Hey New Yorkers, ready for a three-day metal mini-fest featuring some of today's most forward-thinking heavy bands? The Blackened Music Series aims to bring you just that, starting this Friday.
The "Blackened Weekend" will first bring you a showcase of New York's burgeoning black metal scene, with performances by Krallice, Liturgy, Malkuth and Black Anvil, in addition to sets by Orphan and Skeletonwitch to keep things lively.
After all that, the mighty Shrinebuilder makes their New York debut, with Rwake and Liturgy opening. More details below.
Buy tickets here.
The Blackened Weekend:Friday, Nov. 13: Krallice, Liturgy, Malkuth, Orphan at Union Pool (curated by Speck), $10
Saturday, Nov. 14: Skeletonwitch, with Black Anvil at Union Pool, $10
Sunday, Nov. 15: Shrinebuilder, with Rwake and Liturgy at Le Poisson Rouge, $20
November 12, 2009
THE BLACKENED WEEKEND: SHRINEBUILDER, SKELETONWITCH, KRALLICE
CRUSTCAKE PICKS: DENVER SHOWS 11/12 - 11/18
by Andrew Wilhelm (Denver)
Recovered from the GWAR show (Crustcake review coming soon!) the other night, Denverites? Here's some more metal to feed your addictions.
If you like your crust on the sludgy side (or your sludge on the crusty side), Santa Rosa, California's Litany for the Whale will plenty satisfy you. They'll be playing at the small 3 Kings Tavern, but their sound is anything but minuscule. Perhaps one day, Litany for the Whale be huge and you can boast you saw them in a tiny club, kind of like I do about seeing Mastodon years ago. The WZA'd reviewed their record earlier this year, so you know those Cali boys have got crustcake's seal of approval.
Make the jump for more shows and info.
While it won't be the retro-mania of last week, Monday will bring about a lot of old hesher-ready partying when 3 Inches of Blood roll into town with 'cake favs Saviours. Saviours got a good reaction when they played with Kylesa last month, and we're willing to bet many Mile High residents are anxious to see them again. If you're feeling a little more mainstream, Wolfmother will be playing the same night at the Ogden Theatre. I think you will know who we prefer...but if you wanna spend the extra money, that's your prerogative.
Tech-death more your thing? Gorge in masturbatory pleasures when The Faceless and Dying Fetus team up at the Marquis Theatre on Wednesday. Both bands will make sure to play at the speed of light, and twice that if they're feeling vigorous. Vital Remains will also be there to provide a little Satanism with those constant arpeggio runs. Be careful though, you might be so tech'd out, you may start craving some Bone Awl.Sunday November 15 - Litany for the Whale @ 3 Kings Tavern
Monday November 16 - 3 Inches of Blood w/ Saviours, Holy Grail @ Marquis Theatre
- Wolfmother, Heartless Bastards, Thenewno2 @ Ogden Theatre
Wednesday, November 18 - The Faceless, Dying Fetus, Vital Remains, Enfold Darkness @ Marquis Theatre
CRUSTY CLIP OF THE WEEK: MORBID ANGEL - 'WHERE THE SLIME LIVE'
Every single Wednesday without fail, your hosts post a suitably stale video clip that we think needs to be revisited. Click here for more Crusty Clips. Got a clip you think we should post? Send it to crustcake@gmail.com.
by The WZA'd (ATX)
Sometimes a little chugging is all I need out of a death metal song. That's why I'm such a big fan of "Death Walking Terror." Morbid Angel know the wonders of the slow death chug (Ed. note: Hell, they practically invented it,) but unlike Cannibal Corpse, they're also smart enough to add liberal amounts of classical-flavored groove, not to mention Pete Sandoval's unparalleled maelstrom of double-bass kicks. Add that all together and you get ... slime? Sure. We'll bite. "Where the Slime Live," from 1995's classic (and totally fucking crushing) Domination, is one of Morbid Angel's most accessible and head-bangable songs and, as you'll see below, it's no wonder the track continues to rank among their most-popular songs.
This video is from their 2006 Wacken showing, but the song is old enough for it to be considered "crusty." Besides, it's a great video, and David Vincent makes a hilarious face 20 seconds in.
