Precious Metal: Romans + Harpoon + The Muzzler + Bazooka Christ @ Lit Lounge 061608

With three of the four bands coming from out of town coupled with the high price of gas, it is a damn miracle there were no cancellations for this week's installment of Precious Metal.  Although I missed Bazooka Christ's set, it was described to me as 'very sloppy punk'.  Later, I overheard someone talking about how much they'd improved, so who knows what I missed!  Props to The Muzzler's singer who was rockin the YOU CAN'T SEE ME wristbands.  Classic with a twist.  Chicago's Harpoon were in the midst of a mini-tour, and I spent a few minutes chatting with Dean, who plays guitar and does all the drum programming (and doesn't look a day older than 16).  Fronted by the ex-member from 7000 Dying Rats (who released a less than mediocre album a few years back), I gotta say that this is one of the few metal bands using a drum machine that I really enjoyed (one of the others being Creamface).  Romans reminded me of a cross between Poison The Well, Eyehategod and Dark Funeral.  Yeah, I know...maybe I need to give them another listen.

The Muzzler

Chicago's Harpoon

Dean from Harpoon getting his guitar on...

Romans recently signed to Black Market Activities and have a new album out now called 'All Those Wrists'...

Precious Metal: Torrential Downpour + Hooker Dragger @ Lit Lounge 060908

For the second time in the past six months (yep, I'm countin 'em boys), Rising Up/Rising Down cancelled their Precious Metal appearance. Ditto for Ohio's much anticipated black metal experimentalists, Bohemian Grove. Listening to Hooker Dragger, a new, local act, conjured up images of the sleazy underworld of crime, crackwhores and snuff films, a la 8MM. Their seedy and dirty style of death metal gave me chills like the first time I listened to Mortal Decay's debut, 'Sickening Erotic Fanaticism'.  A welcome addition to the NYC scene! Torrential Downpour started with an atmostpheric intro which quickly careened into an onslaught of psychdelic grind.  I was really getting into the music but the constant slow keyboard interludes really interrupted the flow and prevented them from really letting loose.

Torrential Downpour

Precious Metal: Japanische Kampfhorspiele + Keitzer @ Lit Lounge 052608

How Curran linked up with Japanische Kampfhorspiele I will never know, but their first NYC appearance coincided with the Precious Metal Two Year Anniversary Pary, so the timing could not have been better. Sadly, the rest of the world does not share my enthusiasm for underground grindcore, as the attendance was embarrassingly lacking. And, per standard agreement, two bands cancelled, so it took a goddamn eternity for JapKa to soundcheck as they waited for their equipment to arrive. Keitzer, another German powerhouse, didn't help JapKa much, obliterating the cavernous basement ahead of their tourmates. I can only imagine what these guys sound like at full strength (the bass player and guitar player both had to return home early) because they were nasty enough as a three-piece! My camera just wouldn't quit for JapKa; I was almost as pumped to see them as they were to be playing NYC, and they clearly gave it their all in probably the best Precious Metal event so far. Happy Anniversary and Hail Satan!

Keitzer

Japanische Kampfhorspiele

Malignancy + Defeated Sanity + Mucopus + Sexcrement + Copremesis @ Club Midway 052108

A night of underground death metal, indeed! All the way from Germany, en route to the Maryland Deathfest, Defeated Sanity clearly (and understandably) had the biggest draw this evening. I noticed that one of the guitar players looked much older than the rest of the unit, and it turns out that he is the drummer's father! How cool is that?! Only in Europe, my friends. The last time my dad picked up a guitar, he chased me around the house with it. Well, safe to say the wait for these boys was well worth it...they wrecked shop. The only complaint I have (and I can't believe the sound guy didn't fix the problem) is that you could barely hear the vocals...I was standing right in front and could hear Jens screaming, just not through the speakers. I walked in as Copremesis was finishing up, and based on the two songs I heard, I was pissed that I hadn't arrived earlier to catch their full set of 'unoriginal death-grind poop'. Sexcrement really got things going with the vocalist coming out in the crowd and getting up in everyone's face overtop a thick slab of porn-grind. If technical death metal is your flavor, Mucopus will deliver the goods. The bass player is the feature here (incredible fretwork), but I should also mention that the vocalist was going nuts and really invaded your personal space (not in a bad way), which provided some great energy to the performance. By the time Malignancy hit the stage, I was pretty wiped out, but stuck around for a few songs. Danny (vocals) looked pretty bored for the fifteen minutes I was there, but watching Rob handle the guitar leaves no doubt as to why he just got sponsored. On a side note, the bass player looked like he just got back from a picnic in Martha's Vineyard...

Sexcrement

Mucopus

Defeated Sanity

Malignancy

Me + Jens from Defeated Sanity...love his shirt!

Hate Eternal + Soilent Green + Skeletonwitch @ BB Kings 042808

Once again, the knob shiners a BB Kings can't seem to stick by their posted set times, so I totally missed Skeletonwitch and walked into this one just after Soilent Green started their southern influenced grind. I've always had a problem using my flash at shows because I didn't want to distract the artists, but Ben was pretty much looking right me for most of my pictures, so they must be used to it. I've never been a huge fan of Hate Eternal, mostly because their music is of the million-miles-an-hour variety and I can't seem to find a groove or anything to grab onto. Nothing changed tonite, and the crowd must have been feeling the same way as they just watched most of the 40-minute set. Once again I saw Ross and Bob from the legendary Immolation in attendance (the first time was for Vader/Malevolent Creation)...I think it's really, really cool that these guys show up and support their boys. Big ups fellas!

Soilent Green

Hate Eternal

L to R: Ben from Soilent Green/Goatwhore, a very handsome metalhead, Ross and Bob from Immolation...