's most engaging live acts, and closed out the evening with a bang. If you haven't seen them yet, you're fucking up. Luckily, they'll be back at the Acheron soon with Phantom Glue and brother band Defeatist - don't miss out. All dates and a video from a previous show at the same venue, below...

Continue reading "Castevet played the Acheron with Lake of Blood, Seidr & Falls of Rauros, playing more shows soon "

by BBG

Castevet at Acheron with KEN Mode (more)

Reminder! Tonight/Friday is TWO BrooklynVegan metal events with Lake of Blood, Castevet, Falls of Rauros, and Seidr making the sidewalks in front of The Acheron that much more frosty, and Trap Them, Black Anvil, and All Pigs Must Die in their first of two attempts to level our fair city this weekend. The Acheron jumps off with an 8PM door time, while Union Pool will open an hour later. Then Saturday (1/15) Trap Them, Black Anvil, and All Pigs Must Die will team up with the punishing Psychic Limb at Cake Shop. Tickets for Trap Them are still available at the door for both shows, but beware, Cake Shop is dangerously close to selling out.

More heavy shows coming up this weekend and beyond are below, along with some video.

Continue reading "Evillive (upcoming heavy shows) (Trap Them is here & more)"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Phantom Glue - "Brainbow" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Phantom Glue - "Phantom Glue" (MP3)

Phantom Glue, photo by Reid/Bummer City Photo & Design

Phantom Glue recently bid adeiu to drummer Terri Christopher (of 27), but the Boston band made up of members of Huguenots and Proselyte are still on schedule to play a string of dates on the East Coast in late January. January 28th means a Brooklyn show at The Acheron with support from Defeatist, Xaddax (featuring Nick of ex-Dazzling Killmen) and Castevet (who will also appear at the same venue exactly two weeks earlier with Seidr, Lake of Blood, and Falls of Rauros).

Castevet/Defeatist bassist Josh Scott's other band, Radiation Blackbody, will also play a show with Xaddax at Bruar Falls on 1/26 with Vaz and Fall Of Another Day. Josh Scott listed his Top Albums of 2010 for us. Check that out now.

The Acheron will also host Cali-killers The Love Below and NJ's own Pharoah on January 23rd, one day after the two bands play the A389 anniversary in Baltimore with Integrity, Haymaker, Dropdead, Rot In Hell, and a number of notable others. Pharoah played NYC on 12/20 at Lit Lounge with Dutchguts and State Graves (ex-Easter).

Phantom Glue welcomed their self-titled debut via Teenage Disco Bloodbath Records earlier this year. The Kurt-Ballou-produced effort maintains his patented crunch. It falls somewhere between High On Fire and hardcore on bruisers like "Brainbow" and "Phantom Glue" - both songs that are downloadable above and streaming below.

Tour dates, song streams and some video below...

Continue reading "Phantom Glue, Castevet, Xaddax, The Love Below, Pharoah & other shows & tour dates"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Falls of Rauros - "The Fire We Fathered" EP

Justin of Mind Eraser at Acheron with his other project, Innumerable Forms (more)

Did you catch Friday night's Citizens Arrest show at Knitting Factory or Mind Eraserlater that night (12/17) with Concrete Cross at the Acheron. Justin of Mind Eraser is the mastermind behind one of my favorite 7"s of the year and he recently brought that project, Innumerable Forms, to Acheron with Mammoth Grinder as his backing band. cXa recently played a surprise show on Long Island.

This is the latest edition of "Evillive", a newish column where I try to highlight upcoming metal shows that may have not made it into other posts, or some that maybe did.

BrooklynVegan is proud to present a blackened lineup with Castevet who will team up with Lake of Blood, Seidr, and Falls of Rauros at Acheron on 1/14/11. Lake of Blood features a touring member of the incredible Altar of Plagues, and recently shared a split with Panopticon.

Meanwhile you can catch Castevet at Union Pool tonight, Sunday, 12/19.