CRUSTCAKE PICKS: ATX SHOWS 11/12 - 11/16
by Van Damned and The WZA'd (ATX)
Hey there, Austinites. We know we already posted the bulk of this already, but we figured you might need the reminder. There is, after all, a lot to choose from. So here are your show picks for Thursday-Monday. Have a good time!
Virginia's crossover throwbacks Municipal Waste bring their "Waste the World" tour to Red 7 this Thursday. Perennial favorites Goatwhore return with some seriously feisty blackened thrash and crustgrind stalwarts Phobia open. Might want to bring a poncho to this one, as more than a little beer will surely be spilled in honor of the "Terror Shark." You'll just have to see it for yourself.
Friday, of course, is that one tour we've been salivating over for months. You know, that one. Anyway, by this point you shouldn't need us to tell you about the four bands playing, or how ass-kickingly awesome the whole show will be, or how much of an idiot you'll be for not going. We feel that, by now, the point should be pretty clear.
Saturday, the "Tour from Afar," featuring Finnish folk heroes Ensiferum, high-seas pirate metallers Swashbuckle and Blackguard and Peter Tägtgren's long-running Swedish death brigade Hypocrisy, comes ashore at Emo's. Our very own Andrew Wilhelm wrote a fine post about the tour's unfortunate loss of Canadian death gladiators Ex Deo. By the way, did you know that Tägtgren owns his own village? Yeah, neither did we. (Update: Well now it looks like Hypocrisy's having trouble with their visas. WTF, U.S. State Department?)
Tired yet? Don't be. A scant two months before they return to Texas with the mother of all progressive/technical death-jazz-fusion tours, Raleigh, NC's Between the Buried and Me bring the shred to Emo's Sunday night. Opening are Sumerian Records' Chicago deathcore peddlers Veil of Maya, eight-string axe-wielder Tosin Abasi's (Born of Osiris) Animals as Leaders and local deathsters Falsetta.
Finally, your Ten Days of Awesome Fucking Metal culminates with the last (of five) U.S. performance by drool-worthy super, supergroup Shrinebuilder Monday at Emo's. You might remember them from us here at the 'cake jocking their collective nuts since way back in December of 2007(!) but if you don't, here's an easy reminder: Neurosis + Sleep + Melvins + Wino = Shrinebuilder. Hope that's clear enough for you. Do not. Miss. This. Show.
So that's it. Hope you've saved your pennies, boys and girls, 'cause this is gonna be Epic with a capital E.
The only advice we got for you is this: consider earplugs.
INCREDIBLE, UNPARALLELED LINEUP OF SHOWS:Thursday, November 12th
Municipal Waste, Phobia, Goatwhore and Cauldron @ Red 7
Friday, November 13thMastodon, High on Fire, Converge and Dethklok @ Austin Music Hall
Saturday, November 14thEnsiferum, Hypocrisy(?), Blackguard, Swashbuckle @ Emo's
Monday, November 16thShrinebuilder @ Emo's
November 10, 2009
LIVE REVIEW: BONE AWL, CELESTIA
All photography by Fred Pessaro
by theseseans (NYC)
Bone Awl
When: Sunday, October 25, 2009
Where: Public Assembly, Brooklyn, NY
With: Celestia, Agrath
Opening the October 25th edition of Brandon Stosuy's excellent "Show No Mercy presents..." series, Agrath greeted me with full corpsepaint, skull-adorned instruments and frantic tremelo picking. I only caught two quick songs, but the band's over-the-top appearance, awesomely cryptic stage banter (delivered in a screeching black metal howl, natch) and seemingly competent material left a brief – but good – impression. I later found out that they were from Queens and was really impressed. From what little of them I did see, I did not get a "local band" feel.
Public Assembly was unusually packed for Bone Awl (above): I heard one audience member drove all the way from Maryland for the show. The crowd was was rambunctious and excited. Pits broke out, the crusties surged, beer was spilled. Fueling all the pushing and shoving was the California duo's primitive black metal/punk rock attack. Supplemented by the addition of a bass player, Bone Awl had an extra layer of force, the effectiveness of which was seen in the excitement of every squished patron present.
