This blog specializes in heavy metal music and how it relates to Washington DC and the surrounding area. Featuring info on upcoming metal concerts in Washington DC, Baltimore and Virginia, as well as info on local bands, area concert venues, reviews of live gigs, and lots of give aways.
I’m teaming up with Brewer Will over at Fair Winds Brewery again for another Brutality At The Brewery metal night event this Saturday, August 1st from 7pm to midnight! It’s free to get in and we’ll be playing metal tunes all night, drinking delicious craft beer and hanging out with metal heads as we take over the tasting room. There’s a new set up this time so it will be much louder than the first Brutality At The Brewery was! The guys in Yesterday’s Saints will be on hand as we tap the Yesterday’s Saint’s black kolsh beer, Seas Of Annihilation, brewed specially for this event! It will be available until it runs out so don’t drag your feet getting there.
Fair Winds Brewing is located just off I-95 where it intersects with the Fairfax County Parkway on the border of Springfield and Lorton. The address is: 7000 Newington Rd, Lorton, VA 22079 (Google Map here).
And did I mention that I’ll be there giving out tons of prizes, including concert tickets to many upcoming metal shows in our area. We’ve got so many prizes that it’s going to be hard NOT to win something if you show up! You can see the list below (for most of them we’ll be picking 2 winners that will each get their own pair of tickets):
Dying Fetus at the Pinch on 8/6
Summer Slaughter (Arch Enemy headlines) at Rams Head Live on 8/13
High On Fire/Pallbearer at Baltimore Soundstage on 8/20
Marty Friedman (ex-Megadeth guitarist) at Baltimore Soundstage on 9/9
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats at Baltimore Soundstage on 9/11
Godflesh at Rock & Roll Hotel on 9/13
Ghost at the Fillmore on 9/22
Overkill/Symphony X at the Fillmore on 10/16
Kamelot/Dragonforce at the Fillmore on 11/18
Mayhem/Watain at Baltimore Soundstage on 11/25
We’ll also be giving away a 24″ x 36″ poster for the beer’s artwork, seen below.
When Power Trip and Foreseen play at the Rock & Roll Hotel on Wednesday, July 29th of 2015 you’ll get to see two of the hottest bands in thrash metal right now! We’re so pumped for this show that we’re going to give away a pair of tickets to it to one of you lucky DCHM readers! To enter just leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite thrash metal song is by any thrash metal band. You can go old school, newer or totally obscure, just as long as it is thrash! At 5pm EST this Friday, July 24th, a winner will be chosen at random (using Random.org) from all valid entries to win the pair of tickets. Be sure to enter using a valid email you check regularly so I can contact you if you win. Don’t worry, I won’t add you to any spam lists or sell your info or anything sleazy like that. If I haven’t heard back from the winner within 24 hours another winner will be chosen at random. If you can’t wait to see if you win or the contest is already over when you read this, then you can get tickets from Ticket Fly for $12 here.
Power Trip is a Dallas, Texas based crossover thrash band known for their high energy shows! Their 2013 album Manifest Decimation was a hit with fans and critics and now they’ll be headlining the Rock & Roll Hotel for what is sure to be a sweaty night of moshing and headbanging! Foreseen is a thrash band from Finland that came out of nowhere when they released their debut album, Helsinki Savagery late in 2014, one of the year’s best metal releases. Those two bands playing this show should be enough to get you out for this but there will also be sets by local crossover thrash band Red Death and local harDCore band Protestor. Now check out these sick tunes below while you decide tell me in the comments what your favorite thrash metal song is!
Band: King Giant Album: Black Ocean Waves Release Date: 30 June 2015 Buy on CD ($10) from Big Cartel:Here Buy mp3s ($7.92) from:iTunes or Amazon
Yesterday locals King Giant released their third album, Black Ocean Waves, which you may have heard previewed at our Metal Night at Fair Winds Brewing back in early May. DCHM writer Buzzo Jr got his hands on an advance copy of the album and below is his take on it. Be sure to check out a couple of the songs on the album at the bottom of the post too!
Pimmit Hills, VA quintet King Giant is back with their third album, Black Ocean Waves. This record is a follow up to their release of Dismal Hollow, released back in 2012. King Giant continues with their familiar brand of southern influenced stoner metal on Black Ocean Waves. Fans of the band will find it does not stray much from the path set by the band’s first two albums, but as the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Like their DC counterparts Borracho, King Giant’s sound is deeply rooted in the blues, and boasts tons of great guitar work. Todd Ingram (also of Sixty Watt Shaman) and David Kowalski make an excellent team here, with their guitars churning out heavy riffs filled with that southern groove, and vibrant solos that compliment the darker parts of the album’s sound. Todd and David often change the pace of their playing on the record, going from mid paced stomps on “Red Skies” and “Blood of the Lamb” to faster paced gallops like on the song “Trail of Thorns.” The basslines are unfortunately lacking in effect, often being just barely audible over the rest of the band. This is kind of disappointing, seeing as one of the reasons I love stoner metal is how much the bands utilize the bass guitar. The drums make up for this however, with Keith Brooks laying down beats that are somehow laid back and energetic at the same time. While relatively simple, the drumming on the album works well by adding to the swampy atmosphere of the record.
The part of this album that stands out the most here are the vocals. Dave Hammerly’s vocal style has been compared to Glenn Danzig’s style of singing and while the resemblance is undeniable, Dave manages to make the style his own. With his brash, bellowing shouts, and his deep drawls, he brings the record to life by encapsulating the sounds of the filthy south, perfectly meshing with the rest of the elements on the album. Like most music based in the blues, Black Ocean Waves is filled with emotion. Each track has its own tale, whether it be anger and lament towards past addictions on “Requiem for a Drunkard,” perilous journeys at sea on “Red Skies,” or mournful farewells to loved ones on “There Were Bells.” The album’s overall mood is far more melancholy than your standard stoner rock release, but that’s also what makes this album stand out among every other stoner album that’s been released this year. The brilliant mix of catchiness and grit culminates in a fantastic album that is one part Black Sabbath with its doomy riffs, and one part Lynyrd Skynyrd with its melodic twin guitar lines. A standout track for me on this album was one of the album’s most aggressive songs; “The One that God forgot to Save.” The track showcases some of the best drumming on the album, and Hammerly at his most intense; belting out lyrics like a madman.
King Giant don’t reinvent the wheel with Black Ocean Waves but they do bring forth a great record comprised of heavy riffs, soul, and attitude. If you like loud stoner rock with a southern twinge, don’t miss out on this record.
Someone recorded a version of the Backstreet Boys song I Want It That Way done in the style of Alice in Chains. It'… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…4 days ago
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