by Fred Pessaro // BBG

One Tail One Head at Inferno Festival, April 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

2012 was a year of considerable personal growth for me, as a person, a photographer and a music fan. As I recounted in my favorite photos of 2012, I got to shoot some of my favorite bands of all time and travel the globe in search of new ones. The beginning of the year was spent dealing with personal drama, and if it werent for key records in my life I shudder to think at where I would be right now. To every band on this list and many who aren't, I cant thank you enough.

First order of business, my musical pallette is much much larger than just a series of metal records. This is NOT a list of my favorite records of the year, because that would surely include other entries from across many different genres. This is, however, a list of some of my favorite heavier records.

To me, the term "heavy" can be defined in many ways, from the elongated riff on a doom record to a noise squall to a particularly punishing punk-rock beatdown. While most of the following records are "heavy" in the traditional "distortion and loud guitars" sense, a few are not. You'll see metal, you'll see deathrock, you'll see raw punk, you'll see hardcore, and many spots in between in the numbered list below. And to answer your question, yes you'll see Swans... right beside D-Clone and Asphyx.

My favorite records of 2012 are below. Hopefully you'll see a connection in favorites or maybe discover something new. Regardless, I hope you found your own favorites of the year whether in this list or outside of it.

Continue reading "The Year in Heavy (Fred Pessaro // BBG's favorite metal, punk & other records of 2012)"

Code Orange Kids at Acheron, Nov 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

We have been robbed of over 10,000 dollars worth of stuff in New Orleans including all our cash, computers and bags. Not sure what we are gonna do from here but thought id let everyone know. Will post descriptions for help soon... if you feel like helping you can donate to our paypal at codeorangekids@yahoo.com. if not thats cool too. we aren't going home obviously so see you at these next few weeks of shows. - [Code Orange Kids]

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

Gaza / Full of Hell @ Acheron, 11/24/2012

Eager to shake off the post-tryptophan Thanksgiving blues, folks came out in droves to Acheron on Saturday (11/24) to catch the Gaza / Code Orange Kids / Full of Hell trek that also featured an appearance from locals Old Wounds. Pictures and video from the chaotic Brooklyn show is below.

The trek rolls onward, heading south and west and eventually ending in Gaza's stomping grounds of Salt Lake City. Check out remaining tour dates below.

Continue reading "Gaza, Code Orange Kids, Full of Hell and Old Wounds played Acheron (pics, video)"

Pallbearer at Knitting Factory, September 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

Decibel Magazine has compiled their annual list of top 40 albums of the year. As usual, there are some surprises but the 2012 top ten is basically a list of nine veterans with only a single newcomer to the bunch. The full list of top records of the year according to Decibel Magazine is below, along with a tweet from the winning band. Buy your copy HERE.

Continue reading "Decibel Magazine's top 40 LPs of 2012"

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

In the wake of the sell-out of A389 2013 in Baltimore, the label has expanded the two-day fest into a full extended weekend! A389 Anniversary will kickoff with a pre-fest show at Ottobar on 1/17/13 featuring Integrity, Withdrawal, Vilipend and Dead Gods , then come to a close with a Sunday matinee on 1/20/13 at Charm City Art Space with Left for Dead, Iron Reagan, God's America and Eddie Brock.

In addition to the previously discussed Friday/Saturday shows at Ottobar, Saturday (1/19) will now feature a matinee at Sidebar with Despise You, Gehenna, Dead in The Dirt, Ancient Shores and WarXGames AND an afterparty with Nothing (who recently toured). None of the newly announced shows will have advanced ticketing; you can only buy them at the door. Full show details are below.

Catharsis has only one show during A389 festival, so what does that mean? Could a tour be in the works?

In other A389 news, the label will release Devoid of Everything, which collects Left for Dead's entire 1996-97 studio output remixed from the original 1/4" multi-track reels. Check out the art above and you can stream a track below. Left for Dead members went on to play in bands like Cursed, Haymaker, Pick Your Side, Burning Love, and many many more. This rare one-time reunion (I was assured!) is not to be missed. Check out some thoughts on the reunion via Chris Colohan here.

