Concert Venues | DCHeavyMetal.com

Megadeth ticket give away

Megadeth at the Fillmore Silver Spring

Get ready to start painting the devil on the wall cause this black Friday on DCHeavyMetal.com we’ll be giving away a pair of tickets to see Megadeth at the Fillmore Silver Spring on Wednesday, December 4th! You don’t have to get up early, wait in line or navigate through mobs of soccer moms to get in on this deal though, all you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post telling me what you think the best gift for a metal head this holiday season is. Concert tickets? Iron Maiden Beer? An ugly Dying Fetus sweater? A giant back tattoo of Dimebag and Jeff Hanneman playing dueling guitar solos while Satan crowd surfs in the audience?!?! Give me your best ideas and this (black) Friday, November 29th at 5pm EST a winner will be chosen at random (using Random.org) from all valid entries to win the tickets. Be sure to use 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 in 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 Live Nation right now for $45 here.

Dave Mustaine and Megadeth will be playing ‘deth songs new and old which will definitely keep you warm on this cold December night. But to get things started we’ll also be getting sets by industrial metal pioneers Fear Factory and Florida nu-metal band Nonpoint. So tell me what the most metal gifts are this season, I need some ideas ’cause people have been asking! Now be sure to check out these killer tracks from the bands playing and of course have a great Thanksgiving everyone.

November 25, 2013
Categories: Bay Area Thrash, Contests, Fillmore Silver Spring, Industrial, Thrash Metal . Tags: Contest, Fear Factory, Fillmore Silver Spring, Megadeth, Nonpoint . Author: Metal Chris . Comments: 28 Comments

Metal Show Of The Week: Agrimonia

Who? Agrimonia
When? Tuesday, November 26th
Where? Black Cat (map)
How much? $12 cash at the door or on Ticket Fly

Two DCHM posts on the same day? Well there’s a really cool show coming up on Tuesday and I just couldn’t let it go overlooked. That’s why this week’s Metal Show Of The Week is Agrimonia at the Black Cat on Tuesday, November 26th! Agrimonia is an excellent band from Gothenburg, Sweden that just put out their third full length, the excellent Rites Of Separation, last spring on Southern Lord Records. Although Gothenburg is associated with melodic death metal acts like At The Gates, In Flames and Dark Tranquillity the band Agrimonia doesn’t fit in that category at all. They play a really dark version of sludge metal that has some energetic highs and heavy lows. Also on the tour is Take Over And Destroy (TOAD for short), a blackened sludge band from Phoenix, Arizona. They’ve got an old school sound with some catchy riffs and you’re going to want to be sure you get there early enough to see them too. Unfortunately it doesn’t appear that there are any locals on this date of the tour. So head on over to the Black Cat and check out Agrimonia before you travel the next day (or await visitors) for Thanksgiving. Please note that this all ages show is in the downstairs back stage of the Black Cat and NOT the upstairs main stage. I’m keeping this post short today but be sure to check out the songs below, they’ll surely do more convincing that I can with words!

November 22, 2013
Categories: Black Cat, Gothenburg Sweden, Metal Show Of The Week, Sludge Metal . Tags: Agrimonia, Black Cat, Sludge Metal, Take Over And Destroy, TOAD . Author: Metal Chris . Comments: Leave a comment

Review of Slayer at the Fillmore Silver Spring

On Tuesday, November 19th of 2013 I went to the Fillmore Silver Spring to see Slayer and Gojira. Although I arrived over 15 minutes before Gojira started, the will call line was so slow I didn’t get into the venue in time to photograph them from the photo pit (at most big shows photographers only get to shoot during the first three songs each band plays). I finally made it in and the venue was already uncomfortably packed. I’m not sure if the show was sold out but I’ve never seen the venue this packed before. There wasn’t really anywhere to stand without being shoulder to shoulder with people on the main floor so I headed upstairs to try my luck. Unfortunately if you’re not on the rail on the Fillmore’s second floor the sight lines are, well, pretty much nonexistent. The French band played a pretty similar set to the one they played at Rams Head Live in Baltimore back in February so I didn’t feel like I missed too much. Backbone is always heavy as hell but as much as I enjoy Gojira’s music, I was really here for Slayer.

