SXSW RECAP: THE BEST OF SXSW

Photo by Samantha Marble. For more photos see Brooklyn Vegan's Pizza Party Wrap Up.

by The WZAd (ATX)

Protip for anybody going to South by Southwest next year: make sure you get yourself fluids and nutrients at regular intervals every day. Don’t make the same mistake I did and forget to eat and drink, especially if you plan on spending an extended amount of time in the sun headbanging and fighting hipsters off your back.

Despite the occasional dizzy-spell though, SXSW was a lot of fun. I got to see nearly every band I wanted to (Dillinger Escape Plan, well, escaped me), I met a lot of cool people in bands and in the metal community (hello: Matt, Mark, Andy, Luke, Faiza, Sam, Fred, Rich, Grace, Kat, Chris and many others!) and I did all of it for free. If you followed my awesome guide to SXSW, you did similarly!

Here, I want to highlight a few bands that really brought it to SXSW this year in terms of performance, some of them doing so multiple times. These are bands you should be looking out for now; if they come near you, don’t miss them and don’t skimp on the merch.

The first band that really blew me away this year was Philly’s Javelina. The currently label-less (!!) sludge-dealers played harder and with more vigor than the last time I saw them, and the crowd loved it. I loved it. Javelina are one of the better sludge bands out there right now, and if you have a chance to see them on tour with Howl, take that opportunity.

I also had the pleasure of seeing Landmine Marathon about three times in the course of two days. While the rest of the band kicked ass, Grace Perry was the epicenter of the performance, doing her insane crazy-dance and starting the first pit I saw at SXSW. She even managed to tear a hole in my Brutal Truth shirt while I was wearing it, something I’m more thrilled than bummed about. I bought a Landmine Marathon T in approval.

Speaking of killer femetal singers, Salome put on the most upbeat doom metal show I’ve ever seen. Playing material from both their self-titled and their split with Thou, the band got the crowd moving in ways I never expected might happen. Aaron Deal, the band’s drummer, was the nicest person I’ve seen grace the Emo’s indoor stage. At the same time, Katherine Katz brought out more audience cheers than any other performer that day when she slowed down and did those low-pitched death-growls she’s so good at.

My buddies in Dallas grindcore act Kill the Client knocked together more than a couple skulls the few times I saw them. That band is one that simply doesn’t compromise or slow down – when they’re playing you can either keep up or get out. At our Pizza Party, they played an especially good set to a tiny venue, and they used that to their advantage. Champ Morgan, their vocalist, climbed to the top of the roof during one of the songs and finished it from up there before coming back down again and pushing some ninny kids around.

Almost immediately afterwords at our show, Trash Talk showed up and proceeded to knock everybody on their asses. Say what you will about the crowd they attract, but the band knows how to make good hardcore. This was one of the few times during SXSW where I jumped into a successful pit and felt good about it. After throwing a few hipsters to the ground, who wouldn’t? It made the bloody knee and ripped jeans all the more worthwhile.

While I’m on a hardcore/grindcore kick, let me mention how sick it was to see Hatred Surge and The Endless Blockade back-to-back. What made it even more sick was the setting – I saw them at a soon-to-be bingo hall where my school’s radio station, KVRX, was holding their free SXSW show called “KVRXPLOSION.” I say “bingo hall,” but “warehouse” is really more accurate. A wall with glass windows and doors divided the area into two rooms where two bands would alternately set up and play. While Hatred Surge and The Endless Blockade were setting up, a twee indie band played in the other room.

Hatred Surge started screaming feedback from the floor while the crowd surrounded the band, ready. Some people waited and stared from behind the glass windows, either unsure of what to make of the band, or absolutely sure that they didn’t want to take part in any of it. They played. A pit erupted. It was brutal. Next, Endless Blockade set up their noise and went at it, grindcore-style. The crowd response was more of the same. It was a good show.

Two days later, at Red 7, I got to see Bison B.C. a second time, having already seen them at the excellent ACTION! PR showcase. In the more intimate venue, Bison could really get up in people’s faces with their sludge-via-three-stringed-bass-con-flying-Vs. Did you know they have a new album coming out soon? I’m sure it’ll do something along the lines of rock and roll.

Now, let's talk about Coffinworm. These guys played our show, and it was literally the best performance I saw of all SXSW (with the powerviolence double-team in close second). Crammed in the backyard of a pizza store off of 6th street, with the sun beating down on us, the band encapsulated the playing area in a bubble of dark, inescapable sludge. They were literally the heaviest band that played all week, and I feel bad for everybody that had to miss them. Their debut drops soon via Profound Lore, so don’t waste any time thinking about whether or not you should get it. You should.


Video by Brooklynvegan, head to their video page to see more from our show and others.

Finally, I’d like to thank everybody involved in our killer show at Hoek’s Death Metal Pizza, starting with Fred Pessaro of Brooklynvegan and Rich Hall of 1000 Knives. These guys made everything happen, and because of that we put on what may have been the best show all week. I’d also like to thank all the bands that played: Speedwolf, The Funeral Pyre, Book of Black Earth, Landmine Marathon, The Atlas Moth, Zoroaster, Coffinworm, Kill the Client and Trash Talk. Everybody did an amazing job and we were floored by every performance. To everybody who showed up: thanks for coming out! Hopefully we can do something like this next year.

If you saw something else you liked at SXSW that you want to share, or you went to our show, let us know in the comments!

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COFFINS GIVE YOU ONE MINUTE 'IN BLOODY SEWAGE'

Coffins have added a one minute sample of the song, "In Bloody Sewage" to their MySpace page. From their upcoming split with Hooded Menace (another one of our favorite death/doom entities), "In Bloody Sewage" gives you exactly what you want from Coffins: pounding, relentless, death metal....at a medium pace.

As with most Hooded Menace vinyl, the split will be released by Doomentia Records. We haven't been able to track down a release date or art just yet, but our vinyl excitement is not bound by time or reason.

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FLOURISHING STREAM A MOMENTARY SENSE OF THE IMMEDIATE WORLD

Listen up! Flourishing, the NYC avant-death-grinders are streaming their new EP, A Momentary Sense of the Immediate World, this week only.

Hop on over to their myspace page to check it out. Last week we gave away a free MP3 with our Freshly Baked feature, check that out here.

