Upcoming Shows

A few days ago, I thought I'd just post a single half-assed entry and leave it there for a fortnight. However, fate/Metal/ the internet had other plans. I'm lots of fun and bad with numbers, so I'm pretty sure it's four posts and counting at this point. Well, here ya go.

Domestic Violence is best described as Super Punk Rock. They're so awesome that even people who don't like Punk music are hooked, if only by morbid curiosity. They do have music online, but quite frankly, it will never do them justice. This is an act you have to see live to truly understand the experience. It's kind of like Shock Rock for the Hardcore crowd. Whoah, I thought Metal logos were supposed to be illegible. I can't be sure I'm reading the rest of the line up correctly, but it looks like Colour Me Once, Leaky Faces, Robots Eat Brains, and Society Unknown. The first three words on the flyer are "Punk" and "All Ages", and honestly that's all I need to hear. 

I know I give Santa Fe and Albuqurque alot of cred for their contributions to the Metal scene, but it would be blasphemous to neglect our neighbor Taos. Taos is best known for it's hot springs, wicked ski slopes, crazy hippies, and insane parties. This shindig is aptly titled Metal Reign In The Northern Mountains. The extremely talented Eulogies Of The Forgotten are playing, and I can attest to their awesome shredding abilities.  Obelisk hails from my hometown, and they describe themselves, quite fittingly, as "Party Sludge".  From Sacrifice To Survival will kick your ass, musically speaking. Portrait Of A Mastermind is intricate yet heavy, plus they have a pirate song. If that doesn't shiver your timbers, nothing will. There's two other Metal bands too, so that's just $5 for 6 bands. Wicked. 

So much for June. If you need to take a breather, you can chill during July and start August off with this. As soon as Monday, I will be old enough to see all of the bar shows. I've already gone mad with my newfound power, albeit premature at this point. What could be better than booze and a concert? Maybe if there was some hotties involved, I'd say I was in heaven...

...Oh my! Thank you, Gods of Metal. \m/

Last Minute Update

So... You may or may not remember my chemically altered post from 2 am last night (this morning?). Regardless, there is a change in today's concert. See this flyer? It's a liar.

 Unfortunately, the Victory Heights comeback show is going to be sans- Victory Heights. I know, that's retarded. On the plus side, The Untold Hour are going to be replacing them. For some reason, they don't have any music online, but apparently their influences range "from Slayer to Asking Alexandria to Beethoven", so I like them already. The rest of the line-up is sick anyway, so everyone wins.

And in other news, Whitechapel released their new self-titled album on the 19th, but I was too fat/lonely/poor to even notice. They claim that this is their best material to date, but I'm not going to believe them until I aquire said album.

Th-th-that's all, folks.

Rave, Reggae, Rock

This post is named after a shirt I got from the mall in high school. I think it was from like, Claire's or Hot Topic or some equally corny establishment. It just said "Rave Reggae Rock" in neon colors on a cool tank top.  Anyway, I just got back from a Rave at the very decent hour of 2:18 AM.  It was pretty cool, but I felt self conscious because I thought I looked like a "prosti-tot". I'm not a teenager who dresses like a skank, I'm just a hot chick who happens to be short. Plus, I just a had a nice bowl of marij-- Um, a nice bowl of ice cream, so I was having a pretty good time.

And for the record, I did headbang to dubstep. The rumors are true. Stop yelling at me. Even so,  I've had an epiphany. The audiences at raves are pretty pissed off, even though the music is all uppity. However, Metal audiences are pretty pumped, even though the music is morbid. The fuck is up with that? How can a grown ass man wear so many shades of neon pink and still manage to be mad?

Well, this blog is all about Metal, at least in theory, so I guess here's some upcoming shows for all of you mongrels.

Victory Heights is having a "Comeback Show", which sounds like a euphemism for "Reunion Show". I don't actually know. Regardless, they sound pretty good, so this concert seems legit. Besides,  I can attest to the awesomeness that is Scarless, as well as Forever An End. Each of these bands is some version of Metalcore, and I know approximately jack-shit about the rest of the line-up, but for $7, I'm not complaining. The venue is Amped Performance Center, so don't come drunk or bitchy or they'll throw your dumb ass out. And you'll deserve it.

Tomorrow, there's this show, which is gonna be totally sick. Futilitarian is trippy, intricate Instru-Metal, whereas Bear The Nightmare is kind of like Metalcore, but a little cooler. Don't know the other two, but it doesn't matter because I will be ONE DAY too young to see them anyway.

This show is actually the day of my birthday, so it's my gift to myself. $4 for a Punk show and a bar? Fuck yeah. That's so awesome that it's stupid.  