Meanwhile, Full of Hell, who plays the Friday show of the fest, is on tour with Gaza now and will play Acheron on 11/24 with Code Orange Kids (tickets).

If you're wondering who Iron Reagan is, the band is prepping to release their 20-track debut Worse Than Dead via A389 in 2013. The band features half of Municipal Waste and members of Darkest Hour and you can stream their demo below alongside details of the A389 festivities.

Continue reading "A389 2013 adds matinee shows/afterparty; Left for Dead reissue and Iron Reagan debut on the way"

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

Gaza at Saint Vitus, June 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

Thanksgiving will be here soon, but don't forget some of the great shows that will go on during the days that follow the holiday! A few unmissable ones include Gaza, Code Orange Kids, Full of Hell, and Old Wounds at Acheron on 11/24 (tickets) and the Festival of the Unknown at Public Assembly. Though the lineup of the latter has yet to be revealed, I have on good authority that it will be well worth attending. Tickets are on sale.

Converge, who recently played Highline Ballroom (review), will headline the Decibel 100th issue Anniversary show in Philadelphia at Union Transfer on 1/19 (tickets). The band will be joined by Pig Destroyer, Repulsion, Municipal Waste, Tombs and Evoken. Check out the show flyer below.

That show flyer, some live video and more suggested NYC shows, below.

Continue reading "Evillive (Converge & Decibel, Festival of the Unknown & more)"

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

Code Orange Kids at Acheron, April 2012 (more by Rebecca Reed)

Code Orange Kids have spent a lot of time on the road in 2012, but the Pittsburgh hardcore/grind quartet managed to make time in the studio too, as the'll soon release Love Is Love // Return To Dust, the band's new Kurt-Ballou-produced LP due via Deathwish Inc on November 20. In all of their recent appearances (including our own SXSW day party), COK have shown tons of promise as a live band and Love mirrors those efforts. It's clear that the band grew up with Converge, but more importantly, Converge's sense of freedom to push boundaries. This is a young band, which makes Love Is Love // Return To Dust all the more compelling to listen to. Stream it in full below.

Code Orange Kids are teaming with another promising batch of young'ns, Full of Hell, as part of a string of dates with Gaza. The shows include an NYC stop at Acheron on 11/24. Tickets are still available.

Stream all of the band's LP and check out their new video for "Flowermouth (The Leech)" below.

Continue reading "Code Orange Kids welcome 'Love Is Love // Return To Dust' (stream it in full)"

Gaza at Saint Vitus, June 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

Salt Lake City's noisy hardcore ambassadors Gaza will team with Pittsburgh punks Code Orange Kids and Maryland hardcore misanthropes Full of Hell for a string of North American dates this November, hitting Brooklyn at Acheron on November 24th with special guest Old Wounds. All dates are listed below.

The tour is in celebration of Gaza's new LP No Absolutes in Human Suffering, out now via Black Market Activities. Its a whopper.

Meanwhile, Code Orange Kids have a new LP on deck in Love Is Love // Return to Dust due via Deathwish on November 20th. NPR is currently streaming the new track "Liars // Trudge", hear it here.

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

Continue reading "Gaza, Code Orange Kids, Full of Hell going on tour, playing the Acheron (2012 dates)"

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

Black Cobra @ Saint Vitus

Black Cobra played a thundering set at Saint Vitus last night (6/25), joined by tourmates Gaza and with opening sets from Sannhet and Marching Teeth. Due to technical difficulties I missed Marching Teeth, but I managed to catch the last few moments of Sannhet's set which was accompanied by a highly impressive light show. I only got pictures of Black Cobra and Gaza and they are in this post.

