by BBG

Midnight at Rites of Darkness (more by BBG)

2011 was a year that I spent delving deep into record bins, in the pit at shows, and searching for the most brutal of the brutal at festivals across the country including Maryland Deathfest, Chaos in Tejas, Rites of Darkness, SXSW, the A389 Anniversary show, California Discord Fest, and many others. It was also a year when I revisited my hardcore roots, and went further down the rabbit hole with DIY shows and independent records.

2011's choices for best of the year were tougher than I could have imagined, as opposed to my clear cut 2010 choice for favorite album of the year. That said, favorite records are about playability, and these are the LPs that wore out my needle and earned the most plays on my digital device (note: I made sure to remove a record that I was directly involved in because that would clearly be near the top of the list). I hope you enjoyed these records as much as I did in 2011 and if not, please share what you enjoyed below. I already can't wait for 2012.

My favorite records and shows of 2011 are below.

Continue reading "The Year in Heavy (BBG's favorite records & shows of 2011)"

by BBG

Seven Sisters of Sleep at A389 2011 (more by BBG)

Seven Sisters of Sleep (mems Tafkata) are two for two with releases in 2011, dropping both their excellent debut and their similarly crushing split with Children of God this year. Get both at A389. Though no full East Coast trek has been planned, Seven Sisters of Sleep will join the great All Pigs Must Die, labelmates Low Places, and NYC's Grudges for an NYC date at Acheron on 1/20, just a few days after the always awesome A389 Anniversary show at Sonar in Baltimore with Eyehategod, Gehenna, and many others.

All Pigs Must Die was recently given an "honorable mention" in Pitchfork's top metal of 2011 list (though no shout out for Seven Sisters of Sleep). Check out the full list, along with some streaming APMD material and a few videos below...

Continue reading "Pitchfork lists the best metal of 2011, All Pigs Must Die & Seven Sisters of Sleep schedule a Brooklyn show"

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.

photos by Carmelo Espanola, words by BBG

YOB @ Subterranean in Chicago

Doom fans, its finally here. That approaching rumble you hear is the Yob/Dark Castle tour which crash lands in NYC TODAY (7/12) at Le Poisson Rouge with Batillus (tickets). It's gonna get loud. In celebration of the show, we are proud to offer a MEGA-prizepack at our Facebook page including a pair of tickets to the show AND the soundcheck(!) and much much more! Head on over for more details.

The Yob/Dark Castle tour hit Subterranean in Chicago on 7/8, teaming with the great Indian. Pictures from that show are below, along with all updated tour dates!

Continue reading "YOB & Dark Castle are here (NYC TONIGHT - win tix), played Subterranean in Chicago (pics)"

words & photos by BBG, more photos by Greg Cristman

Indian

Indian headlined two shows in NYC over the weekend. The second took place during and near the epicenter of the Pride celebration (at Generation Records on 6/26). The first was a proper nighttime gig featuring the NYC debut of seven-piece Chicagoans Bloodiest (featuring Bruce Lamont on vox), and the return of Hallux. Saturday's Union Pool show started a bit late due to the free K-Holes gig outside, but ran past curfew with all bands getting their full (booming) sets.

Hallux, who shares a drummer with D. Charles Speer, opened the Brooklyn show at 9:45, playing a ripping set of sludgy pummel. It had been a while since I last saw Hallux's awesome early-Melvins riffs... definitely way too long.

The seven-piece (all fitting on Union Pool's stage!) Bloodiest followed, and the Relapse-signed band played a post-rock influenced set with touches of later Earth and Morricone, punctuated by Neurosis style riffing on three guitars. Passages from the 40 minute set were dressed up with keyboards and the unique vocal stylings of Bruce Lamont, taking it from more standard post-metal fare to something more interesting. Following their set, Bloodiest quickly loaded out of the venue to return to Chicago for a double-header of shows with Califone the next day.

The Relapse-signed Indian headlined the night, playing uber-evil sludgy doom with members of favorites like Wolves in The Throne Room and Lord Mantis. The band's booming full stacks bellowed tracks from their latest monster Guiltless, which has recieved some significant rotation over here at casa del BBG.

More pictures and some video from Union Pool, below...

