Church of Misery (Japanese Bluesy Doom) Play Saint Vitus Bar on Nov. 12th along with The Gates of Slumber

Church of Misery - who, musically, are sonically comparable to early Black Sabbath - are coming back to the US in support of their fifth full-length disc Thy Kingdom Scum (Metal Blade). This new disc features the return of the band's original vocalist, Hideki Fukasawa, and the disc's seven tracks (50 minutes) were written and recorded by Tatsu Mikami, Junji Narita, Ikume Kawabe, and Hideki Fukasawa.  This new album has been praised as one of the best doom releases of 2013, with Decibel Magazine declaring it has "some of the wickedest doom grooves since Black Sabbath 40 years ago…it's resounding proof that no one right now-not even the reunited Sabbath with a newly wound-up Ozzy-can come close to the gargantuan swing of the mighty Church of Misery."

For the show at Saint Vitus Bar (advance tickets are $15), Church of Misery are playing with Detroit speed-rockers Against the Grain and Indianapolis doom-metal band The Gates of Slumber.  While I don't know much about Against the Grain, The Gates of Slumber released a great new EP, "Stormcrow", earlier this year which is available as a free download from Scion AV.



Church of Misery Fall 2013 US Tour Dates
10/18 - Oakland CA @ The Oakland Opera House
10/19 - San Francisco CA @ Thee Parkside
10/20 - Portland OR @ Rotture
10/21 - Seattle WA @ The Crocodile
10/22 - Bellingham WA @ The Shakedown
10/23 - Vancouver BC @ Rickshaw Theater
10/24 - Edmonton AB @ The Pawn Shop
10/25 - Calgary AB @ The Palomino
10/30 - Fargo ND @ The Aquarium
10/31 - Saint Paul MN @ Turf Club
11/01 - Chicago IL @ Ultra Lounge
11/02 - Rock Island IL @ Rock Island Brewing Co.
11/03 - Grand Rapids MI @ Pyramid Scheme
11/06 - Pittsburgh PA @ 31st St Pub
11/07 - Syracuse NY @ Lost Horizon
11/08 - Toronto ON @ Hard Luck
11/09 - Ottawa QC @ Mavericks
11/10 - Montreal QC @ IL Motore
11/11 - Providence RI @ AS220
11/12 - Brooklyn NY @ Saint Vitus
11/13 - Richmond VA @ Kingdom
11/14 - Baltimore MD @ Otto Bar
11/16 - Atlanta GA @ EARL
11/17 - New Orleans LA @ One Eyed Jacks
11/18 - Austin TX @ Mohawk
11/19 - Dallas TX @ Club Dada
11/22 - Tempe AZ @ Yucca Tap Room
11/23 - Los Angeles CA @ The Satellite
*w/ Saviours (10/18-10/23), Wizard Rifle (10/18-10/31), The Gates of Slumber (11/01-11/19), Against the Grain (11/01-11/23)

Links:
Church of Misery

Saint Vitus - Live Photos from Best Buy Theater, NYC 9-28-12

Earlier this year, the reunited Los Angeles doom-metal band Saint Vitus released their first new album in seventeen years, Lillie: F-65 (Season of Mist) and the band played two local shows last month. The first show was a headlining appearance at St. Vitus bar in Greenpoint and the second was at Best Buy Theater, opening for Down.



The band closed the set at Best Buy Theater with "Dying Inside" and "Born Too Late" and Dave Chandler commented to Westword that playing these songs with his then band Debris, Inc. is what got the band back together. "I was in a band with Ron Holzner, the former bassist of Trouble, called Debris Inc. We did the Wacken Open Air festival in 2002, and we were doing, for the last two songs, "Dying Inside" and "Born Too Late." I was tripping out because I'd never done a festival before. All these people, all these years later -- and a lot of them were really young -- were singing the words."

Aside for being a little disappointed that the band didn't play their cover of Black Flag's "Thirsty and Miserable", Saint Vitus played a great nine-song set.

Saint Vitus - Setlist from Best Buy Theater, NYC 9-28-12
Blessed Night
I Bleed Black
War Is Our Destiny
Let Them Fall
The Waste of Time
Living Backwards
The Troll
Dying Inside
Born Too Late











I missed Saint Vitus' sold-out show at Saint Vitus bar earlier in the week but there is a really nice video of the show posted to YouTube (below).



