by Fred Pessaro

The Windhand tour and the Kings Destroy record release party converged at Saint Vitus on a rainy Friday night (6/7), joined by supporting sets from Clamfight! and Belus (members of Mortals). More pictures are up at Invisible Oranges.

Kings Destroy's new LP, A Time of Hunting, is out now via War Crime Recordings, a venture between Sanford Parker (ex-Nachtmystium, Minsk, etc), Bruce Lamont (Yakuza, Bloodiest, solo work) and others. The label also recently released the debut effort from Corrections House.

Speaking of new records, Windhand will release their new LP Soma via Relapse on September 17 with more detals are on the way soon.

by Fred Pessaro

Windhand at Acheron in 2011 (more by Fred Pessaro)

As mentioned, Windhand teams with Clamfight and Belus for the Kings Destroy Record Release show tonight at Saint Vitus. Tickets are still available for the show, part of a larger tour for the new Relapse signees! Kings Destroy are welcoming their new LP A Time of Hunting via War Crime Recordings. Stream it in full below.

Chris Black and his amazing Dawnbringer project have added an NYC show at Saint Vitus Bar on July 26 with Crypter and "Special Guests TBA." Ticketing info is on the way. Unmissable!

InvisibleOranges has been prettyyy busy lately, logging reports from Maryland Deathfest (pictures from Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, and a report from Andy O'Connor and another from Scab Casserole) and Chaos in Tejas (Pics from Day 1, Day 2, Day3, Day 4 and a set from Carmelo Espanola). We streamed the new Vestiges/Panopticon, Hatred Surge, Zirakzigil, Noisem, Ramming Speed, Dressed in Streamsthe Eolian Empire comp, Man's Gin, and so much more. Make sure and head to InvisibleOranges for your metal news and recaps.

For suggested metal/hardcore/punk shows, head to our fancy new NYC Metal Calendar. It rules. Head below for  streams from Windhand, Kings Destroy and more.

Continue reading "Evillive (Windhand, Kings Destroy, Dawnbringer & more)"

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

Windhand at Acheron, 2011 (more by Fred Pessaro)

Richmond, Virginia, doomers Windhand have announced US dates for the East Coast and beyond. The band, who recently dropped a split 12-inch with Cough and released one of my favorite albums of 2012, will bless NYC in Brooklyn as part of that routing, tagging Saint Vitus on June 7. Tickets are on sale for this InvisibleOranges-sponsored event.

Belus, Clamfight and Kings Destroy will join Windhand at Saint Vitus, with the latter celebrating the release of their new album A Time of Hunting due on Wartime Records (run by Bruce Lamont / Sanford Parker). Check out the video for the lead track "Stormbreak" which makes its premiere below.

Windhand recently announced their signing to Relapse, so look for the band to road-test material at the dates listed below.

Continue reading "Windhand on tour (dates), playing NYC with Kings Destroy who have a new video and upcoming LP on Wartime "

Windhand at Acheron, Aug 2011 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

Cough and Windhand are two of the strongest young doom bands on the scene, and not only do they share a hometowm of Richmond, VA and some influences, but they also share a member in bassist Parker Chandler and now a label home, Relapse. The label will release their new full-length, but before that Relapse has a split with Cough due next week. Stream that in its entirety below and order yours at the label.

Cough are currently touring their way toward Roadburn 2013 and Heavy Days in Doomtown, and Windhand will play US dates shortly thereafter. Those Windhand dates include a stop at Saint Vitus on June 7. Ticketing info is forthcoming.

All dates are listed, along with streams, below.

Continue reading "Windhand & Cough releasing split, touring (dates, stream)"

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)"

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

Windhand at Public Assembly (more by Greg Cristman)

Windhand has been add to the previously discussed Primitive Weapons, Mares of Thrace, Pilgrim show at Saint Vitus on August 3rd. Make sure and get there early... don't miss them!

Thanks to everyone who came out to 285 Kent last night. It was pretty insane, and I couldnt have done it without the perpetually down boys in Trash Talk, OFWGKTA, the amazing staff of 285 Kent and Todd P. But most of all, thanks to everyone who came.

I'm gonna keep it short and sweet this week. Have a great weekend and maybe see you at some of the shows listed below! What did I miss?