Blackened doomers Seidr contains the lone member of Panopticon, A. Lundr, on guitar and vocals. The band recently independently released the Cortez The Killer EP gratis (get it) and are preparing a full length for Flenser Recordings for early next year.

Falls of Rauros dropped their last LP, Hail Wind and Hewn Oak, on Morbid Winter last year. Check out a track from that above.

In other news, I am happy to report that East of The Wall has been added as support for the Kylesa/Rosetta/Fight Amp show at Santos on January 26th. Tickets are on sale. All Kylesa dates are HERE.

And finally, one of my favorite records of the year, Pollution's smut 12" will be on display on 1/8 when they play with The Might Could and Tournament at Acheron. Pick up a copy of that 12", it rules.

Upcoming shows, Seidr/Lake Of Blood/Falls of Rauros dates, and some video is below. In case you missed it, I posted my favorite records of 2010 earlier this week.

Continue reading "Evillive (heavy shows & tours) (Castevet, Seidr & more)"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Thou - "By Endurance We Conquer" (MP3)

Sleep at Brooklyn Masonic Temple (more)

Lists are very subjective. A "best of" list is always an amalgam of personal experiences - that fateful moment when you press "Play" for the first time, in addition to a grade of excellent songwriting. The records I've listed below had a profound impact on me this year, as did many of the shows that I attended and put on in the past twelve months. I'd like to thank all the artists who made this list as well as the ones who didn't, in addition to people like 1000 Knives, Osiris, Bill Dozer, Ian Dickson and venues like Union Pool, The Studio at Webster Hall, Acheron, Santos Party House and a slew of others for keeping heavy music alive in NYC. But mostly, thank YOU, the reader and the listener!

Alright, enough with the sappy bulshit, let's RAGE...

Continue reading "the year 2010 in Metal (BBG's favorite records & live shows) "

photos by Suren Karapetyan, words by BBG, video by jhall06

Cannabis Corpse

While some of you were watching High on Fire/Torche/Kylesa at Webster Hall on 10/24 (with Mike Huckabee?), a man by the name of Weedgrinder and his band Cannabis Corpse were tearing apart Bowery Electric alongside Castevet, Mutant Supremacy, Respawn The Ancients, and Fin D'Amor. The Richmond band, which features members of Municipal Waste, were in the area to play the New Jersey Deathfest the previous day.

More pictures from Bowery Electric, and video of Cannabis Corpse's whole set (with their setlist), below...

Continue reading "Cannabis Corpse, Castevet, Mutant Supremacy & Respawn The Ancients played Bowery Electric (pics & video)"

by BBG

Clinging To The Trees of A Forest Fire at SXSW (more here)

A bunch of killer shows are on the way in the coming weeks, CMJ aside. Clinging To The Trees of A Forest Fire's Songs of Ill Hope and Desperation is a pretty killer slab of blackened sludgy grind, and the band impressed with their live show at SXSW this year. The band will hit the East Coast for a string of dates including The Acheron on 10/29 with Flourishing, The Communion, and Deep in Vein. Get out to see them. Full CTTTOAFF dates are below.

Negative Plane are welcoming their new Ajna Offensive/Invictus Productions LP, Stained Glass Revelations, with a record release show at Europa on (when else?) Halloween (10/31/10) with Villains and Occultation. $11 gets you into the black mass (tickets here), and make sure and pick up a copy of the new LP that will be available in "limited quantities".

Early 80s Metal Blade obscurity Tyrant will play their first ever East Coast show Friday night (10/15) at The Delancey with October 31, Vermefug, and Mutant Supremacy. $10 gets you in.

Skeletonwitch and Misery Index will support Job for a Cowboy at Santos Party House on 12/16. Tickets are on sale. Skeletonwitch will hit the road for a string of dates with Landmine Marathon and Withered in late November prior to the NYC date, though unfortunately that tour won't hit NYC. Misery Index will play NJ Deathfest next weekend with Cannabis Corpse, Cardiac Arrest, Call The Paramedics and so much more over the two days at Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ. Head to the NJ Deathfest site for more info. Full Skeletonwitch dates are below.