Buy: Flourishing - A Momentary Sense of the Immediate World The Path Less Traveled Records

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FRESHLY BAKED: KILL THE CLIENT

In "Freshly Baked," we feature promising young bands or bands that are otherwise lacking the attention we think they deserve.

by The WZAd (ATX)

Download: Kill The Client - "Divide and Conquer" [MP3]

Dallas grindcore act Kill the Client don't mess around. Listen to debut album Cleptocracy or go to any one of their shows and you'll be treated to a maelstrom of grind that grabs you by the shoulders, shakes you and says "Hey, look around. This isn't right." With almost inhuman drumming and politically-charged lyrics, Kill the Client fires on all cylinders, constantly. They're like the black coffee of grindcore - just straight-up, bold, and likely to keep you the hell awake.

With two albums under their belt (their last one making Decibel's top 30 grindcore albums of all time), a recent signing to Relapse Records and a killer showing at South by Southwest, it's time y'all started paying attention to this band if you haven't already.

I talked to James Delgado, Champ Morgan and Chris Richardson from the band about their recent signing to Relapse, the state of the Texas grindcore scene and what's in store for the band in the future. Interview below.

How long have y’all been doing this?

James Delgado: We sort of started jamming with these guys in 2002 and put an album out in 2004, a friend of ours did it. And that got us on Willowtip and we did two albums there, so it really took off in about 2004, so it’s been about 6 years. It seems a lot longer than that.

So how’s it been working out with Champ [Morgan, vocalist] in Austin and the rest of the band in Dallas?

Delgado: We actually don’t need him to be up there very much, it’s probably better that he’s not. [laughs]

Champ Morgan: I just drag ‘em down. No, I travel a lot with my job, and it’s only three hours and I lived in Dallas for three years so it’s not like I’m making some monstrous journey. You think initially it would be a lot harder than what it actually has been, so it actually works in our favor to some extent, both in the musical aspect and with me as well.

Delgado: And it’s not like he’s doing drums or anything, he’s just doing the vocals over it, so… Sometimes we’ll have equipment to do demos and stuff like that so we’ll send it to him. And then he can listen to it, and we’ll send him some ideas and vice versa.

How did you guys end up getting signed to Relapse?

Delgado: Scott Hull from Pig Destroyer was going to do a sub-label for Relapse.

For grindcore and stuff?

Morgan: Yeah, he wanted to take it more to the original Relapse kind of vibe, just brutal underground stuff.

Like This Comp Kills Fascists.

Delgado: Well, that’s where he got the idea, when he started to do that. I don’t know what’s delayed that, I don’t know if it’s gonna happen now, I’m not sure. Once Cleptocracy came out in 2008, we started trying to figure out what we were gonna do.

Morgan: Yeah, our obligation with Willowtip was over when Cleptocracy was done.

Delgado: So I just told ‘em “Scott we’re looking for something.”

Morgan: And actually Eli-

Delgado: -who works merch over there.

Morgan: He called me and just out of the blue asked what we were doing and two days later we were talking on the phone with Relapse.

Delgado: We already knew all those people, so it kind of seemed like something that was gonna happen anyhow. It’s pretty cool though, because they’re not just putting it out like a lot of other bands, they’re actually giving us full signing and stuff, which is pretty cool. And I said, 'there’s only so much touring we’re gonna do, and our recordings are always gonna be kind of DIY sounding' and they said 'that’s cool, that’s what you guys do, you can sound like that, no problem. We just want you to do what you guys do already.'

Chris Richardson: And Morgan gives really rough handjobs.

Morgan: It’s always the handy that’s the cherry on top.

Delgado: But I think a lot of it came from Cleptocracy, which was pretty brutal. We tried to make it as heavy as we could.

Morgan: We toured a lot on that.

Delgado: Key shows kind of got us exposed.

Morgan: Maryland Death Fest. We really put a lot more effort as a band onstage with that record and on those tours. It really kind of solidified the band on that record, with the right people, the right mentality.

Delgado: Brian’s been with us, like, three years probably? But him doing this album, Cleptocracy, kind of solidified it and now he’s become a sought-after drummer. So I think that made a big difference, it just sounded a lot better.

Another thing I’ve been noticing is that Texas seems to be growing in notable grindcore and powerviolence bands. Do you guys think the scene is expanding at all?

Delgado: I don’t know if there is a scene here for that kind of stuff, to tell you the truth.

Morgan: It’s city by city really.

Delgado: Yeah, even if you travel through the US, you just gotta find the right spots. I mean, there are people that are into it but you gotta find the sweet spots, the right promoters and shit like that. You can have a really cool show or a really horrible show based on who you book with. As far as Texas, I guess you could say that, but nobody really works together too much. We all know each other though, we’re all friends. Sick bands like PLF pretty much started Texas Grindcore. Insect [Warfare] came and went for a second, and they were alright. Hatred Surge is fucking brutal. There’s a lot of new crusty bands, a lot of punk bands from Dallas.

Morgan: We’ll play with anybody, we wanna play with everybody, it’s just… there’s not a lot of communication between the cities. Because Texas is so big, it’s not like being in Maryland or something where you can drive two hours, play a show, etc. It’s Texas. Do go from Dallas to Houston is four hours. The real main cities who have it are Dallas, Austin and Houston. San Antonio is kind of metal but they don’t really support that really heavy, brutal stuff.

Delgado: It is cool that Texas has a lot of cool bands. I just wish we were a little tighter-knit.

Every time I’ve seen you guys, it’s been more with powerviolence and hardcore bands. Do you think you tend to lean away from the more death metal side of grindcore?

Delgado: Absolutely. True grindcore is punk. I mean, it may be heavier than punk ever was.

Morgan: We may play death metal shows, but they’re few and far between. We kind of stick to our own, we play with grind, we play with powerviolence. We’ll play with anybody, but grindcore’s grindcore man. It’s a brotherhood.

Delgado: We’d rather play those kind of shows.

You have a new record coming out this year. Anything unexpected on there?

Delgado: Cleptocracy was just balls-out grindcore. This one will still have a lot of that, but it will have more open space. I know people are probably going to say that Relapse is making us do that, but I think it’s because for us, we’ve pretty much gone as far as we can in terms of straight-up grind. We have the majority of it written.

So stuff like 'Killing Fields?' [Sludgier song on their last album, Escalation of Hostility]

Everybody: Noooo

Richardson: There’s more punk and hardcore influence in this particular album than there has been in any particular previous song.

Delgado: A little more songwriting to it. There’ll be rippers on there too but this has a little more diversity. I mean, Cleptocracy, if you weren’t totally into grindcore you weren’t going to get it, so we wanted this album to be…. Not everything to all people because we don’t give a fuck about that but it would be nice for a little more diversity, something for people to sink their teeth into. I mean, on Cleptocracy we had that one slow song and it worked out good because it was just too much at that point, so we’re adding a few more dimensions.