Continue reading "Evillive (Windhand, Trash Talk) "

photos by Greg Cristman, words by BBG

Natur @ Public Assembly

Thrashy Brooklyn crew Natur headlined a mostly doom bill at Public Assembly on March 1st, featuring appearances from Richmond's Windhand, Providence's Pilgrim and Boston newcomers Magic Circle. The show, part of a larger tour for Natur & Pilgrim, was the first of a set of dates before both hit SXSW and a sort of celebration for Pilgrim's well-executed Misery Wizard LP.

For Magic Circle, which features members of Rival Mob, Boston Strangler, Innumerable Forms, Mind Eraser, and more, the Public Assembly date was their live debut. So far the band has nothing more than a demo to speak of, but we'll keep an eye out. In the meantime, keep on the lookout for Boston Strangler's debut LP Primitive (out now via Fun with Smack Records) and catch them live with Tragedy, Perdition & Sickoids. Tickets are on sale for this 5/12 show at Le Poisson Rouge.

Windhand tour dates and pictures from Public Assembly are below.

Continue reading "Natur, Windhand, Pilgrim & Magic Circle ravaged Public Assembly (pics); Tragedy/Boston Strangler tickets on sale"

by BBG

Tragedy at Chaos in Tejas more by Keith Marlowe

Tragedy, who are also scheduled to play Hellfest in France this summer, will return to NYC for a show on May 12th at a venue TBA with support almost as impressive as the headliner; The Boston Strangler, Perdition, and Sickoids will all support the Portland melodic crust heroes. More details are to come. For now check out some live video below.

Boston Strangler's new LP Primitive is out now via Fun With Smack Records. Stream the title track below. Catch Boston Strangler member Justin Detore perform on March 1st with Magic Circle alongside Pilgrim, Natur, and Windhand at Public Assembly.

Dates, videos and some streams are below.

Continue reading "Tragedy adds NYC date (the real one, not the cover band)"

by BBG

"Providence should be nuked. The music scene there is a disgrace. " - Pilgrim

Check the IDs of the members of Pilgrim and you might be surprised. Though Pilgrim is well-versed in the classic doom sounds of the 70s and 80s, the young band (both as a unit and individually) plays songs well-beyond their years on Misery Wizard, the band's debut LP due on February 14th via Poison Tongue/Metal Blade. Misery Wizard's strength's lies in its ability to reinterpret the greats like Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus, and Reverend Bizarre into something familiar yet wholly new, expanding upon influences instead of rehashing them. Check out three new songs from the album the title track, "Astaroth", and "Quest" (which makes its debut here), below.

Pilgrim will play a handful of dates in the coming weeks, including March 1st at Public Assembly with Natur, Windhand and Magic Circle. Look for them on the road (dates below) and check out a discussion I had with The Wizard (guitar/vocals) where we discuss inspiration or lack thereof, how they hooked up with a member of Primordial, and their hometown of Providence.

Our interview (which includes the quote above), tour dates and all streams are below.

Continue reading "An interview with Pilgrim (and a new song stream)"

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

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

Windhand at Acheron (more by BBG)

Windhand know their roots. Not only does the Richmand doom band pay homage to some of the gods of their genre (Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus, Pentagram, Candlemass, etc) on their latest self-titled effort, but Windhand also understand that the foundation of the music itself lies in blues. While the ex-members of Alabama Thunderpussy and Facedowninshit blast through a fuzzed-out and thundering old-school doom backdrop, vocalist Dorthia Cottrell adds a soulful and haunting croon on songs like "Black Candles" and "Heap Wolves", the latter of which is making its debut in this post. Stream both songs below.

Windhand's debut is one hell of a record that will probably end up on some year-end lists for the Big Muff Pi loving sort. Look for LP via Forcefield/Mordgrimm. Pre-orders kickoff Tuesday (9/27).

Album opener "Black Candles" recently surfaced on an episode of The Soggy Bog of Doom which features an audio interview with Steve Mills of The Wounded Kings (Windhand track at around 54:10). Listen to that and the song debut, with some live video, below...

