great beer, great hosts, superb atmosphere and dedicated crowds. That’s St Vitus in Brooklyn, NY. Only comparable venue I’ve been to is the Underworld in Camden, London. Can’t wait to get back to either venue. From their site It’s obvious when you walk into Saint Vitus and see the big, beautiful black mahogany bar that this was tailor made by bartenders. After years of Startenderdom at places like Lil Frankies, No. 7 and Bar Matchless Justin Scurti, Arthur Shepherd and George Souleidis have made the evolutionary jump from employees to owner / operators. Partnering with the Greenpoint neighborhood superstars atContinue readingSt Vitus bar, Brooklyn – best metal venue ever?

Heavy Weight Show 2013-09-24 20:30:00 to 22:00:00 and 2013-09-28 23:30 to 01:00 The Barry Gray Orchestra “Joe 90 (Main Theme)” from No Strings Attached Enslaved “Riitiir” from RIITIIR YOB “Adrift In the Ocean” from Atma Elder “Knot” from Dead Roots Stirring Esoteric “Abandonment” from Paragon of Dissonance Bell Witch “Beneath the Mask” from LONGING Saturnalia Temple “Sitra Ahra Ruled Solitary Before Creation” from Aion of Drakon Uzala “Wardrums” from uzala Agalloch “She Painted Fire Across the Skyline, Pt. 1” from Pale Folklore Red Fang “Wires” from Murder the Mountains Horseback “Oblivion Eaters” from A Plague of Knowing – Singles, SplitsContinue readingSeptember 24, 2013 playlist

Apparently Saturday was a bit of a washout and snow on the high ground left folks uncomfortably cold overnight. Many bands were canceled, or put off until Sunday. That worked out well for me as I was only there for Sunday. The location at Stone Bear about 7 miles from Soda Springs is remote and mountainous. Great bands on three stages. My favorites Esoteric Velnias Saturnalia Temple Maledicere Bell Witch Very intimate atmosphere and I got to talk with several bands. here are some pics.    

  The Ruins of Beverast is an epic one-man project from Alexander von Meilenwald, the former drummer of Nagelfar. Meilenwald’s increasing use of eerie organ over the years is supposed to be unsettling and disturbing, but it just sounds silly to me. And that’s what I was hearing on “Apologia,” the intro track to his new album Blood Vaults – The Blazing Gospel of Heinrich Kramer. Thankfully, there are many songs on Blood Vaults that don’t need the creepy organ. But combined with the ominous chanting, female voices and choirs, the whole album does have an Inquisitorial feel, which isContinue readingReview: The Ruins of Beverast – Blood Vaults: The Blazing Gospel of Heinrich Kramer

Heavy Weight Show 2013-09-17 20:30:00 to 22:00:00 and rebroadcast 2013-21-13 23:30 – 01:00 The Barry Gray Orchestra “Joe 90 (Main Theme)” from No Strings Attached Agalloch “Ghosts of the Midwinter Fires” from Marrow Of The Spirit Esoteric “Non Being” from Paragon of Dissonance Opeth “DeLiverance” from DELIVERANCE Neurosis “Bleeding the Pigs” from Honor Found In Decay Saturnalia Temple “FALL” from Aion of Drakon Windhand “EVERGREEN” from SOMA Solstafir “Svartir Sandar” from Svartir Sandar Windhand “Feral Bones” from SOMA Agalloch “Fire Above, Ice Below” from Ashes Against the Grain

WINDHAND’S debut Relapse full length is nothing short of transcendent.  On its surface it is a top 5 of all time doom record, but this record is for more than just doom-metal fanatics though—this is an epic record for all fans of guitar driven rock and roll.  On Soma WINDHAND successfully make syrupy slow, downtuned doom hooky and anthemic.  Propelled by singer Dorthia Cottrell’s beautifully haunting bellow, WINDHAND’s dual guitar attack sounds like the glorious misfit offspring of Black Sabbath and Nirvana.  An easy candidate for heavy music record of the year.  Released 17 September 2013   Relapse Records  www.relapse.com http://windhandva.bandcamp.com/releases

I’m in Iceland, Viking metal anyone?

Some news about High on Fire recording a new single had gone around a little while back, so I guess that’s what the new “Slave the Hive” 7″ comes from. It’ll be interesting to hear how that came out, and it looks like there are some dates yet to be filled in on the Scion A/V-sponsored tour, but as a preliminary, it’s good to see High on Fire getting out again this fall, and bringing some quality acts along with them, whether it’s Kvelertak, who are doing the whole tour, or Doomriders, Windhand and Pack of Wolves, who’ll alternate theContinue readingHigh on Fire Announces Fall Tour Dates with Kvelertak, Doomriders, Windhand and Pack of Wolves