Continue reading "Indian, Bloodiest & Hallux played Union Pool (pics & video)"

by BBG

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

Disma at Union Pool last year (more by BBG)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pollution has called it quits. Bum. Out.

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

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

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

by BBG

Indian

Chicago metal bands Indian and Bloodiest both released killer albums on Relapse in the past year, and the two bands will team up to play a Brooklyn show together at Union Pool on June 25th. Hallux is also on the bill. $10 gets you in the door. Flyer below.

Indian and Hallux will also team up for a free show at Generation Records at 2PM the next day (6/26). More info is available at the Facebook invite.

Indian returned to the studio and released their latest LP Guiltless in April via Relapse. The sludge/doom release is their first in three years, as the band has been occupied in other projects like Lord Mantis, Wolves In The Throne Room, and A Storm of Light.

A Storm of Light kicks off their tour with Tombs at The Studio at Webster Hall in NYC WEDNESDAY with Bastard Sapling (Panzerbastard has sadly cancelled their appearance). Tickets for the NYC show are still available. Flyer below.

Bloodiest, which features the great Bruce Lamont (of solo/Yakuza fame), also recently released their LP for Relapse, Descent. Stream that LP in full, with all dates and flyers, below....

Continue reading "Relapse labelmates Indian & Bloodiest playing a show, A Storm of Light kicking off tour w/ Tombs"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Arckanum - "Þursvitnir" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Impetuous Ritual - "Ceremonial Disembowelment" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Amenra - "Wear My Crown" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fistula - "Bi-Polar Bear" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fight Amp - "Be Safe" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: KEN Mode - Holiday Sampler (Zipped MP3s)
DOWNLOAD: Elder - "Friendly Fire" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Struck By Lightning - "False Hope" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ludicra - "A Larger Silence" (MP3)

Dark Castle @ Union Pool (more by Sam Marble)

In recent months, the upswing in metal coverage on BV has rendered the moniker "Week In Metal" unnecessary. Small blurbs in "WIM" (as we call it around here) about Dark Castle have given way to photosets from their shows and posting of tour dates as they happen. Chalk it up to progress.

Starting this week, we will introduce a bit of a new direction for the old Week In Metal column, but without straying too far from the previous. The new column, entitled Short Wave Warfare, will scale back a bit, focusing on news that falls below the radar as well as shining a spotlight on new bands and upcoming shows in the NYC area. It won't be weekly. I hope you enjoy it.

Stay tuned for more upcoming shows in addition to Coalesce at Europa, Magrudergrind at Cake Shop, and The Hope Conspiracy at Union Pool, as well as a year-end best of 2009 post from myself and some of my favorite artists.

Thanks for reading. News on Portal, Oxbow, Master's Hammer, a collaboration between sunn O))) and Ulver, a new Haiyaino Daisuki & Gridlink, Amenra, Earthride, Kreator, Mammoth Grinder and so much more as (the new) Short Wave Warfare continues below....

Continue reading "Short Wave Warfare (12/9/09) (formerly This Week in Metal)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Minsk - "Three Moons" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Magrudergrind - "Excommunicated" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Magrudergrind - "Lyrical Ammunition For Scene Warfare" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Afgrund - "Klinisk Digital Kyla" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Afgrund - "Borja Fran Noll" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Thou - "Into The Void" (Black Sabbath cover, MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Thou - "Sweet Leaf" (Black Sabbath cover, MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Thou - "Lord Of This World" (Black Sabbath cover, MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Thou - "Black Sabbath" (Black Sabbath cover, MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Black Pyramid - "Visions of Gehenna" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Gnaw Their Tongues - "Rife with Deep Teeth Marks" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Complete Failure - Heal No Evil (ZIPPED MP3 Album)

Lots of ground to cover, since we missed ya last week, so lets get right to it with the mighty Minsk! The Chicagoan's new album With Echoes In The Movement Of Stone is out now, and it definitely delivers on the promises of The Ritual Fires of Abandonment. Highly recommended, as evidenced by the monstrosity "Three Moons" available for download above!