The curtain came down in front of the main stage while Slayer set up and this is when things started getting better. I worked my way to the front of the stage. I noticed there were some very large boxes for shipping gear in the photo pit area which made it so the guard railing was pushed farther away from the stage than usual. This certainly made things on the ground level more crowded but at least for three songs I got to have some space up front and shoot the band. They actually ended up giving us an extra song to shoot (I think the stage hands just miscounted) and I’ve gotta say being between the wild crowd and intense band performing at a show like this is a bit surreal, like being in the eye of a hurricane. After my songs were up I assimilated back into the audience and got to enjoy the show as a regular fan.

Exodus guitarist Gary Holt has been playing with Slayer since the late Jeff Hanneman left the band in early 2011 due to an infection from a spider bite. Original drummer Dave Lombardo was recently booted from the band as well, to be replaced by Paul Bostaph who had previously replaced Lombardo in Slayer from 1992 to 2001. Of course I was worried going in how these line up changes would affect Slayer’s live sound. Luckily I needn’t worry at all, the band was as tight as ever! In fact, the last time I saw all four original members of Slayer play together, in 2010 at 1st Mariner Arena, Jeff Hanneman was obviously drunk and his playing was pretty sloppy. The version of Slayer we got at the Fillmore was really tight once again. Everyone in the band was in sync, there was very little stage banter between songs as they only paused between songs four times. That all combined with the intensity of their “old school” set list (see it here), which featured no songs written after 1990, showed everyone that Slayer wasn’t slowing down at all. The set list was pretty similar to the one on the excellent live double album Decade Of Aggression though it did feature some different songs, such as an old favorite of mine, “At Dawn They Sleep.” As a nod to Gary Holt being in the band they played a Slayer-ized version of the Exodus classic “Strike Of The Beast” too! Any problems I had with the venue prior to their set were far from my mind as I thrashed in the pit during Raining Blood. This show was overcrowded, sweaty, intense and had almost non-stop shredding from these gods of heavy metal, just how a Slayer show is supposed to be. I really can’t wait until they come around again. If there was any doubt in anyone’s mind before, this night proved to all in attendance that in a live setting Slayer still fucking rules!

I only shot photos of Slayer at the show but I think some of them turned out pretty good. See the full set, including some images that I didn’t post below, by clicking here.

November 22, 2013
Categories: Concert Reviews, Fillmore Silver Spring, Thrash Metal . Tags: Fillmore, Fillmore Silver Spring, Slayer, Thrash Metal . Author: Metal Chris . Comments: 3 Comments

Gwar ticket give away

Gwar at the 9:30 Club

It’s that time of year again, the weather is getting colder and you’re starting to hear holiday music when you venture out in public. This can only mean one thing: Gwar will be playing at the 9:30 Club soon! Sunday, November 17th to be precise (that’s this Sunday!). I’ve been commanded by my slave master Oderus Urungus to bring more lambs to the slaughter and so one of you (un)lucky DCHM readers will win a pair of tickets to attend this very ~~massacre~~ concert. To enter just leave a comment on this post letting me know which celebrity you’d like to see get the brutal Gwar treatment on stage at the show. At 5pm EST this Friday, November 15th, a winner will be chosen at random (using Random.org) from all valid entries to win the tickets. Be sure to use 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 in 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 $25 here.

If you’ve never seen Gwar live before then get ready for a truly religious experience! Our alien masters are known for putting on the goriest live show in the universe and you’ll be covered in blood, bile and worse by the time it’s over, a truly epic baptism by mosh pit. But before Gwar even dominates the 9:30 Club stage there will be sets by other bands as well. Iron Reagan is a crossover/punk band with Tony Foresta (Municipal Waste vocalist), Landphil Hall (Municipal Waste, Cannabis Corpse) and Ryan Parrish (ex-Darkest Hour drummer) and they’re going to shred your faces off! Starting off the festivities is the aptly named A Band Of Orcs. If you’ve ever wondered what it would sound like if monstrous orcs from Lord Of The Rings formed a metal band then get there early to find out. These guys are more Tolkien than Gorgoroth! Still not sure if you should go? Then check out these awesome music videos by the bands playing the show as you think up your entry!

