I'm excited and super disappointed at the same time right now.When Austin based metal group, The Sword, announced that original drummer Trevitt Wingo was leaving the band, it was heart breaking. After catching them at ACL, their final show with Wingo, they announced he was leaving. Shortly thereafter, they found a replacement drummer.
Kevin Fender, best known for his work with the Texas hardcore outfit Employer, Employee, will be their drummer now. While I'm glad they will continue on, their new tour dates do not include any Austin gigs. Oh well, they will be back at some point. Here are the new U.S. tour dates:
Reschedule US Tour Dates:
11/27: Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
11/28: Birmingham, AL @ WorkPlay Theatre
11/29: Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
11/30: Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
12/01: Roanoke, VA @ Martin's Downtown
12/02: Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon Club
12/03: Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of the Living Arts
12/04: New York, NY @ Webster Hall
12/05: Boston, MA @ Royale Boston
12/06: Washington, DC @ The 9:30 Club
12/07: Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Small's Theatre
12/08: Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
12/09: Huntington, WV @ V Club
12/10: Covington, KY @ The Mad Hatter
12/11: Detroit, MI @ The Shelter
12/12: Chicago, IL @ Metro
12/13: St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird
12/14: Iowa City, IA @ Blue Moose Tap House
12/15: Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
12/16: Little Rock, AR @ Juanita's
That's my old friend Bryan Richie from The Sword. He's holding a signed CD and vinyl of their new album, Warp Riders. He had all the members of the band sign both for me. As much as I wanted to keep them both for myself, I didn't. Instead I am giving them away on Red River Noise. After all, it is better to give than receive. To learn how you can win these, visit Red River Noise here.
Metal at Mohawk? Yup. That's not a misprint. You were thinking it should have said Red 7 right? Me too but it is indeed Mohawk. I'm glad to see the indie heavy venue get a little "heavier" for this one. Anytime you have Pack Of Wolves, you have a solid line up and a damn good Sunday night show. What else are you going to listen to after church right? Check out this epic music video from Pack Of Wolves:
Mohawk is located at 912 Red River between 9th and 10th street. Also on the bill are Burials and Curse The Heavens (Manchurian Candidate anyone?). Get there at 10:00pm and bring some cash to pick up some vinyl. Support Austin's metal scene.
It pains me to pick this show as it is the last show in Austin for one of Austin's best metal bands, At All Cost. The were one of the few to really build a following and whom I thought were going to get bigger nationally. I was hoping they'd be responsible for bringing in more metal to Austin so the metal heads of the world can stop calling Austin "hipsterville" or "an indie town". While we do have a plethora of indie talent here, we also have a lot of good hardcore the world needs to hear. Again, at one point I thought At All Cost would be one of those to bring more hardcore attention.
Well it has been since January 2007 I believe, since I last saw At All Cost. After a few member changes a some solid albums, they are saying farewell. It is only fit that the show be at Red 7, as I really don't remember them playing anywhere else but Emo's maybe. It is like their home venue, also one of my favorite. Something cool for this sad occasion is that every member who was ever in the band will be taking the stage to perform, including Pack of Wolves vocalist Trey Ramirez. That's the way to do it if you ask me, give the fans the complete line ups and play their favorite tracks with the band that actually played them. Very cool.
Co-headlining this show will be Houston based hardcore outfit, Jonbenét.I caught these dudes once a while back at Red 7 also, but don't know too much about them other than whatever is online. They're calling it quits as well, much to fan's disappointment. I'll definitely be there to check them out as well since it's my last chance in Austin. For those of you in Houston, At All Cost and Jonbenét play Saturday at Walter's.
Also on the bill playing early will be Austin bands Radioland Murders and Set Aflame. I'll be there early hanging out to check them out, supporting local hardcore bands worth supporting. You should also get there early as this show is going to be packed and possibly sold out.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with At All Cost or just want to reminisce, check out this old school video I found on YouTube for "Death To Distraction". It pissed off a lot of people during that time. Say what you will about their politics, but their sound is killer.
Today through the magic of Facebook, I learned that the world's greatest young metal band was added to this year's Fun Fun Fun Fest Line up. That's right....Austin's own rock Gods, The Sword, will take the stage on Saturday at the black stage. Check out the Fun Fun Fun Fest website for what that means exactly.
The addition of The Sword really solidified this year's festival for me, and not just because I am the biggest fan boy on the planet. I always look forward to Fun Fun Fun Fest as it the Red River rat mecca of festivals, but this year it was missing a little something in comparison to last year. When I saw Bad Brains (even though it sucked), All, Dead Milkmen and Brownout, it kicked total ass. Even with Danzig and Jesus Lizard as the headliners, I felt Fun Fun Fun was missing a metal piece. Not anymore...good move Transmission.