Is there anything else you guys wanna talk about?

Richardson: beware the clap.

Morgan: Avoid the clap.

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WATAIN ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM TITLE, SINGLES, MARYLAND DEATHFEST APPEARANCE

Swedish black metal traditionalists Watain have announced the title of their upcoming fourth missive. Lawless Darkness will be out June 7 on Season of Mist.

"The title symbolizes the unbound chaotic potential of that which is void of light", frontman E. (née Erik Danielsson) said. "The light that defines, the light that shapes and restricts. The light by which the forces of law and order uphold their reign."

A happy bunch of shunnes, to be sure.

Make the jump for more Watain news.

In advance of the record, Watain will release two versions of Lawless Darkness's first single, "Reaping Death." The picture disc's B-side features a rendering of an as-yet unannounced track from Italian black metal forerunners Death SS, among other items. The 7" single will be limited to 1,300 copies. The CD version features a cover of Bathory's "The Return of Darkness and Evil."



Says Watain:

The cover piece for 'Reaping Death' is based upon the myth of Cain, the firstborn Murderer. The illustration depicts triumphant Cain upon his slain 'brother' Abel, undergoing the transformation from a slave of creation to a Lord of Uncreation. Behind him burns the fire of Lucifer, and his children dance around it in joyful ecstasy. With the murder of Abel, the gates of Death were opened for the first time, by an act of lawless will. The song 'Reaping Death' is a celebration of this act, a hymn to the hungry fire that dwell within the hearts of the bloodline of Cain.

Both are available at their official merch site and will ship April 30, Walpurgisnacht.

Naturally.

In other news, Watain will return to the U.S. once again in late May for Maryland Deathfest, appearing with such metal luminaries as Sodom, Obituary, Entombed and Possessed.

And, after completing the regular portion of their set at this year's Sweden Rock Festival in on June 12, Watain will return to the stage for a unique 45-minute tribute concert featuring classic Bathory songs. Watain's performance will be introduced by none other than late Bathory mainman Quorthon's father and producer, Börje "Boss" Forsberg.

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IMMORTAL TO FREEZE NORTH AMERICA BY ICEWINDS ON EASTER TOUR

Photo by Peter Beste

Just in time for legendary TNBM horde Immortal's Blashyrkh in North America 2010 tour, France's Osmose Productions has re-issued two of their seminal albums, 1992's Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism and 1993's Pure Holocaust. Both are pressed on 180 gram vinyl and limited to 800 copies, so get crackin'.

In other grim and frostbitten news, those brutal culture maniacs over at Chronic Youth are offering a chance to get your grubby hands on three (count 'em, three) Immortal skate decks(!) as well as two free tickets to their New York show.

Make the jump for tour info and other juicy bits.



Blashyrkh in North America 2010 tour dates:

03.27.10: Toronto @ Opera House
03.28.10: Montreal @ Metropolis
03.30.10: Brooklyn @ The Brooklyn Masonic Temple
04.02.10: Los Angeles @ The Avalon

The March 30 Masonic Temple date is being produced by the esteemed Blackened Music Series and features NY locals Black Anvil opening. Check out their site for more show info and don't forget to gawk at the VIP show package, which includes access to a meet-and-greet before the show and signing session after.

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VAN DAMNED DIDN'T SEE MAGRUDERGRIND WITH MISERY INDEX...

by Andrew Wilhelm (CHI)

Misery Index
With: Magrudergrind, Morgue Supplier, Wasted Fortune, Like Rats, Primitive Evolution
Where: Reggie's Rock Club, Chicago, IL
When: Sunday, February 28, 2010

...but I did! Blown deadlines ftw.

Economist Arthur Okun's Misery Index adds up the unemployment rate and the inflation rate, thus implying that higher rates of both will not bode well for our country. Baltimore, Maryland's Misery Index talks about politics and economics too, but they grind your face off instead of using data points to make a statement. Which one sounds more interesting to you? The latter, and that's the brutal truth.

While their Chicago show with D.C. wrecking crew Magrudergrind didn't blaze as fast as either band's songs (more on that in a bit), both gave Chicago some much needed blast therapy.

A quick rundown on the locals: I only caught a couple songs from Primitive Evolution. Lots of old-school riffs. Guitarist Andy is a pretty cool dude, mainly because we share a name. Like Rats banged out metallic hardcore with some Celtic Frost-worthy mid-paced sections. Definitely a band to look out for. Wasted Fortune have a lot of good ideas, they just need to figure which of those good ideas they should be used. Floating from math to Kylesa to groove didn't feel cohesive. Morgue Supplier took too damn long to set up, and didn't deliver the goods. Pretty uninspired Midwestern death metal. Todd from Like Rats commented to me that their bassist's facial expressions resembled the farmer from Men in Black.

Most of the crowd, up to this point, were your garden variety metal bros and broettes. When Magrudergrind came out, the hardcore kids come out of the woodwork. The D.C. grind trio arguably got the most favorable audience reaction of the night. Vocalist Avi the powerviolence pogo stick, bounced up and down as he barked and screeched unfiltered vocal venom. Magrudergrind got some metal gear, but they came off punk as fuck. They keep it short, they keep it sharp. Also, they ain't got a bassist, but that sick low end on the geetar don't need a bass. Keeps overhead costs low too, something prog bands could learn from grinders. One funny moment that came out of the Disrupt-patch crew was right after the band played "Emo Holocaust," in my mind their signature tune, someone requested that very song. Silly scene kids.

Misery Index may no longer by the ex-Dying Fetus jamboree, but they still put their workmanlike approach to metal to good use. The crowd had thinned out somewhat by this point, but that didn't get the quartet down. They kept it focused and brutal, especially on songs like their video singles "Traitors" and "Conquistadores." If they didn't come off as the most innovative or the most brutal, they at least came off as the most dependable. And if you thought the scene kids had the stupid quotes on lock, someone mentioned that they skipped church for this show. This is not a hc matinee, but a night show. Vocalist/bassist Jason Netherton could only reply "Wow, you must be really Catholic." Call and response needs to be a more integral part of metal shows.

Remember kids: deadlines!

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ALCEST DEBUT NEW SONG - 'ÉCAILLES DE LUNE [PART 1]'

Download: Alcest - "Écailles de Lune [Part 1]" [MP3]

Material is beginning to surface for Alcest's new record Écailles de Lune, due out in North America April 20th. Prophecy Productions recently released the title track (well, the first nine minutes of it anyway) from Écailles de Lune. This track leans heavily on the cold wave/atmospheric sound that Neige has mucking around with lately, but fear not, the black metal is still present. Check out the MP3 and read more for North American tour dates.