Continue reading "listen to a song from Windhand's new self-titled LP (premiere)"

words & photos by BBG

Krum Bums @ Europa

A blackened crust band. An updated NWOBHM band. A poppy street-punk band. A blackened thrash band. A slow crusty doom band, and a traditional doom band with female vocals. Outside of a grind band and a hardcore band, I'd say that almost all heavy bases were covered on Friday night at Europa and Acheron. My night started with the Toxic Holocaust / Holy Grail / Krum Bums tour which hit Europa with support from Salo. Though the crowd was insanely into both Toxic Holocaust and Holy Grail (I preferred the former way more than the latter), Krum Bums were my favorite band at Europa that night. Their high-energy street punk awoke the quiet crowd, who were circle-pitting by their set's end. Toxic Holocaust had the audience eating out of their hand too, with the much larger circle-pit giving way to on-stage sing-alongs for favorites like "Wild Dogs" and "War is Hell".

side note: Toxic Holocaust's fans at Europa need to take a cue from the book of hardcore when it comes to stage-diving; thirty seconds of hesitation and searching for the right spot to dive isn't just embarassing, its just plain pointless.

After Europa, I headed over to the free after-party at Acheron featuring Windhand with local Belus. NYC's Belus is only on their second show, but the band shows maturity and songwriting way beyond their years. Make sure and catch them whenever you get the chance. Windhand was all the makings of an amazing traditional doom band: great vocals, memorable riffs, and bombastic sound. Can't wait to see them again.

All pictures and some recent video (including some from Europa) is below.

Continue reading "Toxic Holocaust, Holy Grail, Krum Bums, Salo, Belus & Windhand played Brooklyn Friday (pics & video)"

by BBG

Windhand

Richmond's Windhand can lock into a serious Black Sabbath groove, and the band will join Belus for a show at Acheron on August 19th as part of a Toxic Holocaust after-party at the venue (doors are at 10PM). Windhand's appearance will be FREE (with a suggested donation of $5) so come out and support this awesome band after the Toxic Holocaust show at Europa.

Tickets are also still available for the Toxic Holocaust / Holy Grail / Krum Bums / Salo show at Europa.

Meanwhile over at Saint Vitus on the same night, Pearls & Brass will play with Serpent Throne and Eleven Twenty-Nine. Tickets are on sale. The show is their first NYC date since going on hiatus in 2008 due to bassist Randy Huth focusing on Pissed Jeans.

And last but not least, Totimoshi will team with Pigs, Bezoar, and Fashion Week to play Saint Vitus on Saturday (8/20). Tickets are on sale. The show is part of a larger tour for Totimoshi in support of Avenger, streaming in full below. Check that out alongside all tour dates below.

Continue reading "Windhand playing Toxic Holocaust afterparty, Pearls & Brass play Acheron, Totimoshi touring (dates)"

by BBG

Apostle of Solitude

Everyone, I have some bad news: due to a serious illness in his family, Jason has had to go to Utah for a couple of weeks, and we have to drop off SHoD XI [Stoner Hands of Doom] and the Slow Southern Steel premiere in NYC. I hope that you all understand... it's not something that we wanted to do, frankly we'd hoped to start getting busy again... but family has to come first. - [Karl of The Gates of Slumber]

Apostle of Solitude's last LP, Last Sunrise, saw release on Profound Lore Records last year, and the band recently released a pair of splits with Dawnrider, Rituals of the Oak, and The Flight of Sleipnir. For the unfamiliar, Check out some audio of the old-school doom band (featuring members of The Gates of Slumber) below.

As discussed, CT of Rwake will be in the house to present his film Slow Southern Steel, so expect this Arkansas madman to do some collaboratiing with either Cough, Apostle of Solitude or Earthling on stage. Doors are at 10PM, tickets are on sale (limited seats available), and there will be a bunch of free Jagermeister for all of you maniacs.

Cough, Apostle of Solitude and Earthling are all on board for Stoner Hands of Doom XI, an annual festival in Frederick MD. The show will feature numerous doom luminaries over its three days (August 12-14), including Earthride, Hour of 13 and Windhand among many others. Windhand is also scheduled to play Acheron on August 19th.

Check out some streaming audio, alongside the film trailer below...

Continue reading "Gates of Slumber cancel shows, so Apostle of Solitude coming to Brooklyn instead"

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)"