Well if you're gonna go to a Death Fest in North Carolina then you might as well make it out to the Raleigh Deathfest. OK most of you probably won't but let me just tell ya what it's all about. Last year a bunch of cool minded and extreme metal oriented locals decided to put on a one night show with a lot of cool extreme metal bands, mostly locals. I'm speaking of the Raleigh Death Fest 2016. Since it was a total success last year it's creators are back for another round.
The Raleigh, North Carolina area (and the surrounding area) over the past couple of decades has had it's share of extreme music, whether metal or punk, fests. There are too many to name but the bottom line is that this area which I call home has a huge and dedicated fanbase for metal of all genres. I can tell you that seeing this Raleigh Death Fest keep going is extremely important to me because obviously it's music which I love and the bands involved, especially the locals, deserve a spotlight of recognition.
I don't know what the future holds for this yearly event. Obviously I hope it not only continues but grows. As I write this I do understand that most of the readers of SCUMFEAST METAL 666 don't even live in my state let alone in my country. (yeah I know I'm big in Eastern Europe) Be that as it may I'm just gonna showcase what's gonna happen on this coming Saturday night and maybe you'll check out some of these great bands.
Let's start with the Fest's headliner, actually the original headliner bailed out, ELDRITCH HORROR. They are called Raleigh's first death metal band for a good reason. I first saw them at a dank underground club here in town called The Fallout Shelter back in 1990. They were dark, heavy and deathly. I'll never forget how the mohawk crowd were like, "dude we like you but we can't slam dance to ya cause you're too slow." Yeah well history was not kind to ELDRITCH HORROR. Despite putting out two demos, Dwelling Beneath (which I still have a copy of but the cassette doesn't play anymore) and Untouched by the Sun, nothing happened as far a career in death metal and so the band called it quits.
But some years back there was a benefit show for an old friend who passed away but had no headstone on his grave. ELDRITCH HORROR got back together to play that show and the audience went nuts. I'm thinking it was that show which got them thinking hey let's give it another go. So in 2015 ELDRITCH HORROR released Untouched by the Sun, basically a rerecording of their early material which never got the appreciation it definitely deserved. Check em out here:
Next up, North Carolina is not known for it's black metal. Besides DEMONIC CHRIST, who I saw a while back, we are blackened light. Sure there have been an asortment of local black metal bands over the years but nothing long lasting. That's why I'm extremely interested in seeing PAAGTHEAAN from Wilmington, NC. I checked out their Bandcamp site which I recommend you do to at:
https://paagtheaan.bandcamp.com/
PAAGTHEAAN are firmly planted in black metal's second wave which puts a frosty grim grin on my face. Hopefully they have some merch to sell.
https://www.facebook.com/PAAGTHEAAN
Next up in my local rave rage is the band DATURA. If there's one performance I am anticipating the most it is from them. DATURA are a five piece act consisting of local extreme music scene vets who for over a year have got together and honed their death metal craft to a point where everyone I know says "You've gotta see this band." Unfortunately every time they play a gig I've been working. Not this time and it's also their Rusty Knuckles Records' debut release CD party. Check this out:
You can also check DATURA at the following sites:
Next up on the Raleigh Death Fest bill is the return of this area's own one man death metal machine, BLOODSOAKED. Ah yeah I know the feeling, a one man death metal act but I have always supported Peter Hasselbrack, in print and with conversations with friends for a reason. When it comes to his craft, Peter is one dedicated death metal performer. This guy has played huts in South America and beer halls in Europe. All he has ever needed is a mic and an amp to plug in his guitar then it's BLOODSOAKED time. His releases are cool as fuck in fact if it wasn't for Peter I would not have gotten into all the other brutal death metal acts on the Comotose label. Check him out here and you'll see why:
This would not be a true Death Fest without BLOODSOAKED in my not so humble opinion. Peter has always supported death metal in this area and I can't wait to see him perform again especially since he decided to call it quits a few years back.
OK next up, so around a month ago a Ukrainian promo guy tells me about how he is freaking out at listening to Nature of War by Raleigh's own blackened thrash act SUPPRESSIVE FIRE. The guy was asking me how cool it was to see them play on a regular basis. Truth be told I had only seen SUPPRESSIVE FIRE once and that was when I think they had just got their first release out. It was at the club Slims. I thought they were great back then. I haven't reviewed their latest CD, unlike my friend in the Ukraine who has gone apeshit but I will at this Death Fest show. The band's Nature Of War release is on Lost Apparitions Records and I recommend you check em out here:
Alright next up we have a band that proves without a doubt the Swedish colony myth in what is now Virginia is true, DEATHCROWN hail from Richmond, VA and have all of the trademarks of Sweden's Sunlight Studios and a knowledge of using the Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal pedal or Boss DS-1 Distortion pedal to it's full advantage. If this band shows up looking dirty, in leather jackets and wearing vintage NIHILIST shirts then I'll give em respect.
A break from the festivities will be Raleigh's own NOCTOMB who bring about a blackened sludge terminal skull fuck to the night's precedings. This band is definitely one to watch.
And then there's OUTLIAR, no I'm not dissing them. Actually I'm getting drunk but while listening to their Provoked to Anger full length from a few years back it's like a caffeine wake up call. OK I'm being nice since it actually sounds like "Holy shit my dad is home" and I'm jumping out the back window kinda metal. I've always wondered why OUTLIAR hasn't broken big. I mean they've got the whole thrash, death, groove metal thing down to the point where these guys are great at what they do. Check em out here:
Almost finally is a new local act called GATES OF ENDOR who, after listening to their songs on their Bandcamp page, is something that an old school SOB like myself enjoys as far as blackened death goes.
Finally, at least of what I have to say, is BLOODFORCE who hail from the eastern part of North Carolina. I'm definitely looking forward to this act opening the Raleigh Death Fest with some home grown brutality.
Well that's about it. I'll see ya there.
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