Alcest will be supported over the tour with various acts including: Velnias, Liturgy, Clad In Darkness, Woe, Monarque, and Have A Nice Life. Read more for the dates.

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TWILIGHT READIES MONUMENT TO TIME END

All right, enough with the guessing. Black metal super group Twilight will release Monument to Time End (above) in May on Southern Lord.

By now you should know the drill: re-formed last year, this time without notorious fun-haters Malefic (Xasthur) and Hildof (Draugar), Twilight is back, anchored by Nachtmystium's Blake Judd, Wrest (Leviathan) and Imperial (Krieg). Bolstered by the additions of Isis' Aaron Turner and the Atlas Moth's Stavros "Steve" Giannopoulos, and produced and engineered by Chicagoan Sanford Parker (Minsk), Monument presents the first fully-collaborative effort under the Twilight banner. Vocal acrobat Robert Lowe (Lichens) contributed to three tracks, as well.

"The new Twilight record is highly influenced by the whole industrial scene," Parker said, in a March 18 interview in the Chicago Reader. "You can definitely hear that strong Wax Trax presence."

Word on the street has it that several West coast, single-celled record stores jumped the gun and already have it on shelves, so if you're in San Fran or Berkley, check it out and tell us what you think.

Make the jump for track listing and more info.

Monument To Time End tracklist:

1. The Cryptic Ascension
2. Fall Behind Eternity
3. 8,000 Years
4. Red Fields
5. Convulsions in Wells of Fever
6. Decaying Observer
7. The Catastrophe Exhibition
8. Negative Signal Omega

[Left to right: Sanford Parker, Jef "Wrest" Whitehead, Stavros Giannopoulos, Aaron Turner, Neil Imperial, Blake Judd]

The Lord will release a limited-to-550 special edition of Monument as part of their subscription series.

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FRESHLY BAKED: FLOURISHING

In "Freshly Baked," we feature promising young bands or bands that are otherwise lacking the attention we think they deserve.

by theseseans (NYC)

Download: Flourishing - "Watching Sparrows" [MP3]

Flourishing are bringing some "mind fuck" to NYC's metal scene. Their debut EP, A Momentary Sense of the Immediate World, which comes out next Tuesday, March 30th on The Path Less Traveled Records, delivers death-metal and grind with some delirious twists and turns. Steering away from any over use of technical prowess, Flourishing's sound comes more from experimentation, from riffs that are let free to roam where they will.

I had a chance to ask frontman/guitarist Garett Bussanick (also of NYC's Wetnurse) about Flourishing's EP, death-metal and the stage presence killing double duties of playing guitar and singing.

Crustcake: What is the inspiration in taking on another project? Specifically a death-metal project. Flourishing does not display the typical thematic or aesthetic tendencies of death metal, so what drew you to it?

Garett Bussanick:I had been doing the project that has become Flourishing way before I joined Wetnurse. It just came down to deciding to do it again, as the band was inactive for about 3 1/2 years. We started back up about a year ago and just picked up where we left off. The drummer of Flourishing and I have been doing Death Metal and Grindcore type projects since early '95, and we've always just been interested in trying to incorporate different sounding inspirations. The base idea is to create dark, discordant music that makes use of melodic and layered parts. Old Grindcore is a big influence.

Crustcake: Has it always been a desire of yours to front a band?

Bussanick: We basically wanted to keep things simple, so we're a three-piece and I thought that I might as well handle the vocals. I had never considered fronting a band until we started playing again. Over the years I've been mainly interested in guitar playing, but I'm becoming more interested in the interplay between guitar and vocals and like the idea of vocals taking a central role from time to time. I am coming up with ideas on how to experiment vocally and how this can create different shades in the music we write.

Crustcake: Does doing vocals as well as the demanding and constant guitar parts hinder your live energy?

Bussanick: Yes! Flourishing has been playing live for less than a year, and I have found it pretty difficult to adjust to doing both in a show setting. I've been working on refining my approach so I don't collapse by the 4th song.

Crustcake: The press release for your upcoming release has a lot of focus on your lyrical content. Was this something you pushed for, are the lyrics particularly important to you?

Bussanick: Well, I hardly consider myself a lyricist, but I do want to be satisfied with what I'm writing. I think the musical output of Flourishing will always be more important to me than the lyrics or vocals, but I am enjoying writing things that I want to get across and look at this role as a different type of avenue to create through. Right now, music for our first full length is nearly completed, and I'm in the process of writing lyrics and patterns for everything. I'm going to be taking the vocals into different areas that didn't happen on the ep.

Crustcake: There are a few areas of clean, or spoken, passages. Are these to complement the lyrics or the song?

Bussanick: Any cleaner or spoken parts are just incorporated to compliment the music. These parts aren't necessarily anymore important in a lyrical sense at all. I just simply thought certain things would sound cool as being less than screamed.

Crustcake: How did your relationship with The Path Less Traveled Records begin?

Bussanick: I contacted TPLTR out of the blue when we were looking for someone to release the ep. I'm very happy to say he was. Sean has been great to work with and is extremely helpful and generous.

Crustcake: Sean at TPLTR always does a great job with packaging, is there anything special we can look forward to with Flourishing's release? Vinyl?

Bussanick: The release has slightly textured paper, which I tihnk will have a nice effect. As of now, there are no plans for a vinyl release since I think Sean wanted to financially chill out for the time being. I would love to have it come out on vinyl though, so maybe someone somewhere would be into it.

Crustcake: Is Flourishing "your" band? Is the creative control in your corner, or did Flourishing come together as a group of people with a common goal?

Bussanick: Flourishing is a group effort. I suppose, since I am the sole guitarist and vocalist, a lot of things that are used originate with my ideas. But things are always fully realized together and the other guys will bring in compositional ideas and parts. The three of us are old friends, so the dynamic between us works well.

Check out Flourishing live:

Mar 25 2010 7:00P - Cake Shop - Howl, Javelina, Flourishing - EP Release Show! New York, New York

Apr 5 2010 8:30P - Lit - New York, New York

Jun 7 2010 8:00P - Lit - Castevet, Woe, Batillus, Flourishing New York, New York

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CLAWS WRITING NEW RECORD

We were really excited to hear about the new Hooded Menace record that is coming soon. But unfortunately, Hooded Menace mainman Lasse never takes his doom/death show on the road. Bummer.