November 11, 2013
Categories: Contests, Nightclub 9:30 . Tags: 9:30 Club, A Band Of Orcs, Gwar, Heavy Metal, Iron Reagan, Washington DC . Author: Metal Chris . Comments: 49 Comments

High On Fire Ticket Give Away

High On Fire

High On Fire headlines a killer line up at the Rock & Roll Hotel on Tuesday, November 12th and because DCHeavyMetal.com loves getting people out to great shows like this one we’re giving away a pair of tickets to the show! To enter just tell me which band playing the show you want to see most, and why, by leaving a comment on this very post. At 5pm EST this Friday, November 8th, a winner will be chosen at random (using Random.org) from all valid entries to win the tickets. Be sure to use 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 in 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 $20 here. Now a bit more info on the bands.

Oakland’s High On Fire was started by guitarist Matt Pike shortly after the break up of his previous band, the legendary doom band Sleep. Don’t think High On Fire is all doom and gloom though, their sound is more high energy with catchy sludge riffs. Also on tour is Kvelertak, a favorite band of mine that blurs the lines between punk, black metal and rock and roll. Plus they put on one of the wildest shows you’ll ever see. Kvelertak is from Norway and their song lyrics are all in their native tongue but it doesn’t matter if you know what they’re saying or not because they bring killer riff after killer riff! Music is the universal language after all. Opening up this leg of the tour will be the Doomriders. This Boston based band is led by Nate Newton (also of Converge and Old Man Gloom) and they really shred. You may be noticing something tying all these bands together: they all play some sweet riffage! This show is going to be crazy and there is literally nowhere else better to be on a cold Tuesday in November. Now check out these awesome tunes by the bands below and let me know which one you’re most excited to see at this show.

November 4, 2013
Categories: Contests, Rock And Roll Hotel, Sludge Metal . Tags: Contests, Doomriders, Heavy Metal, High On Fire, Kvelertak, Rock And Roll Hotel . Author: Metal Chris . Comments: 28 Comments

Metal Show Of The Week: Pelican

Who? Pelican
When? Saturday, November 2nd
Where? DC9 (map)
How much? $15 cash at the door or on Ticket Fly

I won’t lie, there’s a ton of great shows coming up in the next week (and beyond) on the DCHM upcoming concert calendar. Dying Fetus/Exhumed, Watain/In Solitude, Orange Goblin, Finntroll… but this week’s pick for metal show of the week goes to a gig that’s a bit more obscure. Chicago’s Pelican is headlining a show at DC9 (right by the 9:30 Club, Velvet Lounge, etc…) this Saturday, November 2nd, and if you don’t know who they are you should check come them out. They’re an instrumental band and they’re not particularly brutal by any means. In fact they’re often labeled as post rock, though they did play at Maryland Deathfest back in May. They’re not overly soft like some instrumental bands though, they’ve got some big riffs in there and they really jam out live. They just put out a new album, Forever Becoming, this month and I’m pretty excited to hear them play some material off of it, particularly the song Deny The Absolute.

Pelican isn’t the only band worth seeing on this bill though. Coliseum is from Kentucky’s punk scene though they’re not your typical punk band. Their songs are actually really well put together with riffs that are very catchy. When I saw Coliseum play a Deathfest after show back in May they were super energetic on stage and they should be a perfect warm up set before Pelican. Coliseum will also be selling tour posters for that look like this so bring a few extra bucks to snag one (or some other merch). There’s also a local punk band called Highway Cross opening the show. I’ll be honest, I’d never heard of them before but they remind me of Fugazi some. You can check them out here and be sure to listen to the tracks I’ve posted by Pelican and Coliseum below as well. I hope to see some of you at the show, it should be a lot of fun!