Speaking of Cannabis Corpse, the band will play NYC on 10/24 with Mutant Supremacy, Castevet, Fin'Amor, and Respawn the Ancients on 10/24. The show kicks off at 6PM at Bowery Electric. Castevet will also play Don Pedro's on Saturday (10/16) with Buckshot Facelift, No Remission, Water Temples, $4 gets you in. Full Castevet dates are below.

American Hardcore will be the focus of a celebration this Sunday (10/17) at Knitting Factory with Urban Waste, Downlow, Yo! $cunt, a slide show by American Hardcore author/filmmaker Steven Blush, and special guest DJ George Tabb. Tickets are still available for the all-ages show.

Crucifist will return to NYC to play Acheron on 11/6, joined by Rochester's Sarcous and Brooklyn's own Mutilation Rites. The all ages shindig kicks off at 8PM. Full Crucifist dates are below.

And last but not least, Deicide will play Gramercy on 2/21 with Pathology, Belphegor, Blackguard, and Neuraxis. Tickets are on sale in both regular and VIP varieties. In related news, the countdown is on until Glen Benton cancels his appearances at all Deicide dates. Full Deicide tour sked is below.

All tour dates and some video is below...

Continue reading "Tyrant, Skeletonwitch, Deicide, Castevet, Cannabis Corpse, Negative Plane, CTTTOAFF & other upcoming metal shows "

photos and words by BBG

On their way to Boston to record their new LP with Kurt Ballou at God City, acerbie noise rock killers KEN Mode played Acheron on Tuesday (8/17) with Brooklyn's own blackened hardcore greats Castevet and Boston's spacey post-rock/metallers Junius. The heroes in Junius filled in at the last minute for East Of The Wall after an illness required the band to cancel their appearance.

Junius are currently out with ORBS, but will circle back through NYC with Howl and Valient Thorr, tagging Southpaw on 9/24. All dates below.

In related news, Acheron has a pair of interesting shows this weekend: Friday is grind-day with Baltimore's Triac, along with Curandera (ex ASRA & Tombs, current Mutilation Rites) and Backslider, and Saturday is female-fronted Richmond doomers Windhand (mem Facedowninshit).

More pictures and some videos from the KEN Mode show below...

Continue reading "KEN Mode, Castevet & Junius played the Acheron (pics, video, more upcoming shows, Howl dates)"

photos by Samantha Marble, words by BBG

Altar of Plagues

A hearty thanks go out to all who attended the fantastic show at The Studio at Webster Hall on Sunday (8/1), where transcendant Irish black metallers Altar of Plagues and Chicago's similarly punchy Velnias teamed up with NYC's black metal/hardcore assualt team Castevet and rootsy Cobalt side-project Man's Gin as part of a BrooklynVegan/Haunting The Chapel production.

Most, if not all, of the Sunday turnout arrived early and stayed for the duration of all four bands, and those who did arrive early were treated to Man's Gin's second show ever and first with a full lineup (that included a piano and an upright bass). With Josh and Fade of Inswarm (Fade also plays in Batillus) backing Erik Wunder (of Cobalt), the soulful achy stomp of Smiling Dogs tracks like "Solid Gold Telephone" strongly revealed themselves live.

As usual, Castevet delivered hardcore tinged black metal that was muscular and riveting. They will make an excellent match AND departure for KEN Mode's noisecore assault at Acheron on August 17th.

Velnias followed, and the band has expanded from a three to a four piece since I last caught them (December of 2008). The addition has increased their live firepower and bombast exponentially; Velnias gave a dynamic and emotional performanc, complete with swelling highs and crashing lows delivered by candlelight. Mogwai would be proud.

Altar of Plagues finished off the night with similarly powerful set culled from their recent output White Tomb and Tides EP. With a member of Lake of Blood filling in for departed AoP member Jer Spillane (who left the band two weeks before tour), Altar of Plagues made a triumphant NYC debut that night, and definitely felt more powerful than their recorded output suggests.