While Bone Awl's recordings take ownership of thin, noisy production, their live show was undoubtedly lifted by the addition of a stand-in bass player. The next night at Eyehategod, people were still raving about Bone Awl's performance. "They were incredible," one concert-goer raved, citing "black metal vocals over apocalyptic drums." I couldn't agree more. Sometimes Bone Awl really do sound like a march towards the end of everything. The only thing that surprised me was the mild reaction from Brooklyn Vegan's Fred Pessaro, who, after shooting the band, declared, "well the last time I saw them there was fucking circle pit!" Point taken, New York loves Bone Awl.
France's Celestia followed, delivering a solid, theatrical black metal performance for their only 2009 U.S. show. They, however, were bass-less and the sound was thin. During an over-long set-up, piped-in classical music meandered throughout the hall and the crowd began to thin. Bone Awl were the clear favorites, but Celestia came in force. The Avignon duo, here reinforced by a live drummer and additional guitarist, performed long and hard: stoic stage presence, full paint, black robes. Their delivery was spot on; their material, excellent. Bone Awl were just a hard act to follow.
Bone Awl
Celestia
End of the Night
November 9, 2009
FRESHLY BAKED: PLANNING FOR BURIAL
In "Freshly Baked," we feature promising young bands or bands that are otherwise lacking the attention we think they deserve.
[Stream]: Planning For Burial - Leaving
by Andrew Wilhelm (Denver)
On their Myspace, the only photos of Matawan, New Jersey's Planning for Burial are a few pictures of an organ and a close up of a few drums. No pictures of the band members exist. In fact, the band doesn't even bother using mysterious pseudonyms, as the band members are listed as "Guitar, Machines, Organ, Cymbals, Snare, Kick, Glockenspiel, Microphone, Cassette Recorder." Fuck me, we've got some real esoteric shit here.
To call this band "post-metal" or "post-rock" would be deceiving, as Planning for Burial are "post" both of those forms. In fact, the band itself might be "post-life" music, as the loneliness and darkness of the sound reflects being torn of all life, all happiness, all memories. Take for example, the song "Being a Teenager and the Awkwardness of Backseat Sex," off of their debut, Leaving. Getting laid in your dad's BMW during the big rivalry game is a great subject for a power-pop song. Stating the title blatantly, rather than using kitschy euphemisms, only highlight the mournful feedback drift and drum patterns that reverse the joy of such a subject. Young lust this ain't.
Like Isis, the vocals in Planning for Burial's music are somewhat drowned in the mix, but they add an ethereal gloominess highly appropriate for the music. The most metal part of the band comes from the blackened doom sludge that's incorporated in more of a ghostly fashion, rather than a straight-no-chaser bludgeoning. Post-rock structures are heavily used, and given the nature of the music, with plenty of minor keys. Remember Explosions in the Sky's most recent album, All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone, and how it was dreary for a band known for uplifting songs? Planning for Burial is that, amplified by a million. Piano and organ are peppered in here and there, and when they're used, you're in for some real fucking funeral music. These elements most stand out during Leaving's closer and title track, which is a little over 13 minutes of unadulterated, melancholic drone. Lustmord may take you to the depths of hell, but Planning for Burial, with this track, take you into cold space, hovering over all that once was.
As Hellhammer once said: Only death is real. The band isn't named Planning for Burial for nothing.
Leaving is set for a physical release early next year.
November 6, 2009
UNTIL THE LIGHT TAKE US: US THEATRICAL RUN DATES ANNOUNCED
Until the Light Takes Us is a sobering, yet fascinating examination of the too-often-documented and too-often-sensationalized early 90s Norwegian black metal movement. The documentary explores the origins of the music, its misinterpretation in the mainstream Norwegian media, and black metal being appropriated into high art. Light is humorous without delving into "look at these fags in corpsepaint" cliches, enlightens people with little exposure to black metal while satisfying those from the tape-trader set, and contains frank insight from black metal luminaries such as Fenriz of Darkthrone and Varg Vikernes of Burzum. For most of the film's release, however, there have only been one-off screenings, meaning that if you missed it, you really missed it.