However, with all that time that Lasse isn't spending on the road he has laid out writing/recording plans for his one man death-metal band Claws. The band's last effort Absorbed In The Nethervoids was a major hit with us, so we now have a double dose of major Lasse anticipation.

Read more for Lasse's full statement in regard to the recordings.

From the Claws MySpace:

Claws has started writing material for the follow up album to "Absorbed in the Nethervoid". It seems that the new stuff will be darker with thicker cryptic atmosphere than ever! It is heavily inspired by bands/albums like "Soulside Journey" from Darkthrone, God Macabre, "An Evil Shade of Grey" from Cemetary, Necros Christos to mention a few... and of course Crematory (Swe)! It is not sure yet what label will release the new album but negotiations with a few labels are already in process. More news later!

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IRON FUCKING MAIDEN ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM, SUMMER TOUR (FUCK. YES.)

That headline pretty much says it all.

The Final Frontier will be out this summer.

Tour dates with Dream Theater(!) after the jump.

The Final Frontier 2010 World Tour

JUNE

Wed 09 Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Center
Fri 11 Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Sat 12 San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center
Mon 14 Denver, CO - Comfort Dental Amphitheatre
Wed 16 Albuquerque, NM - The Pavilion
Thu 17 Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Wireless Pavilion
Sat 19 San Bernardino, CA - San Manuel Amphitheatre
Sun 20 Concord, CA - Sleep Train Pavilion
Tue 22 Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheatre
Thu 24 Vancouver, BC - GM Place
Sat 26 Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place
Tue 29 Saskatoon, SK - Credit Union Center
Wed 30 Winnipeg, MB - MTS Center +
+Dream Theater will not be performing in Winnipeg

JULY

Sat 03 Toronto, ON - Molson Amphitheatre
Wed 07 Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
Sun 11 Holmdel, NJ - PNC
Mon 12 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
Wed 14 Pittsburgh, PA - First Niagara Pavilion
Thu 15 Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center
Sat 17 Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
Sun 18 Chicago, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Tue 20 Washington D.C. - Jiffy Lube Live

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CASTEVET ANNOUNCE ALBUM TITLE, APRIL SHOW (AND SWEET BLACK T-SHIRT)

Photo by Diana Lee Zadlo

Brooklyn black metal experimentalists Castevet have announced their full-length debut, Mounds of Ash, will be released this summer on Profound Lore. And we. Are. Stoked.

Their 2009 7", Stones/Salts, was a slam dunk mini-blast of cerebral, angular blackness that drew comparisons to such diverse luminaries as Morbid Angel, Deathspell Omega, Voivod, Converge and Ved Buens Ende. With such an auspicious pedigree, and bolstered by Defeatest bassist J. Scott and produced by Colin Marston (Krallice, Gorguts, Dysrhythmia, Behold... The Arctopus) at his PAINcave/Menegroth, the Thousand Caves studios, Mounds of Ash is sure to cement this NY three-piece among the vanguard of modern American black metal revolutionists.

Show info, live video and look at that sweet shirt, after the jump.

Castevet, w/ Ludicra, Krallice and Atakke:

-Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ Club Europa
-98 Meserole Ave, Brooklyn
-Doors at 7:00 p.m. - $12

Castevet @ Heart of Winter Fest 2010:





Shirt available here.

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HOWL MAKE US HEAD BANG LIKE NONE OTHER

Fuck'n Howl man. Seriously. Howl have a new song song up on their mysapce, "Asherah/Jezebel," and it/they f'n rule. Howl has an other worldly ability to write doomy, thrashy, groove metal that incites head banging to a euphoric degree.

The drums pound an appropriate amount of heavy on this one. Check the tunes out already! The album artwork looks great too, should make for a great vinyl purchase. For now, you pre-order the CD here, the release date is 5/11/10.

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CRUSTCAKE'S GUIDE TO SXSW!

by The WZAd (ATX)

This is going to be my first South by Southwest experience. Fortunately for me, I'm prepared. More fortunately for you, I have a schedule prepared for you. If you follow this, you'll be able to see the most of your favorite bands for the lowest amount of money. That means you'll be able to buy more beer. Did I just hear a hell yeah?


Tuesday Day show:
KVRX's Depleted Resource is putting on one hell of a hardcore show, with Surroundings, Pigeon Religion, Wild America and personal favorite Chest Pain, among others. If you want to start your SXSW experience early with some DIY hardcore, this is how to do it.

When: Tuesday, March 16th, 4-9pm
Where: Trailer Space Records
Link

Tuesday Night show:
Metal-gods Motorhead are also playing a show at Stubbs on Tuesday night, with local favorites The Sword opening. It won't be cheap though, with tickets around $30. If you want in, I'd order now.

When: Tuesday, March 16th, doors @ 6pm
Where: Stubb's Bar-b-q
How much: $28-30
Link

Wednesday Day Show:
Brooklynvegan is putting on one hell of a free show at Emo's, taking up both stages and featuring such acts as Torche, Fucked Up, Withered, and MANY MANY others. Who knows what's going to go down? It's going to be epic.
When: Wednesday, March 17th, noon-6pm
Where: Emo's
How much: $FREE
Link

Wednesday Night Show:
Two showcases. One venue. High on Fire's only* SXSW appearance. Withered, Landmine Marathon, Zoroaster, Gates of Slumber, and more. What more reason could you need to go to the Mohawk that night? Both ACTION! PR and Prosthetic records are having their showcases that night in the same venue. WOAH. I can't promise you that it's a 2-for-1 deal, but the Mohawk website says that the HOF show is $15 and the Prosthetic show is $TBA. So you never know.

When: Wednesday, March 17th, 7:30pm
Where: Mohawk inside/outside
How much: $15-possibly more if going to more than one show
Link and Link

*a little birdie told me to look at the parking lot of 24 Diner around 2pm that day. No promises.

Thursday Day Show:
We're really happy to be putting on a special free show with Brooklynvegan and 1000 Knives. It's gonna be a cozy little show, and it probably won't be easy to get into. Make sure you show up early! Featuring: Landmine Marathon, Kill the Client, Coffinworm, Trash Talk, and MANY more. This is one to tell your friends about. Also: special guests?

When: Thursday, March 18th, noon-6pm
Where: Hoek's Death Metal Pizza on 6th street
How Much: $FREE
Link

Thursday Night Show:
My school's college radio station, KVRX, is putting on a show that night which is going to be XXXPLOSIVE! Come for Hatred Surge and The Endless Blockade, stay for the party! Also, KVRX will be selling its "Local Live" CD, which features live performances from local bands like Mammoth Grinder they recorded and that you won't be able to find anywhere else.

