By Van Damned (ATX)
The mercury in the outdoor thermometer has been hovering above the 100 degree mark for days. This isn't anything unusual for a Texas summer – in fact, we Texans take a peculiar pride in our ability to function in the kind of blinding, oppressive heat that would most certainly suffocate our more delicate Northern brethren. We're a hardy bunch, to be sure. Hardy and dedicated.
As such, when the Live Music Capitol of the World hosts not one but three black metal shows within six days of each other in early July, every long-haired, corpse-painted, leather-gauntleted blastbeat nut from here to the Pecos crawls out of the (dusty) woodwork, sucks it up and braves the heat to make it his or her business to be there.
Sure, your leather pants get sticky and your makeup runs and everybody smells like cooked onions, but when the music starts and the cold beer is passed around, a wicked North wind comes a-blowin' and these Sons of Texan Darkness forget that sane people stay indoors in temperatures like this and come out for a little Austin Fullmoon Mysticism of their own.
To start with, Texas' OTHER long-running black metal heroes (put your hand down, Absu, we see you over there) Averse Sefira put together a two-date Texas mini tour to warm up before assaulting Central America for the first time in August. They'll be at Red 7 tonight. The LA-based symphonic black metal outfit Sothis were slated to open but a broken-down touring van forced their cancellation. Fellow Lone Star blackened death purveyors Vex and Sakrifex each move up a slot as openers.
On Friday, the rarely-seen, blackened cave-punk duo Bone Awl bring their brand of primitive, lo-fi, nekro black metal to Red 7. For several years, these Klaxon Records standard-bearers have quietly been making waves in the blogosphere, releasing ultra-limited and often hand-made 7-inches, CD-Rs and cassette tapes (!) to rabid, if occasionally querulous, reviews. Bone Awl capture a pretty specific sound that's about as far from the ur-polish of black metal's better-known luminaries as a band can get. Klaxon have closed up shop and taken their inventory on tour so expect to fight your way through the scrum of mouth-breathers drooling over the latest Worship Black Twilight zine (limited to 400 copies, includes compilation CD) to get your merch on. Ashdautas, Volahn and Total Abuse open.
To cap off your Fourth of July weekend, catch doom legends Pentagram as they wrap up their seven-date reunion tour Monday at Emo's, their only Texas show. Bobby Liebling and his band of heathens need no introduction but suffice it to say, you probably wouldn't be reading any of this if Pentagram had never existed. Perennial Crustcake favorites Nachtmystium provide direct support – hopefully Blake Judd will air out some material from The Nacht's absolutley ripping Doomsday Derelicts EP. Outlaw Order, Wolves in the Throne Room, Minsk and the Roller fill out the rest of the bill. This is the kind of show you can tell your grandkids you saw. Do not miss this.
Crustcake Picks - Austin Shows 7/1 - 7/8
Wednesday, 7/1/09 - Averse Sefira, Vex, Sakrifex @ Red 7
Friday, 7/3/09 - Bone Awl, Ashdautas, Volahn, Total Abuse @ Red 7
Monday, 7/6/09 - Pentagram, Nachtmystium, Outlaw Order, Wolves in the Throne Room, the Roller @ Emo's
July 1, 2009
Crustcake Picks - Austin Shows 7/1 - 7/8
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4 hollers:
Good post! I've got my panties in a twist over the $20 in advance for the Pentagram show, though.
Minsk is also on the bill for the Pentagram show, making it worth the $20 for me, their post-metal has evolved into some serious DOOOM on the new album.
So amended. Thanks, Adam.
I too have been really digging With Echoes...
Maybe Parker will hop on stage to Moog it up with Nachtmystium.
Get there early for The Roller. Good band.
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