As discussed, Unearthly Trance may have gone the way of the mastodon, but their mammoth doom riffs trample on in Serpentine Path, the new band featuring members of UT plus Tim of Ramesses/Electric Wizard fame. You can read an interview with them from last year for more info.

The band released their debut 7" via Parasitic last year, and now the band is preparing to release their debut LP via Relapse Records on September 11 which you can preorder here. We're debuting the track from the album, "Only a Monolith Remains," below and you can stream another track as well.

So far no word on any live shows, but I'd get my earplugs ready. They're-a-comin'.

Continue reading "Serpentine Path preps debut LP (stream two new songs)"

by BBG

Saint Vitus

Arguably the centerpiece of the entire Maryland Deathfest lineup was the return of the UK doom juggernaut Electric Wizard (pictures HERE), so suffice it to say that a large portion of the Sunday (on 5/28) roster leaned in that direction. Doom legends Saint Vitus headlined the second stage that night, while the bluesy Church of Misery, glacially-paced Cough, zen-like Yob and eclectic Rwake all represented for the genre.

The rest of the day fell all over the map, from speedy straight-edge to grind, black metal to crust, and death metal of the technical and primitive sorts. The odd-experimentalism of Bethlehem caught my ear the most, but sets from the always entertaining Suffocation, Disma, Pentagram (black/thrash from Chile), Ulcerate, Mortuary Drape and Agents of Abhorrence were similarly fun. I unfortunately arrived too late to catch Backslider or Coke Bust. Demonical's old school Swedish death metal sounded excellent but didn't put on much of a live show and my flirtation with Morgoth was interrupted in favor of Rwake's full set.

More pictures from the final day at Maryland Deathfest is below. If you missed it, check out pictures from day 1 HERE (and Rorschach HERE), day 2 HERE and day 3 HERE.

Continue reading "Maryland Deathfest Day 4: Saint Vitus, Mortuary Drape, Bethlehem, Rwake, Church of Misery, Disma and more"

by BBG

Electric Wizard at Maryland Death Fest 5/27/12

Between Godflesh (who headlined Friday) and Electric Wizard who wrapped things up on Sunday (5/27), Maryland Deathfest was a must see event for fans of metal in the US. Though rain slowed the opening of Electric Wizard's approach to the outdoor stage on Sunday, they nonetheless made it on stage for their first US appearance in eleven years. The UK quartet, sporting an entirely new rhythm section, were definitely worthy of said top slot, playing material from across their catalog to legions of fist-raised fans.

Check out pictures, a partial setlist, an video of Deathfest set below. If you missed it, check out photos from day 1 HERE (and Rorschach HERE), day 2 HERE, day 3 HERE and day 4 HERE.

Continue reading "Electric Wizard played Maryland Deathfest (pictures, video, partial setlist)"

by BBG

If you're anything like me, you spent the weekend wishing you were at Roadburn 2012. This year's Tilburg festival included Voivod performing Dimension Hatröss in full. Luckily youtube allows us to live vicariously through the weekend, and you can stream the entirety of Voivod's set, along with video recaps of each of the four days of this year's fest, below.

Roadburn announced their 2013 edition recently as well... featuring curator Jus Osborn of Electric Wizard!

As curator, Jus Oborn will personally select the bands that will play during the special event at Roadburn, and Electric Wizard will perform a special headline show... Their horror film fixation and psychedelic tendencies are completely in tune with Roadburn and their music is loved by all who come to our festival, so it makes perfect sense that Jus Oborn will be the next in the select group of curators that includes David Tibet, Neurosis, Tom Gabriel Warrior, Sunn 0))), and Voivod. In addition to Jus curating, Electric Wizard will be bringing their live show to Roadburn on Friday, April 19th, 2013.

Jus also shared these thoughts regarding the event "I am planning the ultimate ELECTRIC ACID ORGY...its gonna be sick...only the heaviest, most evil drugmetal possible and we will bring our mind altering light show and visuals. Also we are gonna have a room showing all our favourite horror and sleaze movies...Roadburn 2013 is gonna be a real 'bad' trip ...hahahahaha."

