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...

Misery Index + Estuary + Waking The Cadaver + Tentacles @ Club Midway 041308

I had to bail early on my sister's birthday dinner for this one.  Luckily, she knows I'm a total metal maniac and at this point I think I'm about 90% forgiven.  I didn't make it for Tentacles but did have a beer with one of the band members after the show; we were seemingly raised on the same diet of Earache/Roadracer and shared most of the same favorite albums from about a dozen different bands.  Ever since the youtube parody, I've always been a huge fan of Waking The Cadaver, although I did find the production on their debut, 'Perverse Recollections of a Necromangler', a little lacking in clarity and overall sound compared to their earlier recordings. Despite the fact that pretty much every metal reviewer on earth hates this band, these guys played a brutal set.  The bouncer looked on in bewildered amazement as we all soaked up the ultra-guttural sickness.  I talked to him after the set and he simply asked 'what the fuck was that?'.  They played 'Authority Through Indimidation', 'Pigtails are for Facefucking' and 'Bloodsplattered Satisfaction', but for some reason, 'Chased Through the Woods' was not part of the setlist!?!  C'mon boys, you gotta dance with the girl that brought you to the ball!  Apparently Estuary have been making their rounds in the underground, but I'd still never heard of them.  The female vocalist roared pretty damn well over some fairly simplistic death/thrash.  Bonus points for the Pestilence and Impetigo t-shirts.  I've always had a 'thing' for Misery Index and they did not disappoint this evening.  The drummer was on point and pretty much destroyed his kit.  I chatted with Jason after the show - very cool guy.  

Ohio's Estuary

Misery Index

Mark and Jason from Misery Index...

Misery Index, half of Estuary plus a couple dudes I don't know...