More pics and some video are below....

Continue reading "Altar of Plagues, Velnias, Castevet & Man's Gin played the Studio @ Webster Hall (pics & video) "

by BBG

KEN Mode at Union Pool (more by Brian Reilly)

One record I am dying to hear? Without a doubt it's KEN Mode's forthcoming LP for Profound Lore which the band will record in mid August with Kurt Ballou at God City! After witnessing the band's destructive Unsane-meets-hardcore clobber the crowd at Union Pool, if even a touch of that live energy and crunch is captured on record it will surely be badass.

Luckily for Brooklyn, KEN Mode will loop down to Brooklyn to play The Acheron on August 17th on the way to God City alongside Castevet and more TBA! The show is just sixteen days after Castevet supports Altar of Plagues at The Studio at Webster Hall.

Speaking of Unsane, a reminder: the band will play all of their landmark Scattered Smothered & Covered at Santos on August 5th with Keelhaul, Pigs, and Disappearer. Tickets are still available.

Full KEN Mode dates, and some video is below...

Continue reading "KEN Mode tour dates, a Brooklyn show w/ Castevet"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Failures - "Friends" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Vaccine - "Your Life's A Joke" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Veins - "ARTS" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Failures - "Rearing" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Castevet - "Grey Matter" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Vaccine - Demo (Mediafire, Zipped MP3)

Failures

The unfuckwitable Failures will team up with Vaccine to play Brooklyn at Acheron on July 11th, alongside Raw Nerves (from Portland - thats PLURAL not singular), Surroundings, and the final show from Rats In The Walls. The show takes place the day after the pair rips Dudefest a new onewith Arab On Radar, Voetsek, Trap Them, and many others.

Failures' S/T LP dropped last year on vocalist Mark McCoy's own Youth Attack imprint and currently have LP #2 in the works. The band features members of Das Oath, Orchid, Ampere, Cut the Shit, Charles Bronson, and many other outfits including McCoy's recent undertaking as guitarist, Veins.

Veins recently dropped their first release, the sold-out cassette for Youth Attack Records. Much like Failures, the band is a supergroup of sorts featuring McCoy, Ian Jacysyzyn (Castevet) , Michael Berdan (ex-Drunkdriver), Jeroen Vrijhoef (Das Oath), and W. Boone on bass. The band currently has no dates scheduled, but Castevet does; they will play NYC on August 1st at The Studio at Webster alongside Altar of Plagues, Velnias, and Man's Gin. Tickets are on sale. Castevet's Mounds of Ash is out NOW via Profound Lore.

Full Failures/Vaccine dates, and some video is below...

Continue reading "Failures & Vaccine touring, playing DudeFest & NYC (dates)"

words by Stefan Raduta, photos by BBG

Laurie and John of Ludicra

He is risen. By he, I mean John Cobbett. And by risen, I mean up from the hospital bed after being treated for a burst appendix and ensuing abcess. Cobbett is on the mend (though he still needs your help) and he joined his mates in Ludicra when they headlined the BV/Osiris show at Europa on 4/18 with a little help from Krallice, Castevet, and Atakke. Stefan filed the following review from the show.... -BBG

====

I've been hearing good things about Brooklyn's Atakke, but seeing them for the first time convinced me this really is a band to keep a close eye on. Hands down, they have it all: intense, neck-breaking riffs, great drumming and to top it all, a very charismatic (and quite pretty) bullet-belted female singer that seriously raises some pulses on stage. I mean, this girl can scream her lungs out, she's not fooling around. Just awesome! Great set, super catchy breakdowns, I was really impressed with them. They sort of remind me of a thrashier Benediction, and I'm willing to bet they're all into early Sepultura. Thumbs up.

continued below w/ more pictures, videos & setlists...