Local band Xmortis is also going to play at Albuqurque's Launchpad on Sunday, September 2. There is no flyer yet, as the event is pretty distant in the future. In fact, no-one even knows the rest of the line up yet. But Launchpad has pretty high standards, so I'm sure it will rock. Besides, the whole shindig is a benefit for the Save The Music campaign, sponsored by VH1. Big-shot corporations like that don't take their concerts lightly. Even though I don't have many details, I do know that tix are $10 in advance and $12 the day of.  So, get a headstart on that, comrades.

Fuck, I'm about to barf, so be content with what I give you, ya drunk fools.

Band Review: Futilitarian

 I've noticed that New Mexico has an obsession, almost bordering on a fetish, with Outer Space. Mayhaps it's just because we have Roswell? I don't know. Either way, our Metal scene was prototype Alien-core before Rings Of Saturn was a big deal. From the celestial tech-death of Fields Of Elysium to the  astronaut rappers of State Of The Mingo, we're all a bunch of space cadets here. Hell, we even have a venue called Launchpad. We have a serious problem. That being said, I am head over heels for Futilitarian.

Futilitarian incorporates an obscene amount of guitar in an otherwise ambient instrumental style. The result is something like Post-Metal, but more mosh-able. The style is primarily heavy and sounds like planets crashing together. The guitars are melodic and melancholy, featuring tragic sounding riffs which segue off into angry blasts. Similarly,  the drums run the spectrum from caveman-esque primal rhythms to ridiculously fast explosions of energy.

Although Futilitarian oscillates between atmoshperic and extreme, the transitions are seamless. It's like watching the world explode, recoiling in horror, then realizing "Eh, they deserved it."  If you don't believe me, EP: To Earth is available for free download. The music may be free, but remember that Metalheads need money at least as much as everyone else. Therefore, you must check them out live in concert should the opportunity present itself. Behold:

Beefy. If for some reason you can't attend these concerts, you really should download their album.It sounds like a Lovecraftian apocalypse of the Elder Gods, set to autotune.  Here's the track list:

1. Escape Pod To Earth
2. Ocean: Axis
3. (Planetary) Magnitude
4. Retrieving Nihilism
5. Abstract Universe
6. Black Dwarf Star
 
Need I say it? Five stars outta five.

A Torrential Onslaught Of Music

I know I just posted flyers for upcoming shows, but there's more concerts in summer than is humanly possible to actually attend. During my most recent excursion to Albu-tweakers, I noticed tons of Metal flyers posted on the neighboring venues. Jesus Christ, if you're in New Mexico this month and somehow bored, you have to be deliberately trying not to have fun. Check this out, starting with The Sunshine Theater:

At first I was skeptical about Born Of Osiris, due to their flourish-y logo. I was expecting something a lot less heavy than they actually are. However, upon giving them a chance, I was pleasantly surprised by heavy screams and intricate melodies. I love extreme music, but I also appreciate virtuosity. The rest of the line up looks pretty decent, but the flyer is missing one thing: HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?!

Still no ticket prices on the flyers, huh? Well, to see The Acacia Strain, I'm willing to pay up to $20. I'm not insulting their talent, but I'm not made of money and there are other shows I could see on July 21st. This is part of the Scream It Like You Mean It tour, which seems pretty legit. My only problem is that one of the headliners is We Came As Romans, who are totally high-pitched emo whiners. Seriously, why didn't the extremely loud and talented Impending Doom get a better slot?! Oh well, the line up is still pretty killer.

Demon Hunter is pretty damn awesome. Not as caustic as most Metal, but brutal enough to keep me interested. Cancer Bats are far more psychotic, and since I've never seen them in concert, maybe I'll give this one a shot. Maybe I'd be even more willing to go if I knew how much it cost. *cough cough*\

So much for Sunshine. Let's see what Launchpad has in store for us now.

 The first thing on this flyer is "FREE SHOW" in huge letters, so I like it already. Torture Victim and Left To Rot have played Bloody Ear Fest before, so I already know that they are nothing short of ferocious. Plus, the logo for Torture Victim looks like it would make an excellent tramp stamp. But remember: This show is for the 21+ crowd only. I hope you ancient fossils know how much I resent you.

Gorilla Music is kind of sketch, but Worm-Hole is Metal as fuck. I honestly don't know about any of the other bands, but judging from names such as "Purple Venom" and "Night Must Fall", I'm assuming there will be enough heavy music to make it all worth it. $8 if you buy tickets from the bands, or pay $10 at the door. All ages, 4 PM on June 10.

I got excited when I saw Sex For Admission, but it turns out that's just the name of a band. In reality, it's $4 for admission, but maybe you'll get lucky. In all seriousness, Diverside is pretty righteous, so try to make it to this concert. If you're at least 21 years old, that is.

