Upcoming Shows: *UPDATED*

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First and foremost, I am pleased to announce that CATTLE FREAKING DECAPITATION is coming to my humble hometown to play at The Locker Room on January tenth. That's one way to start 2015 with a bang. The official line up inlcudes Carrion Kind, Fields Of Elysium, Yar, Impaled Offering and A Malicious Plague.

Meanwhile, in Albuqurque, Launchpad will be hosting this show on December 18th. Show some love to Omingnome, touring from Georgia. 

I've never heard of any of these bands, but the flyer looks cool, so here ya go. 

 Until Chaos are back in the scene, and their reunion show will feature Savage Wizdom! Plus the venue is called The Damn Bar and if that doesn't make you want to go, you're a lost cause. 

The day after Jesus' fake birthday, Music Is The Enemy will be playing with Beard and Futilitarian at Burt's Tiki Lounge in Albuquerque. I definitely want to score some of MITE's sweet new merch. Check it:

Sha-weet!

On the same day, Inanimate Existence will be playing at the brand spanking new venue, Blu Pheonix, with support from Impaled Offering, Omnicast, Diminished Existence, and...Lithopaedion? How the fuck do you pronounce that? Whatever, looks like a kickass show. 

Last but not least, here is a show for you Oakland metalheads. I haven't heard of Bog Oak, but they have a wicked logo and I definitely have love for Wayfarer and Infinite Waste. Since I'm a couple thousand miles away, I won't make it to this gig, but if you happen to be in the area, do yourself a favor and check it out.

If you know of any more concerts and events, you can contact me here. Until then, I'm out. 

Rise From The Ashes Of Disbelief

I'm not a slacker. To the contrary, I got two jobs, and therefore have very little time to write on my precious, precious blog. Also, I don't even own my own computer. And typing entire articles on a smart-phone is a pain in the ass. Enough of my excuses, let's talk abut Metal.



First of all, I'm going to throw a tantrum because I should be at this show as we speak. But my job  kept me overtime, I missed the train to Albuqurque, and I'm fucked out of seeing the sickest line-up I've ever known to play a Monday night. Hardcore punk, black metal, and thrash all in the same night? All ages? But since it's at a bar, old guys like me get to drink anyway? All that and more, but I'm missing it. I hate working retail. I would burn candles to every god I know just to attend this concert. Alas, the stars are not in my favor.

But let's look on the bright side...



 

Awww yeah. I only paid $12 to see Municipal Waste, one of the most prolilfic badass legends of old-school Speed Metal. They sound good on record, but DAMN. They put on one hell of a live performance. If you're into Thrash, Punk, or anything in between, Municipal Waste will in fact fuck you up.  Not to mention the local bands, each of which is amazing in their own right. Torn Between Worlds is notorious for their lethal mosh-pits and insidious musical style. They have remained active since the early 90's, when they were known as Insight, and they've been laying waste to New Mexican eardrums ever since. Carrion Kind is aptly named, since they are basically a superband,  Comprised of former members of local favorites such as Grinkai, Cassovita, and The Seventh Circle. So the name evokes images of vultures thriving off the remains of what once was. Oh yeah, and I think they're also paying homage to the only album released by Disincarnate.

 

 

Those circle pits were off da hook. And I was drunk too!

 

And last night wasn't too bad either...

 

 

 

I may be missing out on The Casualties, Goatwhore, and Havoc today, and that's totally lame. But yesterday marked the second year in a row that I went to a Metal show on Easter Sunday, so I think that's going to be my new annual tradition. Unleash The Baboon is Bass-Heavy, uber-rhythmic Groove Metal in the vein of Skinless or Athiest. Rumors abound about an upcoming album, which I can't wait to get my grubby little hands on. Iconocaust is Denver-based Thrash band with a relentless brutality belied within melodic compositions and occasional clean vocals. They have gained a cult-following in their ever-expanding fanbase, and their new EP, Excidium De Gratia, is available for purchase here.   And headlining was the phenomenal band known as Futilitarian, who transitioned seamlessly from their Thrash/Death beginnings into a more ambient instrumental style. Usually, I prefer Metal with the vocals intact, but Futilitarian has achieved a level of heaviness that most bands can only aspire toward. This is not "Post-Metal" or some shit. This is straight up, in your face, offensively loud and stupidly brutal, true Metal. In a lineup comprised entirely of badasses, Futilitarian deserved their spot as the headliners.

 

 

Much like taking the walk of shame after having a one-night-stand at a Co-ed college, I'm having a hard time bringing this to a graceful conclusion. C'est la vie, mon amie... Au revoir.



 



 

 

 

 

 

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.

Cheer Up, Emo Kid

I missed the Gaza show, due to the clusterfuck that passes as "Public Transportation" in New Mexico. Being stranded in the sketchy side of one of the most Meth-saturated cities in the country is pretty Metal, but it's also pretty fucked up. So I cut my losses and drank an ungodly amount of Absinthe while listening to their stuff on Myspace. However, I am severely dissappointed that I didn't get their autographs. I saved my  June '11 edition of Terrorizer Magazine, in which they had a kick ass review, solely for this purpose. It was then that I realized, this has been a pretty false year for us Metalheads.

Flattus Maximus is dead, for starters. Not to mention that May 16 was the anniversary of Ronnie James Dio's death. And when heshers weren't busy dropping like flies, bands were busy  breaking up. In my neck of the woods, we just lost Suspended, the ONLY all female Metal-band in the Albuqurque/Santa Fe area. Fields Of Elysium lost their drummer. This Days Light lost their vocalist. Grinkai decided to take a break from live concerts. Both Cassovita and Futilitarian converted to The Dark Side (Instru-Metal), and The Cast Aside apparently quit before they even started. What the fuck?

Meanwhile, legendary icons of the genre have seriously gone downhill. If you haven't listened to Iron Maiden's The Final Frontier, don't bother. It will break your heart. Same is to be said of Queensryche with thier immensely dissappointing Dedicated To Chaos. Final Frontier somehow manages to be simultaneously predictable and dissonant, whereas Dedicated To Chaos sounds like a "5 Gum: Stimulate your senses" commercial. It is a far cry from the beefy, heavy origins from which the bands had begun. How the mighty have fallen.

I missed many amazing concerts, and yet others were dissappointments. The local scene is in a retarded Catch 22 when the bands don't want to perform for a small or tepid audience, and the fans don't show much support because they think that bands don't want to play. The situation was worsened when we lost venues. Little Wing and The Compound are now defunct, leaving Metalheads under 21 in a really picarious position. And on the offchance that we get the opportunity to see a phenomenal act perform for cheap in an all ages venue... The goddamn train comes only once and an hour late. That is so false that it hurts.

I'm bumming myself out now. I'll look on the bright side, i.e stare at these Death Metal panties. By the way, my birthday is on the 25th. These would make a most excellent gift. Honest.

Ahh, that's better.

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 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.