Continue reading "Ludicra, Krallice, Castevet & Atakke played Europa (pics) "

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Altar of Plagues - "Atlantic Lights" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Black Breath - "Children Of The Horn" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Celeste - Morte Nee(s) (Zipped LP)
DOWNLOAD: Get Rad - "Life Without A Plan" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Get Rad - "Honest Man/Wild Man" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Inter Arma - "Epicenter" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ufomammut - Eve Snippets (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Nachtmystium - "No Funeral" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Yakuza - "Stones And Bones" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sayyadina - "Razor Discipline" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Culted - "Spirituosa" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Year of No Light - "Hierophant" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Castevet - "Grey Matter" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Deathwish MMX Spring Sampler (Zipped MP3 files)

Twilight

Surprise! After a few CDs made their way into record stores accidentally (I am told) Twilight, the Blake Judd/Wrest project that now features N. Imperial (Kreig), Aaron Turner (Isis), Stavros Giannopoulos (The Atlas Moth) and Sanford Parker (Minsk) is out NOW on CD via Southern Lord! The record was engineered by Sanford Parker, who also contributed synths, and features eight tracks with Robert Lowe (Lichens) contributing vocals to three of them. No official word on a release date for the LP, but get out and order a copy... I think I may enjoy it more than the new Nachtmystium. Speaking of the new Nachtmystium, Stereogum recently premiered the keyboard heavy "No Funeral" from the forthcoming Addicts: Black Meddle Pt. II. Dig on that above.

Call me obsessed, but the new Black Breath, Heavy Breathing, is on serious rotation lately- much like their previous EP Razors To Oblivion was last year. The new LP has Kurt Ballou's dirty little fingers all over it, bringing their rich early Swedish death metal meets hardcore sound to life, as exhibited in "Children of The Horn" available above. Get Heavy Breathing now via Southern Lord. Black Breath will open the BV/1000 Knives/AEG Live Converge extravaganza at Santos Party House on 5/6 along with Touche Amore and Lewd Acts. Make sure and get their early (their live show is worth it), and get your tickets in advance (it WILL sell out). Seriously brutal and fun stuff... you gotta love a band that screams "reject Christ, spit on the cross" at the top of their lungs. Or am I alone on that one?

Though it only lasts two tracks (but conversely- 35 minutes), the new EP from Altar of Plagues, Tides, is every bit as powerful as White Tomb, one of my favorite LPs of last year. AoP's new Tides EP is currently up for pre-order via Burning World Records (cop it), but until that package arrives, make sure and dig on "Atlantic Lights" from the EP (50% of the record!) , which makes it's world premiere here!

An LP from last year that was just too good to be free was Celeste's Misanthrope(s). With a potent mix of black metal, furious hardcore, and even melody, it was a seriously underrated record that deserved much more attention than it got. Even though Misanthrope(s) is barely in the rear view, the band has released their new LP, Morte Nee(s) for FREE download (get it above). Make sure and order a copy of the LP for yourself via Denovali as well though, it's one to keep for posterity.

Richmond's Inter Arma totally floored me at The Charleston with their furious mix of black metal, southern stoner style and Neurosis-style imperial riffage. Besides being a jawdropping live band, Inter Arma has also put together a pretty memorable record as well in the form of Sundown, out soon on Forcefield Records. Featuring members of another great Richmond band, Bastard Sapling, check out the band when they hit the road in July, but until then, check out Sundown!

A darkness has settled over the land... details on Watain's new album have been revealed! Entitled Lawless Darkness, the effort was recorded at Necromorbus Studio (Deathspell Omega, Funeral Mist, Ondskapt, Nominon, Unanimated et al) in Alvik, Sweden, and is due on June 7 with the below cover art and the tracklisting as listed down below. The release follows their picture disc EP Reaping Death which quickly disappeared, though the CD single is currently available.

That Watain cover, plus news on Blood Revolt (Primordial + Revenge), Loss, Man Is The Bastard, Hail of Bullets, Woe, a new Inquisition LP, and more as Short Wave Warfare continues....