This flyer is a blast from the past. It looks just like a T-shirt from the '95 tour of underground Metal festival. Like most launchpad shows, I assume it's about $10 and for people old enough to drink. I'm gonna try to go anyway.

Futilitarian freaking rocks. Same is true of Bear The Nightmare. This show is only $5, doors open at 7 PM. Oh, and it's the day before my birthday, so I will literally be ONE DAY TOO YOUNG to actually go. Son of a fucking bitch.

Ok... Is everyone still with me? I know this is a gargantuan post, but there's so many shows that I'm trying to give them all publicity in somewhat manage-able chunks. Here's what's happening at Amped Performance Center:

Whattaya know, it's Futilitarian again. This time I can legally see them. Not to mention my homies from Destroy To Recreate and Scarless, both amazing bands. Thank Metal it's Friday, indeed.

Meanwhile, this very Wednesday, dont miss Gaza at the all ages venue, Gasworks. If you don't thrash so hard that you give yourself an aneurism, I'll be kind of disappointed. No joke.

Concert Review: Slaughter Survivor Battle Of The Bands

I feel like I was just hit by a semi-truck. I have a ringing in my ears, some new battle-scars, and incredible whiplash. At the risk of of sounding like a hyper teenager, this show was EPIC. Behold:

Defleshment, hailing from Laguna, NM, are a force to be reckoned with. They kickstarted the entire concert with intensely brutal riffs and machine-gun drumming. It was fucking awesome. Thier performance was a taste of New Mexico Death Metal, and pretty much set the tone for the badassery of the whole show.

Next up was Eulogies Of The Forgotten. They have neither CD's (that I know of) nor online music, save for some youtube videos which don't quite do them justice. Hell, that's just more reason to to see them live. These guys are truly badass, coming all the way from Taos to perform, and supporting al the other bands as well. The fact that they could play such an energetic set and then mosh the rest of the night is freaking impressive. They're pretty cool guys, too. Meeting them offstage,you would never guess that they were the crazy bastards who just fucked your shit up in the limelight.

Eat A Helicopter is straight up scary. The name is deceptively goofy, but the music basically delivers a pre-emptive strike on all five (six?) of your senses. It was during their setlist that the mosh pit grew massive. Rowdy doesn't even begin to describe it. If you want a taste of their awesome insanity, check out this video. If you like what you see, CD's and other merch is available. Contact the band on their facebook, I already gave you the link. Fuck yeah.

Futilitarian, in their own words, incorporate "an offensive amount of guitar." Yeah, that sounds about right. The music is painfully loud, so awesomely unholy that it's almost ambient. Their style is so melodic that it borders on symphonic. Their sound is atmospheric and poignant. The murcery icing on the Metal cake is that they gave out free CD's. (EP To Earth  is available on Bandcamp, by the way.) I'm going to be honest: One of my favorite things about Metal is the unique vocal styles, which obviously differentiate it from other genres. As such, I'm usually pretty sketched out by Instru-Metal. However, Futilitarian holds thier own, and they are one of my favorite bands despite (or even due to) the lack of vocals.

Weslandia were the winners of the Battle Of The Bands, and I hope they realize that they competed with worthy opponents. Apparently they are also a Christian Metal band, which is great. Christian Metal has a reputation for being kind of lame, but musicians like this prove these negative opinions wrong. They're almost as brutal as The Old Testament itself.

Of All Forms was a band I had anticipated all night, for they were the only musicians representing my hometown: Santa Fe. And holy faith, can those guys represent. They seem to be the quintessential modern Metal band, almost Dethklokian in their style. Think caustic drumming, with melodic strings juxtaposed against relatively monotone growls. I don't mean to be insulting when I say the vocals are monotonous... as this Interview with Brendon Small demonstrates, the deeper growls are too brutal to be melodic. I'm psyched that I had such a beastly band to show Albuqurque what Santa Fe is made of. I also appreciate their lack of gimmicks. In a local scene that prides itself on novelty, it's refreshing to see a New Mexico band that can just play Metal, heavy as fuck.

A Malicious Plague is amazing. Everything about them is apocalyptic. Their sound, their stage presence, all of it rocks. It's the next best thing to actually festering in your own squalid pestilence. I swear, I'm sure that if The Black Death makes an unexpected comeback, humanity's dying words will sound something like this. They came all the way from Gallup to perform, which increases my already immense respect for them.

Atypical Night is aptly named, because every concert with them is guaranteed to be extraordinary. They certainly ended the night with a bang. Their musical style is a seamless blend of melody and ruthlessness. The resulting chaos is something like Death Metal with amped-up virtuosity. They describe themselves as Melodic Deathcore, which seems pretty accurate, so let's just go with that. They were a sublime conclusion to a concert such as this. As most Joe Angel Productions go, this one also gets five stars outta five.

