Well we're just a few weeks away from the third annual Raleigh Deathfest. Yeah I know it ain't MDF but for my little o'l neck of the woods, It's A Big Fuckin Deal! It's also my vacation from work. Last year I coinsided my vacation with the date of the Deathfest so why not repeat it. One more thing is that it's gonna be a fun filled weekend as well. My friends KIFF (fronted by some time SFM666 contributor Andy Miller) will be performing the Friday night before the RDF. Then on Sunday there's gonna be a huge cookout at a friend's house. The joke is that in order to have time to spend with friends I need to take nine days off from work.
But anyways we're talking about the Raleigh Death Fest here and now to those out of the loop, yes I know a few, Death Fest doesn't mean you're going to be enduring eight hours of a Putrid Pile Records roster of bands. Not that there's anything wrong with that but the bottom line is that this year's Raleigh Deathfest line-up has more variety of metal genres than previously.
So starting off with headliners we have Richmond, VA's INTER ARMA. Now ever since they started out a little over a decade ago they've been described as post sludge, post black metal, doom, post metal, etc. As for me I just describe them as PINK FLOYD goes Metal. Years ago my friend Jon Adam turned me onto their Sundown album from 2010. I liked that one alot but since then I've heard their follow-up releases and I'm not totally won over. Be that as it may I've missed two opportunities to see em live. So I'm looking forward to this show just for them to win me over. Also I just know some drunken hesher is gonna try to start a push & shove slam pit which will be comedic relief. I also predict twenty beardo hipsters show up for their set. If you want a taste then here's a video from their last full length.
Next up there's Raleigh's own WIDOW. Now I've been guilty of hyperbowly in the past but here I'm not. WIDOW are the epitamy of True Fuckin Metal or Traditional Metal. They started out in 2000 after the end of their previous band SORROW BEQUEST, who were also true metal to the max. Since then WIDOW has released five incredible full lengths, played huge metal fests here in the states as well as in Europe and the Far East and making fans the world over. I mean hey WIDOW fuckin rules! So it's a no brainer that they're playing this years Raleigh Death Fest. The last three times they've played locally I've missed em because of work so I am really looking forward to this. Plus I need a physical copy of their great Carved in Stone CD and a new T-shirt. Here's a cut from WIDOW's last CD.
Next up on the RDF preview is DEATHCROWN from Richmond, VA. Now this band played last year's Death Fest but because they were early on the card I missed em. I was looking forward to it because two band members were formerly in IMMORTAL AVENGER, a cool as fuck metal act that I saw at the same club almost ten years before. Hell I got a t-shirt from em because they had no music to sell. But here we have DEATHCROWN, a band of vets who like Old School Death Metal. Now if you're a regular reader of SFM666, and frankly who isn't, then you know I love that older sound. Whether it's classic Swede Death, Floridain Hellfire, Midwest Madness or NY punishment I love it. And the new school bands are always promoted by SFM666. DEATHCROWN are VA metal scene vets who push that OSDM feel but make it sound fresh. Check out their last release:
Next up we have Raleigh's own ELDRITCH HORROR who not only have played the two previous Raleigh Death Fests but are known as local legends as far as death metal goes. I have fond memories of them from the early nineties. They played shows with hardcore and speed metal acts. When it was their turn on stage the venues would become shrouded in evil brutality. Punks and heshers would be like "Holy Shit, whatafuck is this?" Unfortunately their only recorded output from back then were two demo tapes, one of which I still have. It's that and from locals sharing stories to younger fans that the legend took hold. Fast forward a few decades later and the legend walks again. The band got back together to play a benefit gig in around 2012/2013 to a crowd that was literally blown away. Obviously the members figured "Hey second time is the charm". So with some new blood added they finally released a proper full length, Untouched by the Sun, in 2015 which was all their old songs re-recorded. Since then every time they perform they've been putting sinister grins on the faces of the old guard (like myself) as well as leaving "Holy Shit" looks on the faces of the new fans. You can here it here:
Following along a theme for me, there's always one local band playing RDF that I've heard are good from friends but have not seen yet. This year it's the Raleigh black metal act MO'YNOQ. They're named after a Russian fishing city reduced to a literal wasteland after the lake was drained. Something else of interest is that the band is made up of musicians from two now defunct acts, one black metal and the other prog death. I checked out their Bandcamp page and heard their recent two song release Bardo. Musically their sound is similar to a lot of modern Euro atmospheric black metal acts which is kinda cool. Check em out here:
Now it wouldn't be a Death Fest without at least one bonafide brutal DM act who's sole performance is based on bludgeoning the audience with the intensity and impact of a herd of wild rabbited elephants running through a crowd at a Sunday afternoon flea market. This would be King's Mountain, NC's own ABHORRENT DEFORMITY. Their 2015 debut full length, Entity of Malevolence, came out on Comatose Records. If that doesn't tell ya what to expect then make sure you're health insurance is paid up.
There's a good reason why I placed the debut full length, The Harrowing, by Raleigh's DATURA in last year's end SFM666 Favorites list. As far as modern day death metal goes this band is not contrived nor can be pigeon-holed. As a female fronted death metal act they simply defy all preconceived expectations. Their sound is a cornucopia of heavy handed brutality along with melody plus slamming speed runs. They meld the four basic genres of death metal, doom, black metal and thrash into one mighty juggernaut of sound. They were the one band that I wanted to see the most at last year's RDF. I got their full length last year. This time around I need a t-shirt.
Next up in this Raleigh Deathfest preview is NECROCOSM a Raleigh band that appeared at the first RDF in 2016. In 2015 the band self released their debut full length, Damnation Doctrine. If you check it out you'll be treated to some decent Swedish influenced melodic death metal. But that was then because nowadays the five piece act has gone through a lineup change and has written some new material. So expect the unexpected when take the stage this year.
Now if you're thinking of coming late to RDF then you're certainly going to be pissed you missed out on Richmond, VA's MURDERSOME who are starting things off this year. This band is maniacal speed metal/thrash with a venomous screaming psycho on vocals. There's sure to be a slampit during their set. You can check em out here:
All I can tell you now is plenty of cash for merch.
More information, sponsors, and set times to be announced!!!
Live at The Maywood
Saturday June 9, 2018
658 Maywood Avenue - Raleigh, NC
4p doors, 4:30p show
$15 adv / $18 day of show
ages 21+
** Use venue front door for entry to this show **
DIRECTIONS:
The Maywood is located inside the Raleigh beltline, right off I-40 at exit 297, Lake Wheeler Road.
Follow the signs towards downtown Raleigh / NC State Farmer's Market.
Turn right onto Maywood Avenue (after the Exxon/Subway).
We're the second building on the left.
Plenty of no hassle FREE parking in our parking lot.
FREE overflow parking on the street.
No comments:
Post a Comment