When: Thursday, March 18th, 9pm-2am
Where: Lucky Lady Bingo Hall, 1107 I-35
How Much: $FREE
Link

Friday Day Show:
Missed your chance to see Voivod because you were too busy headbanging at High on Fire instead? Don't worry about it, because you can see them for free, along with Crustcake favorites Iron Age and Mammoth Grinder!! Hell yeah.

When: Friday, March 19th, noon-6pm
Where: The Scoot Inn & Bier Garten
How much: $FREE
Link

Friday Night Show:
Two of our favorite labels, 20 Buck Spin and Profound Lore, are teaming up to bring you one hell of a showcase show, featuring Liturgy, Yakuza, The Atlas Moth, The Endless Blockade and more.

When: Friday, March 19th, 7pm
Where: Headhunters
How much: $I don't know
Link

Saturday Day Show:
You will go to Red 7 on Saturday at noon. Why? Because Howl is going to be there. Sure, there were other opportunities for you to see Howl, but this one is free, and the other shows I presented you were better. In fact, this entire show, presented by Brooklynvegan at Red 7, is going to be awesome.

When: Saturday, March 20th, 12-6pm
Where: Red 7
How much: $FREE
Link

Saturday Night Show:
Ready to get your sludge on? Rwake, Weedeater, Black Cobra, Black Tusk and a few other bands sure as hell are. If you're interested in this kind of thing, definitely go to the Tone Deaf Touring showcase at Encore.

When: Saturday, March 20th, doors@7pm
Where: Encore
How much: $don't know
Link

Sunday
Honestly, just take this day off.

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FEAR FACTORY HITS ROAD, ROAD BUCKLES UNDER WEIGHT (OF SHEER AWESOMENESS)

As further proof that occasional moments of brightness prick through the otherwise cold, dark reality of life, Fear Factory's Burton C. Bell and Dino Cazares put aside their (rather sizable) differences this year and released Mechanize, an album this year that ranks among the industrial-groove mechanics very best. What sweetens this particular deal all the more is the recent announcement of their impending "Fear Campaign" 2010 North American tour. Joined by former Strapping Young Lad bassist Byron Stroud and the inimitable Gene Hoglan (Dark Angel, Death, SYL, Dethklok), and supported by Winds of Plague, Dirge Within and Periphery, Bell and Cazares are ready to unleash a fine-tuned beast that is, as always, equal parts flesh and gears, hydraulics and blood.

If you go, try not to let recent Gorgoroth-ian bickering from former Fear Factory proles Christian Olde Wolbers and Raymond Herrera (who, in June 2009 on the nationally-syndicated "Speed Freaks" radio show, said, "[Wolbers and I] are actually still in Fear Factory ... [Bell and Cazaraes] decided to start a new band, and furthermore, they decided to call it Fear Factory,") ruin your night.

"Fear Campaign" 2010 American Tour:

3/22/2010 Marquee Theatre - Tempe, AZ
3/23/2010 Sunshine Theatre - Albuquerque, NM
3/24/2010 The Black Sheep - Colorado Springs, CO
3/26/2010 House of Blues - Dallas, TX
3/27/2010 White Rabbit - San Antonio, TX
3/28/2010 The Channel @ Wired Live - Houston, TX
3/30/2010 Culture Room - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
3/31/2010 House of Blues - Lake Buena Vista, FL
4/01/2010 The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
4/02/2010 Valarium - Knoxville, TN
4/03/2010 The Village - Little Rock, AR
4/05/2010 Aggie Theatre - Ft. Collins, CO
4/06/2010 Mesa Theatre - Grand Junciton, CO
4/09/2010 Regency Center - San Francisco, CA
4/10/2010 House of Blues - Las Vegas, NV
4/11/2010 House of Blues - San Diego, CA

Fear Factory - "Fear Campaign" (HD):

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EARTH TO TOUR WEST COAST, LEAVING REST OF AMERICA TO WEEP SILENTLY INTO THEIR CHEERIOS

Seattle's long-running drone-doom-cum-Western-gospel pioneers Earth have announced a string of April West coast tour dates, supported by breakout Cascadian black metal eco-philes Wolves in the Throne Room and cellist Lori Goldston, who will perform as part of Earth's live lineup for the tour.

We also have it on good authority that Earth have been finalizing material for their followup to 2008's superb The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull, slated for an early 2011 release on Southern Lord, and will be showcasing some of the new stuff on the tour.

Make the jump for tour dates and more info.

Earth April 2010 tour lineup:

Dylan Carlson - Guitar
Adrienne Davies - Drums
Karl Blau - Bass
Lori Goldston - Cello

Earth / Wolves in the Throne Room / Lori Goldston - April 2010 Tour:

4/14/2010 The Oak Street Speakeasy - Eugene, OR
4/15/2010 Noctrum - Eureka, CA
4/16/2010 Slim's - San Francisco, CA
4/17/2010 Brookdale Lodge - Santa Cruz, CA
4/19/2010 Ché Café - San Diego, CA
4/20/2010 The EchoPlex - Los Angeles, CA
4/22/2010 Rotture - Portland, OR
4/23/2010 Neumo's - Seattle, WA
4/24/2010 Capital Theatre - Olympia, WA with special guests Mount Eerie and Ô Paon

PS - Did you know that Goldston was the touring cellist for Nirvana in 1993 and 1994 and appeared on their live album, MTV Unplugged in New York?

Yeah, neither did we.

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ROTTEN SOUND DEBUT TWO NEW SONGS

Finland's Rotten Sound have debuted two songs from their upcoming EP Napalm. The EP features three new songs and three Napalm Death covers (wasn't Van just talking about these two bands?). Rotten Sound have posted one of each on their MySpace page. "Mindkill" and "Missing Link" (Napalm Death) both deliver the goods Rotten Sound are known for: grind, death and punk.

Napalm is set for a March 30th North American release date, April 5th internationally, and is available for pre-order here.

Read more for tour info, Napalm album art and track listing.