Gaza's set saw vocalist Jon Parkin pacing along the floor for the majority of their tenure, playing songs from their latest LP No Absolutes in Human Suffering, as well as favorites like "Calf," "He is Never Coming Back" and "Slutmaker" from previous LPs. The crowd parted for the close-to seven-foot tall frontman, forming a mini-melee around him as he bounced from end to end, encouraging crowd singalongs at strategic moments. Gaza is a live juggernaut.

Black Cobra are a bit of an enigma to me; I will forever be puzzled at how two guys and only one amplifier can churn out some of the heaviest punk-influenced sludge-doom. Though Black Cobra has been anything but flawed on the live stage in my recent memory, their Saint Vitus set was a stunner. The crowd was positively electric and performances of songs like "Chronosphere" from 2009's Chronomega LP rank amongst the best I have seen them (I have seen that song performed quite a few times). Great set, so much so that I almost didn't mind that someone spilled an entire whiskey and soda on my camera (adding to my already ongoing gear issues).

More pictures from Saint Vitus are below.

Continue reading "Black Cobra & Gaza on tour, played Saint Vitus (pics)"

photos by Harriet Roberts & Keith Marlowe

OFF! at The Bell House

The Power of The Riff is entering its third year on the West Coast and much like the last two years, the festival will invade Los Angeles during a weekend in middle August. Encompassing 16 bands over two stages at The Echo and Echoplex on August 11th, look for appearances from OFF!, Dr.Know, Repulsion, Noothgrush, Xibalba, Eagle Twin, Power Trip, Ancestors, Alpha & Omega, Gaza, DNF, Retox, The Love Below (who play NYC next week), Avon Ladies, Cop and Hordes. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (6/9) at noon for those East Coasters looking to make the trek.

Off! played a surprise show at Bell House last week with The Bronx after both played local shows in the area at Bowery Ballroom and as part of a Rocks Off Concert Cruise respectively. Pictures from that Bell House appearance are below.

Continue reading "The Power of The Riff LA announces lineup, pictures from the OFF! and Bronx show at Bell House"

by BBG

Salt Lake City band Gaza's reign of terror -- fought with a molotov cocktail of hardcore, sludge, math, and grind -- has a new weapon, a forthcoming set of unholy hymns entitled No Absolutes in Human Suffering. The LP is due via Black Market Activities on July 31st, and you can check out "Mostly Hair & Bones" below, the first song to emerge from that record. If you want to see how deep the rabbit hole goes, make sure to swing by their Facebook page for the lyrics to the song.

As mentioned, Gaza will hit the road with Black Cobra later this month for a tour which brings the two bands to NYC on June 25 at Saint Vitus. Tickets for that show are still available. Corrosion of Conformity and Torche are on some of the dates too, but won't be at the Saint Vitus show.

A list of all dates and the "Mostly Hair & Bones" stream below...

Continue reading "Gaza releasing new LP (stream a track), tour starts soon"

by BBG

Black Cobra at Tone Deaf SXSW 2012 (more by Greg Cristman)

Now that Roadburn 2012 is in their rearview, two man sludge wrecking crew Black Cobra have a new challenge on the horizon, conquering the land down under. The duo will play Australia and New Zealand starting next week and follow-up those dates with ANOTHER set of US dates, this time with Corrosion of Conformity, Torche & Gaza (though all bands are not on all dates). The dates include a stop in NYC at Saint Vitus on June 25th with Gaza. Tickets are on sale. All dates are listed below.

In related news, Torche have released their new LP Harmonicraft, and are streaming it in its entirety at Spin. Look for Torche in the NYC area at Orion Music & Arts Festival.

Gaza is welcoming a new LP in the near future, though details have been spotty thus far. The band, however, has revealed that one song is called "Tebow" and released the lyrics for said song earlier this year. Check out the lyrics at facebook and dig on all tour dates and some video of Black Cobra from Roadburn, below...