Continue reading "Short Wave Warfare (04/20/10)"

by BBG

Laura of Kylesa (more by Paul Birman)

Earlier I discussed my favorite LPs of the year, but why leave the fun to just one? I asked some of my favorite artists and promoters for their 2009 highlights. The responses were great. You already saw some of them. Justina listed some quotes, Liam Wilson talked about Philly, and Josh Graham listed good things about 2009. They continue below. You'll find lists of favorite songs and albums of the year, not to mention answers to crucial questions like:

• What are Coalesce's favorite pizza toppings?
• Which one of my top 20 artists of the year tried to get in a cab with Kirsten Dunst?
• What is the #1 sauce/condiment of 2009?

Continue reading "The Year in Metal continued (BBG asked countless others to make lists... and here they all are)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Woe - "Alone With Our Failures" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Castevet - "Stones" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Crucifier - "When The Bough Breaks" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Crucifier - "The Funeral" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Dimentianon - "Dead and Forgotten" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Batillus - Batillus EP (ZIPPED MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Wetnurse - "Not Your Choice" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ocean - "The Beacon" (MP3 Snippet)
DOWNLOAD: Ocean - "Of The Lesser" (MP3 Snippet)

Woe on 1/7/08, photo by Scott Kinkade

The Ocean/Salome/Riff Cannon/Batillus edition of Brandon Stosuy (Pitchfork)'s Show No Mercy showcase at at Public Assembly isnt even here yet (that's on 2/15. Check out the Seldon Hunt flyer below), but we have already have word on some of the bands in the months to come, including Genghis Tron, Krieg, Tombs, Wetnurse, Villains, and Crucifier!

First up, March 1st, a scant two weeks after the Ocean/Salome rumble off, Show No Mercy turns the speed waaaaay up with the pairing of the black metal horde Krieg and Philly's Woe (others TBA). Krieg is the brainchild of Imperial, former member of Nachtmystium and Twilight, the defunct black metal super group that at one time featured Blake Judd (Nachtmystium), Malefic (Xasthur), Wrest (Leviathan, Lurker of Chalice), Hildolf (Draguar) and even, for a short time, Aaron Turner (Isis). Woe released the awesome A Spell For The Death Of Man, which is available for pay-what-you-want digital download.

Three weeks later (3/22) as part of a record release party for Paragon Records, Crucifier, will team up with Villains, Castevet, Nocnitsa, and Dimentianon. Crucifier are welcoming their new 10", Trampled Under Cloven Hooves and have posted a pair of MP3s for download... check out "The Funeral" and "When The Bough Breaks". Castevet are welcoming the Salt/Stones 7", which is available for pre-order here. Check out "Stones" from that 7" available for download above. The new Villains album, Lifecode of Decadence, is due "soon" on Nuclear War Now.

And finally, on April 12th, Genghis Tron will headline an eclectic night with Tombs and Wetnurse. Genghis Tron are also playing a show scheduled a few weeks before at Europa, with Converge/Coliseum/the entire Deathwish roster (not really) (tickets). Genghis Tron are also playing Coachella. Tombs will release their new album Winter Hours on Feb 17th. Wetnurse recently played The Charleston with Graf Orlock and Lewd Acts.

Woe and Tombs will team up on Feb 21st to play ABC No Rio with Black Anvil and Bastard Sapling. Later that same night, Tombs plays Death By Audio with Defeatist, Engineer & The Wayward. We interviewed Mike Hill of Tombs here.

Villians & Castevet recently played Public Assembly with the mighty Malkuth and Ipsissimus.

Cannabis Corpse recently played Show No Mercy with Skeletonwitch. Vice Magazine dressed up as the Cannabis Corpse Weed Monster and lived to tell about it. Here's a great quote about the experience:

"The costume smelled of many many many men, and beer, and scrotum, and more beer and MORE scrotes."

February 15th flyer below...

Continue reading "upcoming Show No Mercy lineups, other metal shows, MP3s"