At The Charleston on 5/29, I managed to catch the pummeling Magrudergrind along with the equally awesome powerviolence of The Endless Blockade. The pair are touring surrounding their MDF appearance, and while TEB doesn't have a new album out, Magrudergrind DOES; a self-titled LP available now via Willowtip! Cop that here, and cop a pair of songs from the record above!

Also up at Willowtip, the new LPs by Defeatist and Afgrund! The new Defeatist LP, Sharp Blade Sinks Deep Into Dull Minds, is actually a compilation of previous EPs and other releases, but definitely provides a good preview as to what these grinders are about before their new LP drops (soon). Meanwhile Afgrund's new LP, Vid Helvetets Grindar, is also on preorder. Check out the band's deathgrind-y groove on tracks like "Klinisk Digital Kyla", "Borja Fran Noll", both downloadable above.

Check out two noteworthy streams... Khanate's Clean Hands Go Foul and Xasthur's All Reflections Drained. Both albums are out NOW via Hydra Head Records. In the meantime, check out an awesome interview with James Plotkin of Khanate and make sure and buy that Khanate hunting knife too!

Goes Cube are finally home from their tour promoting the massive Another Day Has Passed. Their "homecoming show" is scheduled for tonight (6/5) at Union Hall with The Detachment Kit amd The Thin Man. Tickets are still available.

Ancestors have completed recording their follow-up to last year's Neptune With Fire. Featuring four songs, and three interludes, I had a chance to preview a few tracks which are definitely as epic as their previous material, and just as compelling. Look for Sera Timms from Black Math Horseman and David Scott Stone to make an apperance on the as-yet untitled LP, and look for more news very soon!

A member of Pelican and a member of Tombs have agreed to a "bro tat" commemorating their current tour together. So what you say? YOU can decide what it is! Pictures from their recent show together at Irving Plaza are HERE in case you missed them.

Iron Age and Sex Vid are in town this weekend. More info, dates, and an MP3 from Iron Age's Tee Pee Records debut, HERE.

Liturgy have been added to our Northside Festival showcase. Howl have been added to the roster of Relapse Records, and we just got word that so were Black Anvil!

Black Pyramid has released their new self-titled LP on the doom stable Meteor City Records. While vocalist Andy Beresky comes off sounding like J.D. Cronise at times (NOT a bad thing), these Massachusetts boys definitely are in a whole different category than The Sword. With an ability to balance their bombastic blues riffs with stylistic touches of the greats (ie Electric Wizard, Sleep, Pentagram, etc) without sounding derivative, check out a video for Black Pyramid's "And The Gods Made War/Visions of Gehenna" below and download "Visions of Gehenna" above! Full BP tour dates are below, including their appearance at the Stoner Hands Of Doom Festival.

That video and Thou, Indian, Ulver, Brutal Truth, Wolves In The Throne Room, Municipal Waste, and Narrows as This Week In Metal Continues...

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (06/05/09)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Minsk - White Wings from The Ritual Fires Of Abandonment (mp3)
DOWNLOAD: The Ocean - Eoarchaean from Precambrian (Link to mp3)

The Ocean live in Milan, Nov 4, 2007 (nerochiaro)

Deutchlanders The Ocean have announced a date (May 26) at the Knitting Factory in NYC with Kylesa, AND Lair Of The Minotaur! New Prostethic signees Withered will also be on hand to start off the night. Tickets are on sale. No word on a full tour, but there is one in the works. The Ocean is currently in Europe with Trap Them. Lair Of The Minotaur have a new album out March 25th.

Illinois' Nachtmystium have released details on their new LP... and EP! Yepper, thats a double whammy from the Chicago dudes with the killer "Instinct". Check out the new song "Your True Enemy" from full-length Assassins and "Depravity" from their Worldfall e.p. at their myspace.

One group heavily influenced by the newly reformed Amebix (along with Hellhammer/early Celtic Frost) is Gallhammer, who have released the limited edition gatefold 2LP of last year's triumphant Ill Innocence. Pick that up at Peaceville and look for the recently announced DVD for "Ruin Of A Church", documenting their 2007 tour with production/audio mix by Justin Broadrick.

Don't miss the pre-sale for the recently-announced At The Gates reunion tour dates.

Much more below.....

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (03/10/08)"