Electric Wizard (with a reportedly all new rhythm section?) will play Maryland Deathfest this year.

2012 Roadburn video reports, Voivod's performance and the NSFW Roadburn 2013 flyer, below...

Continue reading "Roadburn 2013 curator revealed; watch Voivod perform 'Dimension Hatross' & more video from Roadburn 2012"

Justin Broadrick with Godflesh at Roadburn 2011 (more by Stefan Raduta)

Maryland Deathfest 2012 is looking insane with some killer additions! Names like Electric Wizard, Godflesh, Winter, Confessor, Tsjuder, Negura Bunget, Looking For An Answer, Haemorrage, and many others. Full lineup thus far is below.

Stream the new Thou EP, The Archer and The Owle, at Metalsucks. Members of Thou may or may not be in the band Barghest, who recently released their debut LP via Gilead. Order a copy via the label and stream it in its entirety below. Be on the look out for upcoming Thou dates on the east coast....

Gilead is also welcoming the new LP from False, a two song self-titled 12" of black-metal misanthropy. Furious stuff, check it out for yourself below.

Stream a new song by The Atlas Moth from their forthcoming An Ache For The Distance at Stereogum. Look for the Lp on Profound Lore in September, and look out for upcoming tour dates, including the East Coast!

If you missed it, From Ashes Rise will be in NYC on 8/15 with Full of Hell & Night Birds.

Tickets are on sale for the previously discussed Weedeater/Oxbow/Bison BC/Fight Amp show at Europa on 9/10. A reminder, tickets are still available for the previously discussed Toxic Holocaust/Holy Grail/Krum Bums show at Europa on 8/19.

Ampere will play Stolen Sleeves on Saturday (7/23) in celebration of their new LP Like Shadows due on No Idea. Stream four new tracks.

Rwake is streaming a new song at NPR from the LP Rest due on September 27th via Relapse. A reminder, CT will be in NYC for the Slow Southern Steel premiere at Knitting Factory on 8/13 with The Gates of Slumber, Cough, and Earthling.

More reccomended shows, updated Despise You/Magrudergrind dates and a video flyer, the MDF 2012 linuep, streams and more are below.

Continue reading "Evillive (MDF 2012, Thou, False, The Atlas Moth, Rwake, 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) "

DOWNLOAD: Black Anvil - "Ten Talons Deep" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Transitional - "This Paradise Pt. 1" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Capricorns - "November Suicides" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Capricorns - "The Bell Rang Backwards" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Phobia - "Protest/Solution" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Phobia - "Savannah's Assault" (MP3)

Agalloch

Folkin' black proggers Agalloch has announced that they are at work on their fourth LP, the follow-up the the critically acclaimed Ashes Against The Grain! The band recently parted ways with The End and "have received several offers ranging from the ridiculous to the very interesting" with respect to a new home, but no decision is expected until 2009. Meanwhile, Agalloch also announced the release of The Demonstration Archive, a retrospective of songs from 1996 - 1998 before they signed to the label. For more info on The Demonstration Archive, including how to pick it up, head here.

As we announced a couple weeks ago, doomy instrumental trio Capricorns have released River Bear Your Bones in jolly old England, but the US will see the record on September 30th. Have no fear, as we have posted 25% of the whole record (above) for you to download!

Intronaut's new record, Prehistoricisms, is up for preorder, with or without a limited edition tee ($4 more). Check out "The Literal Black Cloud" from Prehistoricisms here.

Black Anvil

World, Black Anvil. Black Anvil, world. I wish it was that easy, because word needs to get out on these grim lords constructed from ex-members of Kill Your Idols. Drawing from early black metal and thrash and with only an occasional foray into Emperor-style tremolo picking, their new LP Time Insults The Mind is an unholy creature of shadow. Check out "Ten Talons Deep" available for download above and the video of the band tearing through "Deathsomnia" (also from Time...). and pick up the record at Momentum Records when it drops. The band is also playing Traxx in Ronkonkoma on August 23rd and The Charleston on Sept 30th.

That video, plus Neurosis, Coalesce, Converge, Municipal Waste, Rosetta, sunn 0))), Corrupted and more after the jump...

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (08/07/08)"