Continue reading "Black Cobra touring with Gaza, add show @ Saint Vitus (dates)"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Green Beret - Demo (ZIP)
DOWNLOAD: Social Cickle - "No I Won't" (MP3)

Gaza photos by Dean Chooch Landry

Gaza at Acheron, 11/12

West Coast punks No Statik will return to NYC to play Acheron on January 7th. Details on support are still TBA. This San Francisco band features members of great bands like Artimus Pyle, Scrotum Grinder, and Look Back And Laugh and is streaming some material below.

Agoraphobic Nosebleed is streaming a new set of songs available from their forthcoming flexi in Decibel. Stream those at Soundcloud. Make sure to check out the lyrics, which diss everyone from Scion to Obituary to Kurt Ballou and everyone in between. Speaking of Obituary, I have a pair of tickets available for giveaway for their Saturday (11/19) show at Santos. Details on how to win are below.

After playing a FREE show at Acheron a couple weeks ago, Seraphim will return to play with Pilgrim, Dutchguts and The Year is One on December 15th at Saint Vitus. The band is returning form a recent stint of dates with Pulling Teeth overseas.

Windhand will team with NATUR and Pilgrim for a 3/1 show at Public Assembly. Windhand ripped it at Acheron in their last outing, and their new LP out soon on Forcefield is gold. Ordering details are forthcoming but doom fans, you need this one.

As previously discussed, Brain Killer will lead a Nick Poot memorial show on 11/26 at Tommy's Tavern. Joining the band will be Green Beret, featuring members of the great Social Circkle. Check out their demo above and buy a cassette copy via their label. Social Circkle also recently released their Expiration Date EP via Side Two, check out "No I Won't" from that release above. Fans of 80s style hardcore take note of both.

A full set of photos of Gaza at Acheron on 11/12, a Doomsday Student video, and all suggested shows are below. What did I miss?

Continue reading "Evillive (No Statik, Windhand, Social Circkle, Gaza, Seraphim)"

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

Todd (left) with Tragedy at Chaos in Tejas (more by Keith Marlowe)

Todd Burdette of Tragedy also serves as vocalist for Warcry, who will hit the east coast for a round of dates with Ripper in late October, including 10/29 at Acheron. Full tour schedule is below.

Gaza will team with Defeatist, Tiger Flowers and Don't Give a Fuck for a show on 11/12 at Acheron, for what must be a burgeoning East Coast tour. Details are forthcoming.

If you are like me, then even though Thou played TWICE in NYC in the past week, you are ready to see them again. Hold 10/8 in your calendar, as the boys will play ABC No Rio as part of a round of dates with The Body. Wow.

Reminder: The Boston Strangler hits Acheron tomorrow (9/17). If you can't make it on Saturday, catch members of that band playing with Rival Mob at Acheron on 11/3 with Young Offenders, Airfix Kids, and Give. Give played Acheron last weekend with Night Birds.

Tickets are now on sale for Hull at Mercury Lounge.

More suggested NYC shows, some video from the amazing Despise You show, the latest video from Brainoil, a stream of the new ACXDC EP Second Coming, and much more is below. What did I miss?

Continue reading "Evillive (Warcry, Thou, Boston Strangler, Gaza, ACXDC, more)"

photos by Jonathan McPhail & BBG, words by BBG

Ringworm @ Lovejoys (by BBG)

Ringworm headlined the BrooklynVegan/1000Knives Day Show at Lovejoys on 3/18, the third of four BV-BBG metal shows at SXSW this year. Kicking off a little after noon, the show featured nine bands that mostly were of the hardcore/grind ilk, with the exception of doom overlords Cough.

Owen Hart was the first band of the day and could have been the band of the day. Their furious riffy hard-grind was an excellent way to kick things off, and was one of my favorite sets of the week. Owen Hart fucking rules, so get out and catch 'em at a local house show before they start playing bigger stages.

Salvation left the Lovejoys floor bloodied and battered with their furious hardcore, and were followed up by the always incredible Kill The Client. Vocalist Morgan spent as much time shredding his throat as he did crowdsurfing during the Dallas grinders' killer set. They're an incredible live band propelled by the great Bryan Fajardo (Phobia, Noisear, etc) behind the kit.