Rotten Sound - Napalm

1. Mindkill
2. Dead Remains
3. Brainload
4. The Kill
5. Missing Link
6. Suffer The Children

Rotten Sound Spring 2010

April 12 Turku, Finland TVO
April 13 Stockholm, Sweden Kafe 44*
April 14 Gothenburg, Sweden Henricksberg*
April 15 Oslo, Norway Betong*

* = (w/ AFGRUND)

Machines Of Grind Co-Headline Tour w/ ABORTED, THE RED CHORD

April 16 Copenhagen, Denmark Pumpehuset
April 17 Essen, Germany Turock
April 23 Evreux, France Abordage
April 24 Nantes, France Le Ferrailleur
April 25 Durango, Spain Plateruena
April 26 Madrid, Spain Ritmo & Compas
April 27 Barcelona, Spain Apolo 2
April 28 Luynes, France Le Korigan
April 30 Tilburg, Holland 013 (as part of Neurotic Death Fest)
March 1 Leisnig, Germany Revolution Fest Open Air
March 2 Brno, Czech Rep. Faval
March 3 Munchen, Germany Feierwerk
March 4 Vienna, Austria Arena
March 5 Ljubljana, Slovenia Gala Hala
March 6 Lonato Del Garda, Italy Olden Live Club
March 7 Zizers, Switzerland Eventstage
March 8 Durby, Belgium Durbuy Rock Fest

Terrorizer Tour-Ture Co-Headline Tour w/ ABORTED, THE RED CHORD

April 18 London, UK Underworld
April 19 Birmingham, UK 02 Academy 3
April 20 Newcastle upon Tyne, UK 02 Academy 2
April 21 Leeds, UK Rios
April 22 Plymouth, UK White Rabbit

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NO FRIENDS 2010 TOUR

No Friends (that hardcore supergroup feat. members of MuniWaste, Gatorface and New Mexican Disaster Squad Sean's been digging lately) have announced spring tour dates along side Deep Sleep. Be on the look out East Coast, Tony Foresta is gonna ... fuck you up?

The hardcore super-group also recently announced details for a new 12".

Tour dates after the jump.

No Friends, Deep Sleep 2010 Spring Tour

4/02/10 Raleigh, NC The Pourhouse
4/03/10 Harrisonburg, VA Macrock
4/04/10 Washington, DC TBA TBA
4/05/10 York, PA
4/06/10 New Brunswick, NJ
4/07/10 Boston, MA Church of Boston
4/08/10 Brooklyn, NY Bruar Falls
4/09/10 Philadelphia, PA
4/10/10 Richmond, VA The Bikelot

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CRUSTCAKE PICKS - CHICAGO SHOWS 3/11 - 3/17

by Andrew Wilhelm (CHI)

Drop out of life with bong in hand. Follow the smoke toward the riff-filled land.

Well, High on Fire isn't for a couple weeks, but escapism never hurt anyone.

Headbangers, this weekend is fucking CRUCIAL. First off, you got Teutonic titans Kreator and Canadian legends Voivod ripping the Bottom Lounge a new one on Friday. To me, Voivod ain't Voivod widdout Piggy...but market forces prove otherwise. Better yet, hometown anti-heroes Nachtmystium will be supporting. Another set of locals who've made it to the big time, Pelican, will also be playing Friday night. Support your community heshers.

Next, you got Harvey fucking Milk and Coalesce the following day. Milk are well known for bringing the noise, and Coalesce made not one, not two, but FOUR of our best of 2009 lists. Look out for the review.

To cap it all off, Orphaned Land are hitting up the Bottom Lounge, but as cool as they are, they're not the main reason you should go. A Storm of Light, with our very own Crustcake Gerf on the skins, will be playing the show too. Show the 'cake some love, will ya?

Finally, for some (especially if you're in college), Monday is still the weekend. Head down to The Moprey to have your brain shredded by Brooklyn hips...black metal quartet Liturgy. Hunter Hunt-Hendrix might even throw in a lecture with those burst beats! I'll be interviewing him at this show too, so look for Triple H to drop some metaphysics on your ass.

And remember, like a famous Chicago native once said: after the show, it's the after-party. After the party, it's the hotel lobby. Right about four, you gotta clear the lobby. Then take it to the room and (!) somebody.

Crustcake Picks - Chicago Shows 3/11 - 3/17

Friday March 12 - Kreator, Voivod, Nachtmystium, Evile, Lazarus A.D. @ Bottom Lounge

- Pelican, Pinebender @ Beat Kitchen

Saturday March 13 - Harvey Milk, Coalesce, The Atlas Moth @ Subteranean

Sunday March 14 - Orphaned Land, Suidakra, A Storm of Light, Indian @ Bottom Lounge

Monday March 15 - Liturgy, White Mice, Tinsel Teeth, Cacaw, Jason Soliday @ The Moprey

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TRAP THEM STREAM 'CARNAGE INCARNATE'

Stream: Trap Them - "Carnage Incarnate"

Still waiting anxiously for Filth Rations release and pre-order info to be announced? Yeah ... us too. While all that info is still MIA, Trap Them have put a new song from Rations, their upcoming Southern Lord 12", on their MySpace.

"Carnage Incarnate" is little more spastic than Trap Them's recent offerings, but it has their distinct fury aplenty. Most interestingly, this is the first recorded material we've heard since the departure of drummer Michael Justian. New guy Chris Maggio seems to be doing just fine.

Make the jump to check out Justin Bartlett's awesome album artwork.

Trap Them - Filth Rations



Oh, and just as an aside. Not sure if anyone else is interested in the Ryan's lyrical content for Trap Them, but I think it's Dark Tower related. -Sean

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HIGH ON FIRE PREMIERE NEW VIDEO: 'FROST HAMMER' (PS - IT RULES)

Legendary Bay Area power trio High on Fire debuted the first video from this year's colossal Snakes for the Divine, the six-plus-minute rager "Frost Hammer," on Pitchfork Wednesday.

The video, seen above, is, in a nutshell, totally rad and pretty much combines all we've come to know and love about the Oakland outfit (a shirtless Matt Pike, baring those gnarly chompers and shredding unmercifully with his right elbow cocked skyward, Des Kensel's over-sized drums and Jeff Matz's stoic Al Cisneros-ish head nod) with literal friggin' depictions of "a warrior's sojourn to the cold and barren Plateau of Leng where he secures the fabled Frost Hammer that will be used to enact the final rites and complete the dark rebirth and reign of the Frost Child."

Holy shit, are these guys awesome.

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LIVE REVIEW: MISERY INDEX

by Van Damned (SATX)

Misery Index
When: Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Where: Sam's Burger Joint, San Antonio, TX
With: Magrudergrind, Ballgag, EIM

As befitting a grind show, I'll keep this brief.

I had the distinct misfortune of missing D.C.'s Magrudergrind due to some knife-wielding idiot getting shot by police (I work for San Antonio's ABC affiliate and had to work late reporting on said incident for their Web site). Thus, I made it to Sam's only in time to see Baltimore's Misery Index.