Lillie: F-65 is available as both a single disc edition and as a CD/DVD combo which contains a 60 minute bonus DVD of live and interview footage which is exclusive to the first pressing. Below is Season of Mist's write-up on the new disc:
"Therefore it is an event of historic proportions in the world of Heavy Metal that after seventeen years since the release of "Die Healing" (1995) SAINT VITUS now return with their eighth full-length masterpiece "Lillie: F-65". This album includes the trademark song writing style so beloved by SAINT VITUS fans: There is the cataclysmic and unmistakable guitar sound of co-founder Dave Chandler full of reverbs, feedbacks, flanger and apocalyptic distortion leading to amazing and magical solos. "Lillie: F-65" is furthermore graced with the deeply resonant vocals of Scott "Wino" Weinrich who returns to record an album with the band for the first time since the glorious "V" (1989) and whom many consider to be the classic SAINT VITUS vocalist. Doom adepts will delight in the honey slow dripping of notes and the sudden energetic outbursts, which are as painfully depressing as sweet."

Links:
Saint Vitus

Deathamphetamine - "The Lost Album" CD Review / Show at Saint Vitus on May 17th

Boston’s Deathamphetamine is one of the more unique bands that I’ve heard in a while as their music blends grindcore and death metal with a bit of thrash thrown on top. Adding to the band’s sonic attack is remarkable clean production which highlights solid guitar riffs and solos along with hints of melody beneath the grime and grind.

The Lost Album is the band's first full length cassette release, a concept album about an apocalyptic future where all of their cynical paranoid conspiracy theory lyrics turned out to be true. In real life the original masters of this album were stolen during the recording process before they could be completed. So the concept of the final version ties the real and fictional events together, a story where the recording is finally found in the future by the last man left on a hostile mutated Planet Earth.

The disc starts with a short track, “The Story So Far”, which sounds like a worn-out horror movie sound-effects tape on its last legs before the music settles into the core sound of the disc. The second track, “1-1-2-3-5”, starts with some grinding riffs before the dual death and black metal vocals kick in amidst the blast beats. “Losing It All” shows the band bringing a bit of crust punk into the mix with some hoarse and clean gang vocals along with clean thrash guitar riffs and solos. “The Black Moment” is the closest thing to a rock track on the disc and it has a melodic guitar & bass driven build-up to where the death metal vocals kick in. “More Sauce for the Goose” is a solid hardcore number that breaks toward the end of the track for a brief movie soundtrack interlude. “Stalinizer” brings some falsetto (Rob Halford style) vocals into the mix and the disc goes out with “The Last Man” which is a fully-developed metal/rock track that grinds to a halt for a final run through a different snippet of broken film soundtracks. As much as the band is all over the place stylistically, The Lost Album comes off as a cohesive body of work.

The Lost Album is available as a digital download or on a limited edition cassette, which is available in four different colors from Obscenity Cult Records.

Deathamphetamine are playing St. Vitus Bar in Brooklyn on May 17th. (No information about the show is posted yet)



Links:
Deathamphetamine

Totimoshi: Desert Death Rock Band Plays St. Vitus on August 20th // Ltd. Edition Split 7" with The Melvins Available at Show

California trio, Totimoshi, will kick off their long-awaited North American tour tomorrow in Scottsdale, Arizona. The band will spread its unique brand of heavy desert death rock across nearly 30 cities, before winding down on September 3, 2011 in Tucson, Arizona.

The band will be touring in support of their soon-to-be-unleashed Avenger full-length, set to drop on August 16, 2011 via At A Loss Recordings. Avenger was produced by Toshi Kasai (Melvins, Shrinebuilder, Tool), mastered by John Golden (Melvins, Mike Watt, OM) and includes appearances by Dale Crover (Altamont, The Melvins, Shrinebuilder), Brent Hinds (Mastodon) and Scott Kelly (Neurosis, Shrinebuilder).

Additionally, Totimoshi will be selling copies of their new, very limited split 7" with the Melvins (released through Volcom) throughout the tour. Commented guitarist/vocalist Antonio Aguilar: "Totimoshi is honored to be sharing a 7" with one of our favorite bands in the world, the Melvins. There will only be 1000 pressed and 200 available through us, so you better get out to the venues!"