KEN Mode's set mirrored the set they played two days earlier at Emo's in intensity and power, and slowed things up a bit before Richmond's 10-ton doom monster Cough. Primarily focused on their latter material, Cough is never anything less than impressive, and the walls shook outside the venue with their high volume doom riffery. Magrudergrind was on tour with Cough and sharing backline, so their slower parts packed an extra umph on Cough's (considerable) gear. Another quick and ballsy set from the always awesome Magrudergrind.

Gaza arrived a bit later than the rest of the gang due to their set at New England Metal & Hardcore Fest, and their off-time, dissonant hardcore was a big hit to the capacity Lovejoys crowd. Inciting gang chants of "He! Is! Never! Coming! BACCCCK!", vocalist Jon Parkin paced back and forth in front of the crowd as his Salt Lake City backing band concentrated their set on latter material.

Wormrot is one of the hardest touring and most impressive grind bands on the scene, and for good reason. Drummer Fit and his lightning fast feet clobber the bass drum and propel the tunes forward with unbelieveable precision and velocity. Meanwhile, guitarist Syid matches Fit's pummeling timing, but does so with a calm/collected manner; at these speeds you'd think Syid would be huffing, puffing and drenched in sweat. Amazing live set.

Ringworm's setlist was focused on Birth is Pain, the band's LP released in 2001 and were every bit as blistering as they were a few months earlier at Fun Fun Fun Fest. Pitting began, Human Furnace's drenched hair whipped about, and the band bruised the crowd past the 7pm curfew playing on an awesome full set. Cleveland's finest, indeed.

In all, I'd like to thank Lovejoys for being so accomodating, Left Hand Brewing for fueling the mayhem, all of the incredible bands, Andy, Merrick, Ron, my partner 1000Knives, and most importantly, everyone who came out to the show! More pictures & some videos, below...

Continue reading "Ringworm, Wormrot, Gaza, Magrudergrind, Cough, KEN Mode, Kill The Client, Salvation & Owen Hart @ Lovejoys (BV-BBG Austin Day 3 pics & video)"

Red Chord/Trap Them/ Gaza photos by Brian Reilly, Kvelertak/Zoroaster by Taylor Keahey, words by BBG

Trap Them in NJ

The Red Chord, Trap Them, and Gaza played The School of Rock in South Hackensack, NJ on Friday (3/11) on the road to SXSW where each band will play a BV event, Trap Them & The Red Chord play Full Metal Texas on 3/17 and Gaza are playing Lovejoys on 3/18 with Ringworm, Wormrot, Magrudergrind, many others. Pictures from the NJ show are in this post

Also on 3/11, but on the other side of the U.S., another participant in Full Metal Texas, Kvelertak, made it into the country and played their first US show at Thee Parkside in San Francisco, CA. Pictures of them and tourmates Zoroaster (unfortunately none of Weedeater) are below.

As you can see in the pictures below, founding bassist Brent of Zoroaster is not on board as part of the current trek. Creative Loafing has more on his absence:

In February, stoner metal stalwarts Zoroaster announced that they were embarking on U.S. and European tours without bassist and founding member Brent Anderson. Although no one involved will divulge any details surrounding the temporary split, it's being characterized by the band as a case of tough love. "The future of Brent and Zoroaster is up to him," drummer Dan Scanlan says. "We felt that he needed to take some time to get his personal affairs in order."

Scanlan adds that Anderson has not been kicked out of the band, but his reinstatement depends on how things look for him when the group's schedule slows down in June.

In the meantime, Scanlan and guitarist Will Fiore have recruited Whores' drummer Travis Owen to fill in playing bass on the road.

Trap Them's smashing new LP, Darker Handcraft, is out now via Prosthetic. Stream the entire thingon NPR.

More pictures and all dates below...