Magrudergrind, you'll remember, made several of our Top Ten lists last year with their superb self-titled record. By all reports they put on a killer -- if truncated -- show. Nevertheless, dudes were super genial and I scored both a copy of their Sixty Two Trax of Thrash compilation cassette and a yellow vinyl re-press of Magrudergrind (Six Weeks Records).

That said, Relapse's Misery Index weren't no slouch-punk slobs. Their technical take on modern deathgrind lifted heavily from forebearers Napalm Death and Finnish newschoolers Rotten Sound but included enough breakdowns and gang chants to keep the youngsters happy. Credit's due to guitarist Sparky Voyle's Dimebag goatee and guitarist/vocalist Mark Kloeppel's mom, who is San Antonio-based and was out in full support. MI's punchy, political, drum-heavy attack benefited from Sam's decent sound and had a fair number of Alamo City longhairs thrashing violently in the pit. Look for their new record, Heirs to Thievery, later this year.

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SOUTHERN LORD'S MOST BRUTAL SIGNING

First, watch the video



Italy's crustgrind band The Secret has been signed by Southern Lord, and their third album, Solve et Coagula is to be recorded in April with producer Kurt Ballou (swoon!).

So it looks like Southern Lord finally decided to nut up and sign a band that gets to the point in less than an hour. Hell yeah!

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CRUSTCAKE PICKS - NEW CAKE IN THE OVEN: FUCK THE FACTS' UNNAMED

by The WZA'd (ATX)

On Unnamed, Fuck the Facts continues developing their “artsy” signature grind sound, combining melody with agile, tight riffage. With this DIY release, the band both relates to and sets itself apart from the grindcore scene, possessing better musicianship than most but none of the pompousness that comes with it.

Fuck the Facts are among Discordance Axis and few others in being a grindcore band that can be both brutal and emotional at the same time. The band often jumps between the two, but as is exemplified on the first track of this EP, their sound is most impressive when combining both.

Being only a seven-inch, there’s not a whole lot of time for the softer melodic interludes that peppered Disgorge Mexico, and yet the creeping “Time is a Dictator” gives the second half of the EP some moody breathing room and really hammers in the tone of the release. It’s short and ends perhaps too soon, with a woman at the end asking, “Where did the time go?” I would ask the same thing about listening to this EP.

Fortunately for us, there is another release from Fuck the Facts on its way, coming later this year on Relapse Records. If it’s better than (or at least as good as) this EP, it might be their best record yet.

You can pre-order Unnamed here.

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NO FRIENDS RECORD NEW LP, PLAN TOUR

No Friends, the hardcore super group featuring Tony Foresta (Municipal Waste) have completed a new 12" LP and are in the midst of planning a tour. The LP, Traditional Features will be an eight-minute, one-sided, 45 RPM 12" released through Kiss Of Death Records.

Their previous record, No Friends, made theseseans best of 2009 in the Punk Rock section. If you aren't familiar with the band hit their myspace for some old school DC hardcore. The band also features members of Gatorface and New Mexican Disaster Squad. No Friends are planning a spring tour, with one show confirmed at The Bike Lot in Richmond, VA on April 10.

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SXSW: RELAPSE RECORDS' SHOWCASE SHOW!

In part three of our continuing series about shows you can't miss at SXSW, we bring you news of Relapse Records' 2010 showcase show. Featuring Crustcake favorites Howl, Tombs, Kill the Client and Mammoth Grinder, not to mention legends Voivod and comedian Brian Posehn, this show will have you running back and forth between here and the unmissable ACTION! PR showcase show we reported on.

Details below.

Relapse Records 2010 Showcase Show

Where: Red 7
When: Wednesday, March 17th @ 7:00pm
Who: Voivod, Brian Posehn, Kill the Client, Tombs, Howl, Mammoth Grinder, Graves of Valor
Scrilla: "All Ages welcome. $10 to the public, free for SXSW badge / wristband holders."

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PENTAGRAM TO HIT THE ROAD AGAIN

Be forewarned, heshers, the Sign of the Wolf is coming upon the West...and parts of the Midwest too.

Yes, boys and girls, Pentagram are getting back on the road next month. Radio Moscow will be supporting them for the Western portion of the tour, though Slough Feg (who, like Pentagram, are extremely underrated and totally badass) will jam with them in San Francisco, and The Gates of Slumber, who the 'gram toured with in January, will join them in Indianapolis. Bobby Liebling, Pentagram's legendary frontman, says to his fans at shows that "Without you, there is no me." A world without Bobby would be a world not fit to live in. You get the message.

And if you haven't read Andrew Wilhelm's account of their recent Chicago show, yer a gotdamn fool.

Full dates below.

PENTAGRAM MARCH/APRIL 2010 TOUR

March 15 Indianapolis, IN @ The Tip Top w/ The Gates Of Slumber
March 16 Lincoln, NE @ Knickerbockers
March 17 Denver, CO @ The Marquis Theater
March 20 Los Angeles, CA @ Ultra Violet w/ Radio Moscow
March 21 Ramona, CA @ Ramona Mainstage w/ Radio Moscow
March 22 Tempe, AZ @ The Clubhouse w/ Radio Moscow
March 24 San Francisco, CA @ DNA Lounge w/ Slough Feg
March 26 Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven w/ Radio Moscow
March 27 Portland, OR @ Satyricon w/ Radio Moscow
March 30 St Paul, MN @ Turf Club
March 31 Milwaukee, WI @ Vnuk's
April 1 Detroit, MI @ Blondie's
April 2 Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex Theater

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ALCEST ARE COMING TO AMERICA....AND CANADA.

France's Alcest have announced North American tour dates in support of their new record Écailles De Lune. If you are not familiar with Alcest, the band is mainly Neige from the excellent Amesoeurs (which to us means this tour translates into FUCK YEAH!!!!!).

Alcest will be supported over the tour with various acts including: Velnias, Liturgy, Clad In Darkness, Woe, Monarque, and Have A Nice Life. Read more for the dates.




Alcest 2010 Lullaby Over North America tour

April 22nd - Quebec QC, Bar Octobre
April 23rd - Toronto ON, Hard Luck Bar
April 24th - Chicago IL, Reggie's Rock Club
April 25th - TBA, TBA
April 26th - TBA, TBA
April 27th - Philadelphia PA, Kung Fu Necktie
April 28th - New Haven CT, Cafe Nine
April 29th - New York NY, The Studio at Webster Hall
April 30th - Montreal QC, Underworld
May 1st - Boston MA, Unit 11

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