Totimoshi U.S. Tour 2011:
8/04/2011 Chaser's - Scottsdale, AZ w/ Greenhaven
8/05/2011 The Due Return - Santa Fe, NM
8/06/2011 3 Kings Tavern - Denver, CO w/ Ume, Self Service
8/07/2011 Duffy’s - Lincoln, NE
8/08/2011 Off Minor - Dubuque, IA
8/09/2011 Garibalid’s - Milwaukee, WI w/ Sleestak, Like Like The Death Deaths
8/10/2011 The Frequency - Madison, WI
8/11/2011 Ultra Lounge - Chicago, IL
8/12/2011 Mac’s Bar - Lansing, MI
8/13/2011 Stone Tavern - Kent, OH w/ Rebreather, The Unclean
8/14/2011 Hard Luck - Toronto, ON
8/15/2011 TBA - Montreal, QC
8/17/2011 O’Brien’s - Cambridge, MA
8/19/2011 TBA - Providence, RI
8/20/2011 Saint Vitus - Brooklyn, NY (Advance tickets are $10)
8/21/2011 Golden West - Baltimore, MD
8/22/2011 Strange Matter - Richmond, VA
8/23/2011 The Casbah - Durham, NC
8/26/2011 Milestone - Charlotte, NC w / Music Hates You
8/27/2011 The Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA w/ Zoroaster
8/28/2011 Hi Tone Café - Memphis, TN
8/29/2011 Siberia - New Orleans, LA
8/30/2011 The Mink - Houston, TX
8/31/2011 Scoot Inn - Austin, TX w/ Vaz, Pygmie Shrews
9/01/2011 Korova Basement - San Antonio, TX
9/03/2011 Vaudeville - Tucson, AZ

Links:
Totimoshi

Natur - Brooklyn NWOBHM Band Signs with Earache / Upcoming Shows at St. Vitus and Union Pool

Earache Records announced the signing of Brooklyn's heavy metal warriors, Natur, to a worldwide recording deal. The band issued the following statement: "So here we are, on bellies full of free Thai food and drink, somewhere in Long Island City. We've just signed our souls over to legendary metal maniac label Earache. We are very excited to take our OLD METAL to a new level and look forward to working with these guys. HAILS!!!"

Commenting on his choice of Natur as "band of the week" (http://bandoftheweek.net) in May 2010, Darkthrone's own Fenriz says it best: "...awesome band playing old metal with old sound. What's not to like?"

Formed in 2008, Natur channels the old school, high energy sound reminiscent of legendary artists Judas Priest, Mercyful Fate, and Motorhead with New York intensity. The band has already achieved cult status among Brooklyn's developing metal scene, joining prominent acts like Tombs, Krallice, and Black Anvil and catching the eye of popular publications Revolver Magazine and Vice. Steadily gigging locally and abroad, Natur has earned a reputation for putting on an explosive live show. Appearances at Maryland Deathfest IX and the Live Evil Festival have established them as a force to be reckoned with. The band has shared the stage with Ghost, Marduk, and Aura Noir, as well as Earache's own Cauldron and Hour of 13.



Natur have a few upcoming area shows:
- July 31st: Saint Vitus, Brooklyn, NY (w/ Barn Burner and Ramming Speed)
- August 6th: The House of Vans, Brooklyn, NY
- August 26th: Union Pool, Brooklyn, NY (w/ Aggressor and Mutant Supremacy)

Links:
Natur

Bugs in the Dark Play St Vitus on July 16th and Cake Shop on Aug. 13th

It seems like Brooklyn art-punks Bugs in the Dark have been on quasi-hiatus "forever" but the band has just announced two local shows and an upcoming European tour.
-----------------------------------------------

Hey Everybody,

We're having a great summer and we have lots of good news!

First off, we have a super exciting show coming up with new songs!
SATURDAY JULY 16th from 8-12
at ST VITUS (new venue in Greenpoint, BK)
With Raccoon Fighter, Living Days and Unstoppable Death Machines. This is not a show to miss - the bands are amazing & the whole night is only $7. Be cool, bring friends.

We've been playing with the fantastic Rich Crescenti on the drums.
We have two new songs we've been playing at shows and we're gearing up to record them asap.

This fall, we're playing an exciting festival (can't announce it just yet). And we're taking a jaunt across the pond to Europe to play in France, Germany and Denmark! We're so excited, we're already picking out matching luggage.

Stay tuned for our upcoming fundraising campaign - in which private house concerts and custom tattoos could be coming your way!

The show at Cake Shop is on Aug. 13th and Bugs in the Dark is playing with Gone Bad (Download "Live at Tommy's Tavern", recorded 10/21/10) and The Denzels. Cover is TBD.

Links:
Bugs in the Dark

Helstar Plays Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn on Upcoming 'Summer of Hate' Tour

Veteran power/thrash metal band Helstar officially reunited a few years back and released their seventh album, Glory of Chaos, earlier this year on AFM Records. This new disc is harder hitting than the band's first post-reunion album The King of Hell (2008) and MetalCrypt described the new disc as "Power, speed and aggression, that's what it's all about."