Continue reading "Trap Them, Red Chord, Gaza, Kvelertak & Zoroaster played shows on 3/11, on way to SXSW (pics & dates)"

by BBG

Ringworm at FFF Fest 2010 (more by BBG)

I've been super busy booking bands for FOUR upcoming metal shows in Austin, TX. Let's recap what's announced so far. You know about the free show with Profound Lore on 3/19 at Lovejoys (with Tombs, Dark Castle, The Body, many others) and the free Full Metal Texas (with Trap Them, Hull, Rwake, and more.. stay tuned for the rest of the lineup, including one last addition to our stage).

Now I'm happy to announce the third party which is happening 3/18 at Lovejoys! BrooklynVegan/1000 Knives are proud to present eight more bands including Ringworm! The gods of Clevo-core who will headline an unfucwitable day of 10,000 MPH speed and destruction! Well, destruction for sure. Speed? For the most part.

3/18 at Lovejoys (noon -7pm)
Ringworm
Wormrot
Gaza
Magrudergrind
Cough
KEN Mode
Kill The Client
Salvation
Owen Hart

Check out some videos of some of the bands below...

Continue reading "BrooklynVegan/1000 Knives Austin Day Party @ Lovejoys (lineup includes Ringworm, Wormrot, Gaza & more)"

by BBG

Gaza headlined Cake Shop on November 21st with Tiger Flowers, Meek is Murder, and Elitist, the first stop after their stint with The Red Chord on the "To Catch a PredaTOUR". In their first ever NYC appearance, Gaza's atonal and punishing riffs caused a ruckus on the floor of the venue as the band pummeled the moshing masses with tracks like "Calf", "Windowless House", and a new and unreleased track written since their mammoth 2009 release He is Never Coming Back. Fantastic live band.

Support was similarly impressive. Much like Gaza, Tiger Flowers also trotted out new material in their appearance but also relied on standards like "Last Horse" and "The Weight". Meek is Murder's tech-y screamo was highly energetic and powerful in the live setting, featuring a moshing bass player and a spastic frontman. Their Mosquito Eater EP is available for purchase or for free. Of the support, Elitist was the biggest surprise. The Portland band's gale force destruction reminded me of Trap Them, Clinging To The Trees of A Forest Fire, and a host of other bands that blend the intensity of hardcore, sludge, and grind with a blackened aesthetic. Look for their new material to be released on Season of Mist.

More pictures from the show are below...

Continue reading "Gaza, Tiger Flowers, Meek is Murder, Elitist @ Cake Shop -pics "

by BBG

Gaza

It's rather quiet through the end of the month, though this weekend has a few great choices. First is tonight's (11/19) sold-out Cannibal Corpse show at Santos, then Saturday/Sunday is a BV/1000 Knives doubleheader with Incantation (performing all of Onward to Golgatha) with Mortician, Fatalist & Funerus at Europa (11/20, tickets) and the great Gaza with Tiger Flowers, Meek Is Murder, & Elitist at Cake Shop (11/21). Your heavy show guide to the rest of November, along with video of almost an entire Gaza show that took place recently in Germany, is below,. Did I miss anything?

Continue reading "Evillive (upcoming heavy shows & tours) (Gaza & more)"

by BBG

Gaza at Dudefest (photo by Metal Jeff)

Ask anyone who caught them at Dudefest and they'll tell you, Gaza dropped-jaws and killed the crowd at the Indianapolis metal/hardcore festival, inciting on-stage moshpits and even dives into those moshpits. Things got a little looney.

Gaza also released the sinister He Is Never Coming Back in the tail end of last year via Black Market Activities. It was one of my favorite releases of 2009.

That all said, BrooklynVegan and 1000 Knives are proud to present the discordant and destructive Gaza at Cake Shop with the great Tiger Flowers on November 21st. The show is the final day of their tour following a string of dates with The Acacia Strain, The Red Chord, Terror, and The Contortionist.

Full Gaza dates and some video is below.