Not anymore. Filmmakers Audrey Ewell and Aaron Aites recently announced that Light will begin its U.S. theatrical run December 4th at the Cinema Village on 12th St. in New York. They have also announced a launch party at the Knitting Factory in Williamsburg, NY on November 18th. Peformances from Papa M, Kevin Barker, Soft Circle, and Rain Machine (featuring Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio, who also plays with Aites in Iran) will also go down at the party. Not quite metal, but any party for a film of this caliber is better than none.
You can view the trailer at the film's official website. Confirmed theater listings and dates after the jump.
UNTIL THE LIGHT TAKE US: US THEATRICAL RUN DATESNew York, NY starts Dec 4th @ Cinema Village on 12th St.
Austin, TX starts Nov 20 @ Alamo Drafthouse Ritz
New Orleans, LA starts Nov 27 @ Zeitgeist
Detroit, MI starts Nov 27 @ Burton Theater
Grand Rapids, MI starts Dec 4 @ Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (UICA)
Providence, RI starts Dec 4 @ Cable Car Cinema
Los Angeles, CA starts Dec 11 @ Laemmle Sunset 5
Houston, TX starts Dec 10 @ Alamo Drafthouse West Oaks
Denver, CO starts Jan 29 @ Starz Theater
Chicago, IL date TBA @ Siskel Theater
November 5, 2009
CRUSTCAKE PICKS: AUSTIN SHOWS 11/6 - 11/16 (THE BEST 10 DAYS EVER?)
by Van Damned and The WZA'd
Okay Austin, this is the Big One: 10 days when you need to throw caution to the wind, your cash to the merch tables and your liver to the motherfucking wall. If you haven't already figured it out, November is bringing the metal to Austin in a big, BIG way and this 10-day span in particular is the most metal stretch of time this month. By our (admittedly sketchy) math, that makes these 10 days the most metal days of the year. And while we usually try to avoid hyperbole whenever possible (Ed. note: Hah!) we feel it's pretty safe to say that you won't find a blacker, crustier, sludgier, thrashier, more hardcore span of days anywhere.
We're so serious about this (and so, so stoked) we want you to make the jump to see just how sore our necks – and livers – will be. Non-Texas residents are free to leave jealous comments, death threats and hate mail in the comment section below.
(Suckers.)
First up, NOLA's Eyehategod – sludge metal's tough-love parents – kick off the festivities tonight (Friday) at Emo's. In support are three Texas bands known to bring the heavy: furious D-beaters Kegcharge, Crustcake-approved, Autopsy-worshippers Mammoth Grinder and disciples-in-sludge Curse the Heavens.
After that, you better start Saturday morning with an extra strong cup of coffee because Austin's home-grown Fun Fun Fun Fest opens its gates bright and early. With four color-coded stages (if you're reading this, we expect you'll be primarily interested in the "black" stage) and more than 90 bands and a handful of awesome after-parties, you're going to need more than a little caffeine.
While you can view FFFF's full schedule here, there are a few bands you won't want to miss. Coliseum, our favorite crusty, Motörhead-inspired hardcore heshers, will take the Black Stage a little after 1 p.m. Fellow Kentuckian post-'core killers Young Widows follow at 2:15. Instru-metal/post-rockers Russian Circles and Red Sparrowes follow one another at 3:35 and 4:20, respectively. Austin's The Sword chop heads with their epic stoner-doom at 4:25. Also be sure not to miss Canada's Fucked Up and their special brand of indie-psych hardcore at 6:55. Capping things off Saturday, noise-rock legends The Jesus Lizard bust ear drums at 8:35. Of course, you could also decide that you haven't seen enough in one day and decide to go to Red 7's hardcore-tastic afterparty featuring the legendary Negative Approach and Christ on Parade among others.
Sunday features even more heaviness. Sludge metal fans should get up early, as Austin's The Roller de-tunes at high noon. Immediately following, fellow locals Pack of Wolves bring the death-thrash (or is it thrash-death?) for what is sure to be a furious 12:35 p.m. performance. Later that day, Coalesce bring Ox (Ed. note: and hopefully their equally-superb OXEP) to the people at 4:50, followed, at 6:15, by pop-doom masters Torche. Houston crossover legends D.R.I. follow at 6:55. If you need a break, walk on over to the Yellow Stage to see Relapse-signee Brian Posehn's standup routine. Be sure to head back over to the Black Stage once he's done, though, as the Evil Elvis, himself Mr. Glenn Danzig caps off festivities at 8:30. But don't call it a night just yet - Black Tusk and Black Cobra will be backing up a dump-truck load of sludge into Beerland around 10 that night.