Upcoming Shows

I'm a slacker and a half. This is super last minute, and yet it must be done. Apparently there's a benefit for W21 tonight, but only one of the bands is Metal (Until Chaos is freaking epic, by the way.) So support your local scene and bring your skateboard. Like all Warehouse 21 shows, doors open at seven and it only costs five bucks. Also, don't show up with drugs or a crappy attitude. Not even cool, bro.

So much for that biz. Tomorrow, things get heavier with the Slaughter Survivors Battle Of the Bands.  Atypical Night is a sublime taste of Melodic Death Metal. Of All Forms is just plain heavy.  Futilitarian is thrashy Instru-Metal.  Eulogies Of The Forgotten is best described as Blackened Thrash. I have no idea what the other bands sound like, which only makes me more excited to go. $10 at the door, show starts at 6 PM, and 9 bands in all. Location is Albuqurque's own Amped Performance Center.

If you happen to be in Nevada this Saturday, check out the amazingly talented Machine Gun Vendetta, sharing the stage with legendary Leftover Crack. This show will be awesome, no joke. I wish I had this flyer hanging in my room.

Now here's a show I've been anticipating for a while... Motherfucking GAZA. These crazy dudes have performed at the (now defunct) Little Wing venue, featured in Terrorizer Magazine, and reviewed in The Living Doorway blog. Good stuff. Not to mention their sharing the stage with local bands, including Immortal Prophecy, Saberwulf, and Harsh Words. I don't know what the cover is, and frankly, I don't care. I'd sell my soul to see this. Also, I wish I had this flyer hanging over my bed.

That's so cherry that it hurts. Anyway, more shenanigans are to ensue on the 8th, now that Scattered Hamlet are back in town. Blinddryve hails closer to home, coming from Albuqurque.And uh, two other bands that I never heard of. This is all going down at Hooligans Nightclub at 7:30. Only $8.

Yeah, I don't have the motivation or artistic integrity to conclude this properly, so... Bye.

Upcoming Shows

I'm still recovering from the aftershock of the most recent concerts, and already bracing myself for the next. If I'm not back within a week, avenge my death.

Meanwhile, Futilitarian is looking at a busy week. 3 shows in 8 days is pretty intense. First they'll be hitting Hooligans Nightclub in Albuqurque, along with 5 other Metal bands. Distances is fucking amazing, and like the Instru-Metal style of Futilitarian, they are trippy and ambient. Night Of Revenge is some kick ass Metalcore. Think what Bullet For My Valentine would sound like if they were more badass.  Manias is crazy ass Death Metal from hell. Just talking about them makes me want to scream "WAKE THE FUCK UP." I don't know anything about the other 2 bands, and I guess I never will, because I'm a year too young to go to stupid bars. Oh yeah, by the way, this show is for 21+.  It's $5 at the door, show starts at 7 PM, and it's all happening this Saturday. By the way, this whole shindig is to celebrate Futilitarian guitarist Aaron's 23rd birthday. Hell yeah!

Next up, for all you college kids out there, you know how hard it is to study without any background noise. Join Futilitarian at the University Of New Mexico (UNM) campus on the 18th for a full hour of Heavy Metal. This is a free event for all ages, and it's happening at noon outside the Student Union Building. There's not a flyer, per se, but here's a combination of words and pics that say the basics in a nutshell.

Last thing on the to-do list will take place on that most sacrosanct of Holy Days, 4/20. Futilitarian will share the stage with Attackhead from California, plus New Mexico's own  Eve of an End, Savage Wizdom, and Bodies of Evidence. This show is at Hooligans Nightclub, so again it's for the 21+ crowd. I can't find the cover price anywwhere, but I assume it won't be much over the usual $5. I can't find the time the doors open either, but being a Metal show, they tend to be around 7 PM. So yeah, blaze one for the nation and then get your stoner ass to a Metal show. The Gods must be smiling on us, because they granted us a 4/20 that falls on a Friday. Divine providence rules!

Spill some blood in the mosh pit as due sacrifice. May these libations please my lords. Amen.

Well, that's enough about Futilitarian. For those of us who can't/shouldn't drink, there's an all-ages show on the 14th at Amped performance space. My homies from Destroy To Recreate are celebrating their 2 year anniversary, along with 5 other amazing Metal bands. Amped is kind of like Albuqurque's version of Warehouse 21, so don't bring stupid stuff like alcohol or drugs to the venue. The show starts at 6 PM, and

it's $5 at the door.  Smash some skulls and bang your head. Metal health will drive you mad.