Continue reading "Gaza playing NYC after "To Catch A PredaTOUR" (dates) "

by BBG

Dave Verellen of Narrows (more by Samantha Marble)

Another year gone, but not without lasting memories! Eyehategod (x2). Akitsa. Rorschach (x2). BV-BBG @ CMJ. Ludicra. BV @ Northside. Keelhaul... Not to mention the tons of memories jogged by my turntable and iPod. Estimates place the number of albums released in 2008 at 115,000, and while similar data for 2009 is scarce, I think that number seems on the low side. With so many to choose from, you can imagine that it was tough to sift through 20 (22 actually) that represented my year...

Continue reading "The Year in Metal (BBG's best of 2009)"

Baroness @ Bowery Ballroom - 11/20/2009 (more by Tim Griffin)

BBG will publish his own list of the best metal albums of 2009, but in the meantime here's what Decibel Magazine had to say:

Continue reading "Decibel's Top 40 Metal Albums of 2009 "

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Gaza - "Widowless House" (MP3)

Gaza (photo by Amelia Primé)

Gaza do not hail from that contested strip in the Middle East, but much like its indigenous people, they are waging a holy war... AGAINST religion. It's a long hard campaign, especially in Utah (the band's home) where the population skews 78% Christian, but Gaza began the fight in 2004 with the East EP, followed by 2006's criminally underrated I Don't Care Where I Go When I Die. Combining Botch-y math, grindcore, Holy Terror aesthetics, and even a little Portal-like darkness, it's hard to argue that this band is fucking EVIL.

Now comes word that Gaza is on the verge of unleashing He Is Never Coming Back, a NEW LP for Black Market Activities (Guy from The Red Chord's label). Due on 11/10, the LP was produced by Andy Patterson (Bluetip, Shelter, State Of The Nation) and features 14 tracks, one of which is the gnashing, antisocial beast "Windowless House" which is available for download above. It's a must.

So far Gaza has only a pair of dates on their calendar, joining up with Baroness and Earthless in Denver and SLC (dates below). Watch out for these guys when they come to your town, not only at the nearest stage but lurking around a dimly lit corner with a rusty knife in hand.

Speaking of Portal, we recently debuted a new track from the band in The Week In Metal.

Look out for my interview with Dave Witte coming TODAY, just in time for the BV and 1000 Knives Presents Burnt By The Sun show at Cake Shop!

Cake Shop isn't the only BV sponsored heavy show this weekend either... make sure and get out to Woe / Aluk Todolo / Malkuth / Castevet at Union Pool on SUNDAY (10/4). You can win tickets!

Full tour dates, the album tracklisting, and videos of their incendiary performance at Dudefest 2009 (where a pit started on stage) are available below...

Continue reading "Gaza debuts new track from LP He Is Never Coming Back"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Saviours - "Acid Hand" (MP3)

Battlefields

Battlefields are hitting the road (again) this time with Overmars and TWO dates in NYC. Europa gets the bands on August 16th and The Charleston gets them on Septemeber 3rd. Full tour dates are below. Battlefields' massive Thresholds of Imbalance was released earlier this year while Overmars' Büccolision EP dropped in the tail end of last year.

Marduk, who are coming to the US and playing Gramercy with Tombs and Black Anvil, have announced the title for their new album. Behold Wormwood.

Black Anvil are playing a free show at Duff's TONIGHT (6/27).

Asphyx's Death... The Brutal Way is out now overseas, but the LP will drop on Ibex Moon in the US on September 1. Look for the LP honors to be handled by War Anthem Records and the limited edition CD to come with a DVD of their 2007 reunion show in Germany. Until then, dig on the music video for the title track below. In related news, Martin Van Drunen's other band, Hail of Bullets, will release a limited MCD (2000 copies) entitled Warsaw Rising on July 17th.

That video, plus news on Dark Castle, Suffocation, Saviours, Gaza, sunn 0))) and more as This Week In Metal continues...

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (06/27/09)"