It’s headbang time
Get wasted on a thrash attack
In the late ’80s metal was hammering out its own stamp on the musical landscape – it was a fast ascending genre that was diversifying and developing new sounds. One of those new sounds was “crossover,” a mixture of thrash metal and hardcore (especially espoused by bands like D.R I). The music was fast, fun and crazy – circle pits and skateboarding were the modus operandi of the day and the fans loved it. As time went on thrash metal and crossover faded away, as musical genres do, save for a few adherents who would try to bring it back from time to time. The most recent of these bands is Richmond, Va.’s Municipal Waste. Playing music that is obviously a direct homage to classic thrash and crossover, Municipal Waste write catchy songs that just beg for a good time. Their lyrics make this clear: “I couldn’t help but notice that the band I came to see/ Was playing to the speed of motherfucking Kenny G/ A trail of victims in my wake/ Crushing skulls ’til faces break/ Another night with the Waste/ Ungodly scene of guts and beer/ Bloody faces stiff with fear/ We only play the fast shit here.” Hell yeah!
Municipal Waste will be playing a 21+ show with Deadfall on Sunday, July 23 at Sabala’s and an all-ages show on Monday, July 24 at Food Hole.
Gazing at the stars
Recently there has been a rash of metal bands that see fit to explore the combination of shoe gazing, postrock and trudging doom metal. The bands that most people agree started this trend are Isis and Neurosis, both of whom have released a slew of increasingly dynamic and noteworthy albums. The bands that build off the sound founded by Neurosis, though, face a difficult task in making truly memorable music. Philadelphia’s Rosetta are one of the few bands of the new wave of post-metal that truly stand out. Their most recent album, The Galilean Satellites, a concept record about an astronaut lost in space, was magnificent. The songs are both crushingly heavy and expansively melodic, long but not drawn out and illustrative of a band in their prime, with a great future ahead of them.
Rosetta are playing at Rock ‘n’ Roll Pizza on July 27 with Origin and Day Without Dawn. Listen to a pre-show performance on KPSU at 2 p.m.
Animals attack
Portland’s increasingly vibrant heavy-music scene has a diverse array of talents and sounds, but it seems like everyone is stuck on animal references when it comes to naming their band. Take the upcoming mostly local showcase at the Food Hole: Black Elk, Red Fang, Rye Wolves, and Scary Bear. Every single one animal-related! I suppose there is nothing more majestically “metal” than a wild animal, so maybe it’s just how it’s meant to be. Of the bands playing, Portland’s own Black Elk and Red Fang are the strongest. Black Elk combine the weird rhythms of bands like The Jesus Lizard with rockin’ metal and smoldering screams. Red Fang write music in a different manner, with all the headbanging qualities of Black Sabbath and punk attitude of mid era Black Flag. Both bands should be blowing up soon so check them out while it’s still early in the game.
Black Elk, Red Fang, Scary Bear, and Rye Wolves will be playing at Food Hole on July 28.