Helstar are playing a short run of East Coast tour dates next month as part of their Summer Of Hate U.S. tour.

HELSTAR Summer Of Hate U.S. Tour:
6/17/2011 The Rail Club - Fort Worth, TX w/ Solitude Aeturnus, Era De Guerra
6/18/2011 Dirty Dog Bar - Austin, TX w/ Ignitor, Dead Earth Politics, Headcrusher
6/22/2011 Manhattan Room - Philadelphia, PA w/ Wastelander, Season of Mourning, Midian, Machine Dog
6/23/2011 Sonar - Baltimore, MD
6/24/2011 Saint Vitus Bar - Brooklyn, NY
6/25/2011 The Blue Room - Secaucus, NJ w/ Armor Column, Bröhammer



Links:
Helstar

Black Skies: North Carolina Sludge Metal Trio Play Saint Vitus in Brooklyn on 5/20

DOWNLOAD: Black Skies - "Mancipium Monument"

North Carolina power trio, Black Skies, will kick off their near-month long U.S. tour today in Charlotte. The trek will rock its way through another 23 cities including a host of East Coast locales they've yet to play. The band will be joined by a who's who of awesome along the way including USX, Backwoods Payback, Generation of Vipers, Caltrop, Sons Of Tonatiuh and others.

In celebration of the tour commencement, the fine folks at The Obelisk are currently streaming a new track off Black Skies' soon-to-be-unleashed new full length, On The Wings Of Time. Check out "Valley Of The Kings" here.

The follow-up to 2008's "Hexagon" EP, On The Wings Of Time was recorded, produced and mastered by Harvey Milk's Kyle Spence at his own RJS studios in Athens, Georgia.

The Chapel Hill natives -- Clark, Tim Herzog (drums) and Michelle Temple (bass, vocals, booking) -- have been tuning down and turning up since late 2005, constantly evolving their aural offerings of psychedelic sludge. With a combination of the foreboding heaviness of blues based proto-metal, the spry attitude and approach of punk, and the dynamics of progressive rock, their songs often project a dark & urgent energy.

BLACK SKIES Live - May/June 2011:
5/12/2011 The Milestone - Charlotte, NC w/ Trade, Towering Pyre
5/13/2011 The Crayola House - Harrisonburg, VA w/ Backwoods Payback, Earthling, Trade
5/14/2011 Strange Matter - Richmond, VA w/ Backwoods Payback
5/15/2011 Mojo Main - Newark, DE w/ Backwoods Payback, Holy Dirt, Bubonic Bear
5/16/2011 AS220 - Providence, RI w/ Woozy, She Rides, Villainer
5/17/2011 O’Brien’s - Boston, MA w/ Phantom Glue, The Proselyte, Jack Burton vs David Lopan
5/18/2011 Flask Lounge - Portland, ME
5/19/2011 Elm Bar - New Haven, CT w/ Atrina
5/20/2011 St. Vitus - Brooklyn, NY w/ Atomic Bitchwax, Weird Owl, Mirror Queen
5/21/2011 31st Street Pub - Pittsburgh, PA w/ Rogue Vessel, Oktober
5/22/2011 Carabar - Columbus, OH w/ Prosanctus Inferi, Witchaven, Nocturnal, Locusta
5/23/2011 The Green Lantern - Lexington, KY w/ Stampede, Below
5/24/2011 Southgate House - Indianapolis, IN w/ Mala In Se, New Third Worlds
5/25/2011 The Pilot Light - Knoxville, KY w/ US Christmas, Generation of Vipers
5/26/2011 The Get Down - Asheville, NC w/ US Christmas, Generation of Vipers, Caltrop
5/27/2011 King’s - Raleigh, NC w/ US Christmas, Caltrop, Royal Thunder
5/28/2011 Will’s Pub - Orlando, FL w/ Caltrop, Royal Thunder, Druid Lord, Junior Bruce
5/29/2011 C-Level - Panama City Beach w/ Caltrop, Royal Thunder, Death Before Dying
5/30/2011 Siberia - NOLA w/ Caltrop, Royal Thunder
5/31/2011 Hi-Tone - Memphis, TN w/ Caltrop, Royal Thunder
6/01/2011 The Nick - Birmingham, AL w/ Caltrop, Royal Thunder
6/02/2011 529 - Atlanta, GA w/ Caltrop, Royal Thunder, Sons Of Tonatiuh
6/03/2011 Caledonia Lounge - Athens, GA w/ Caltrop
6/04/2011 The Jinx - Savannah, GA w/ Caltrop

Links:
Black Skies