words by BBG, photos by Paul Birman

Tis the season for corpsepaint? The coal-in-stocking crowd was on hand... to catch Marduk's first proper trek around the country since dropping off the Blackenedfest tour earlier this year. A good portion of the crowd appeared to have already spent their Christmas money on elaborate spiked armbands that could be classified as weapons.

Openers Merrimack played streamlined and fierce French black metal to a gathering crowd, bedecked in enough spikes to host a shish kabob dinner.

Marduk closed the evening... [and could have] been on edge; a fan at an earlier southern California show tried to torch a Bible and an overzealous security guard shot pepper spray, forcing the venue to clear for 10 minutes. In San Francisco, Marduk didn't withhold crowd pleasers from Panzer Division, Opus Nocturne and early tracks like "Still F-ing Dead." But the strongest moments were from recent albums including "Into Utter Madness," and "Phosphorous Redeemer" from Wormwood and "The Leveling Dust," from Rom 5:12. The more expansive Marduk tracks showed a side to the band neglected by fans who stick to earlier albums... Marduk's latest albums have showcased a rejuvenated band that is heading in more creative directions than at any point during their career. But on this night they might have been slightly bested by Nachtmystium, who buckled down and showed where black metal is headed as we enter the new decade. [About.com]

Marduk joined dark forces with Nachtmystium, Mantic Ritual, Merrimack, Black Anvil, and Dimentianon at Gramercy Theater on Wednesday (12/16) as part of Marduk's US Plague tour, their second trek to the US and at that venue this year. The above review comes from the band's San Francisco gig, the same show known for the infamous Mortuus hip toss. Word has it that the NY show saw Nachtmystium joined by Merrimack vocalist Terrorizt for a cover of GG Allin's "I Kill Everything I Fuck".

More pics from the show are below...

Continue reading "Marduk, Black Anvil, Merrimack, Manic Ritual & Nachtmistium @ Gramercy Theatre in NYC - pics"

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: Portal - "Larvae" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pelican - "Strung Up From The Sky" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Heims - "W.O.F." (Edit) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Heims - "Heims" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Merrimack - "In The Halls Of White Death" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Gnaw Their Tongues - "Rife With Teeth" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Mammoth Grinder - "Frozen" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Mammoth Grinder - "Total Extinction" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Converge - "Dark Horse" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Kowloon Walled City - "Clockwork" (MP3)

Yes, that is a clock on his head.

Portal is currently prepping their new album, Swarth, for release via Profound Lore on 10/20. For the unaware, Portal is definitely an odd duck (in the best way possible!), as the Aussies employ discordant chord patterns ala French BM masterminds Deathspell Omega, and a generally discomforting atmosphere abounds. Dig on the extremely promising "Larvae" from Swarth available above! The abstract blackened death metal band from Australia is also one of a few bands that have already been announced for Maryland Deathfest 2010 along with additions like Gorguts, Asphyx, Wolfbrigade, Gridlink, Impaled, and many many noteable others! Full MDF list is below.

Mammoth Grinder has released their new LP, Extinction of Humanity, which is available via Cyclopean Records. The band, which (as we know) shares members with Hatred Surge & Iron Age, combines an old school death metal approach of Entombed / Dismember with the charge of hardcore. Their new LP delivers on the promises made on No Results. Check out a pair of MP3s from Extinction of Humanity available for download above!

As previously discussed, Gnaw Their Tongues are releasing All The Dread Magnificence Of Perversity on 9/8 via Crucial Blast. Check out a song from the LP above, "Rife With Teeth".

In case you somehow missed it, the new Converge track, "Dark Horse" premiered on Stereogum last week. Axe To Fall has been in heavy rotation since I received a copy of this bad boy a few weeks ago, and I think that this could be their best record since Jane Doe. Check out the MP3 above and judge for yourself.

Pelican

Their show with sunn O))) / Earth / Eagle Twin is little more than three weeks away (tix), and now Pelican has dropped a new MP3 for download from their LP, What We All Come To Need. Dig on "Strung Up From The Sky" above. Helmed by Chris Common (These Arms Are Snakes) in July and featuring appearances from Greg Anderson (sunn O))), Goatsnake, etc), Aaron Turner (Isis), Ben Verellen (Harkonen, Helms Alee), and Alan Epley (Life And Times), the new album is set to blast off at their new home, Southern Lord. Look for Pelican to hit the road with Black Cobra and Disappearer for a fall tour. Black Cobra also recently signed to Southern Lord.

As previously discussed, Kowloon Walled City, is currently prepping their new LP Gambling On The Richter Scale for release 9/29 on The Perpetual Motion Machine. Preorders for the new Kowloon Walled City are up here, but meanwhile, dig on one of the tracks from the LP, "Clockwork", above.

More on Teitanblood, Heims, Slow Southern Steel, Rise & Fall, Municipal Waste, Circle Of Dead Children, and many more as This Week in Metal continues...

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (09/01/09)"

by Black Bubblegum

Touring Division Marduk (more by Chris La Putt)


Marduk JUST destroyed NYC, but just in time for the birth of Christ, the unholy black metallers are back for more! Marduk will hit the road with Nachtmystium, Black Anvil, Mantic Ritual, and Merrimack to play a string of US dates which include Gramercy on 12/16. So far only Nachtmystium, Black Anvil, and Merrimack are confirmed for Gramercy, and ticket info is forthcoming.

In the meantime, Black Anvil is scheduled to play a few dates in the coming weeks, including FOUR NYC shows. One show is the previously discussed super-mega Burnt By The Sun / Tombs / Bloodhorse riffstravaganza at Cake Shop on 10/2. On September 3rd the band will play a FREE show at Fontana's as part of the Time Insults The Mind re-release celebration (stream that LP here). On 9/18, Black Anvil will join Cold Northern Vengeance, Whiplash, Enforcer and many others at Europa for September Slaughter Thrashfest. Tickets are on sale. Last, but certainly not least, Black Anvil is also scheduled to take on Urgehal, Spearhead, and *cough*Eyes of Noctum*cough* at Europa on 9/14, Urgehal's first US tour! Tickets are on sale.

Another killer band who recently played a free show at Fontana's, the mighty Howl, will join the thrashtastic (and fun) Toxic Holocaust, Atakke, and Battletorn at Europa on 9/6. Tickets are still available. The Toxic Holocaust date fits snugly between a Hatebreed and a Satyricon tour, but the band is also scheduled to hit the road with The Black Dahlia Murder, Skeletonwitch, and Trap Them (no NYC dates though).

Satyricon has scheduled a NYC date on that tour, though without Toxic Holocaust and with Bleeding Through & Chthonic at Irving Plaza on 10/25. Tickets are on sale.

Skeletonwitch has a new album on the way via Prosthetic on 10/13, Breathing The Fire. Pre-order that here.

Nachtmystium recently dropped their Doomsday Derelicts EP, via their Battle Kommand imprint.

Flyers for the Marduk & Urgehal tours, Breathing The Fire cover art, a few videos and all tour dates are below....

Continue reading "Marduk, Black Anvil, Nachtmystium, Merrimack & Mantic Ritual tour dates & other upcoming metal shows"