Take Monday off to go back to work and clear your head. But don't get too comfortable: the elder statesman of B-grade, horror-infused industrial pop stomp, Rob Zombie, ushers in his "Zombies Across America" tour at the Austin Music Hall in support of his upcoming Hellbilly Deluxe 2, due out in early 2010. Danish psychobillies Nekromantix and Zombie's Halloween II, are-they-real-are-they-fake Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures open.
Rest up on Wednesday, because the party starts all over again on Thursday. Virginia's crossover throwbacks Municipal Waste bring their "Waste the World" tour to Red 7. Perennial favorites Goatwhore return with some seriously feisty blackened thrash and crustgrind stalwarts Phobia open. Might want to bring a poncho to this one, as more than a little beer will surely be spilled in honor of the "Terror Shark." You'll just have to see it for yourself.
Friday, of course, is that one tour we've been salivating over for months. You know, that one. Anyway, by this point you shouldn't need us to tell you about the four bands playing, or how ass-kickingly awesome the whole show will be, or how much of an idiot you'll be for not going. We feel that, by now, the point should be pretty clear.
Saturday, the "Tour from Afar," featuring Finnish folk heroes Ensiferum, high-seas pirate metallers Swashbuckle and Blackguard and Peter Tägtgren's long-running Swedish death brigade Hypocrisy, comes ashore at Emo's. Our very own Andrew Wilhelm wrote a fine post about the tour's unfortunate loss of Canadian death gladiators Ex Deo. By the way, did you know that Tägtgren owns his own village? Yeah, neither did we. (Update: Well now it looks like Hypocrisy's having trouble with their visas. WTF, U.S. State Department?)
Tired yet? Don't be. A scant two months before they return to Texas with the mother of all progressive/technical death-jazz-fusion tours, Raleigh, NC's Between the Buried and Me bring the shred to Emo's Sunday night. Opening are Sumerian Records' Chicago deathcore peddlers Veil of Maya, eight-string axe-wielder Tosin Abasi's (Born of Osiris) Animals as Leaders and local deathsters Falsetta.
Finally, your Ten Days of Awesome Fucking Metal culminates with the last (of five) U.S. performance by drool-worthy super, supergroup Shrinebuilder Monday at Emo's. You might remember them from us here at the 'cake jocking their collective nuts since way back in December of 2007(!) but if you don't, here's an easy reminder: Neurosis + Sleep + Melvins + Wino = Shrinebuilder. Hope that's clear enough for you. Do not. Miss. This. Show.
So that's it. Hope you've saved your pennies, boys and girls, 'cause this is gonna be Epic with a capital E.
The only advice we got for you is this: consider earplugs.
INCREDIBLE, UNPARALELLED LINEUP OF SHOWS:Friday, November 6th
Eyehategod, Mammoth Grinder, Kegcharge and Curse the Heavens @ Emo's
Saturday, November 7thColiseum, Young Widows, Russian Circles, Red Sparrowes, The Sword, Fucked Up, The Jesus Lizard @ Fun Fun Fun Fest's Black Stage (full schedule here)
Negative Approach, Christ on Parade, Trash Talk, Naw Dude and You People @ Red 7
Sunday, November 8thThe Roller, Pack of Wolves, Coalesce, Torche, D.R.I., Brian Posehn and Danzig @ FFFF's Black Stage
Black Tusk and Black Cobra @ Beerland
Tuesday, November 10thRob Zombie, Nekromantix, Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures @ Austin Music Hall
Thursday, November 12thMunicipal Waste, Phobia, Goatwhore and Cauldron @ Red 7
Friday, November 13thMastodon, High on Fire, Converge and Dethklok @ Austin Music Hall
Saturday, November 14thEnsiferum, Hypocrisy(?), Blackguard, Swashbuckle @ Emo's
Monday, November 16thShrinebuilder @ Emo's