For those of you who like metal and want to see the next up and coming band, be sure to check out Pack of Wolves. I have seen the guys from The Sword at some of their shows if that tells you anything. They are at where The Sword were like maybe five years ago. The first time I saw The Sword was at Room 710,may you rest in piece. Then I saw them at Emo's, then Stubb's as they embarrassed headliner Clutch. I have all the respect in the world for Clutch, but you can't play after The Sword in Austin.Only Metallica can do that, and they have as The Sword was their opener on a good leg of their world tour this year.
In case you don't have a pulse or are just plain lame, let me briefly introduce you to the world's greatest metal band and the best thing to come out of Austin since EVER. This is the video for "Maiden, Mother & Crone" off their latest album, "Gods Of The Earth":
For more info on Fun Fun Fun Fest, visit the following links:
In the latter part of 2008, melodic death metal group The Black Dahlia Murder received word from then lead guitarist John Kempainen that he was quitting the band. At the time, they were on tour and had to continue as a four-piece band instead of the usual quintet. But filling in the gap didn’t take long. Former Arsis guitarist Ryan Knight was recruited with the help of a friend of the band, and the rest is history. Double Stereo caught up with Ryan Knight recently to introduce him to the fans and talk about what’s new with The Black Dahlia Murder.
Not just anyone can join The Black Dahlia Murder. How do you know the guys? What was it like to join the band?
Ryan: The way I knew the band was through my old band, Arsis. We toured with Black Dahlia last year. It was a like a B-markets tour before Summer Slaughter. The guy who we just recorded our album with, Jason Suecof, has a partner that engineers with him. His name is Mark Lewis. I had known them both for two or three years. One day I call mark and told him I could not be in Arsis anymore. I knew he worked with a lot of bands, and asked him to put the word out. A couple of months later, I got a call from Mark telling me Black Dahlia was looking for a new guitar player. I told him I’d totally do it. I had just gotten through touring with those guys a few months before. Brian Eschbach called me that same day and that’s how I’m in the band.
So how has your life changed since being in Black Dalia Murder?
Ryan: It is just another level, comparing the band I was in to Black Dahlia. Obviously we are doing bigger tours and just traveling everywhere. My first show with them was actually in Iceland. I have been to Europe for six weeks with them. It was a really big step, but it’s been fun.
How has Mayhem Fest been for you guys this past summer?
Ryan: This past summer for us has been amazing. The exposure you get from Mayhem is incredible. We played in front of our fans, Slayer’s fans and even Marilyn Manson’s fans. You had this big melting pot of people that are into all types of stuff. People go crazy every day. But some days, when it was really hot, like a show in Florida, they were like a stone wall. I can’t blame them though. The heat was brutal that day.
What’s going on with you guys now that Mayhem is over? I know your new album, Deflorate, just came out on September 15th.
Ryan: Yup, it came out on Metal Blade Records. Now we are starting our tour with Children of Bodom and Skeletonwitch. After that we will be around playing everywhere.
Tell me something you liked about this year’s Mayhem Tour. Is there anyone you discovered or liked checking out live?
Ryan: Touring with Slayer is a lifetime dream come true for anyone on this tour. I haven’t watched them every night, but I’ve watched four or five times. All the bands on our stage were label mates. We’ve toured with a lot of them before. It was fun though, like touring with our friends.
Did you catch Marilyn Manson?
Ryan: I have a couple of times. I am not that big of a fan, but he brings people. That’s cool. I never thought I’d be on the same tour with him back in seventh grade when I first heard him.
Right on. So I imagine there will be no sleep for you guys the rest of this year at least?
Ryan: Sleep? Not happening. We have a lot of touring going on.
Besides it being the first time where you have been on the actual album, what is different about Deflorate in comparison to the previous Black Dahlia Murder albums?
Ryan: This record is definitely a step up from the other albums. It is still a Black Dahlia record, but at the same time there are some new things like new time signatures we haven’t experimented with before. I’m the new lead guitarist, so when you change lead guitarists then obviously the leads are going to be different. They’re cool though.
Any different themes to any of the songs on Deflorate that Black Dahlia hadn’t done previously?
Ryan: I know on some songs Trevor had done maybe a sci-fi sort of thing. The last album had sort of a night feel. Deflorate’s cover art has sort a “deserty” sort of space theme. It has a big moon. It’s not a spaced theme album though.
It’s not a Pink Floyd cover by any means?
Ryan: Oh no. From the lyrics I’ve read, and I have read quite a few, it does have kind of a sci-fi theme. I know Trevor is into older mid ‘90s death metal. Sometimes there is a lot of gore in there. He is all into that so that is all there still. There is still Black Dahlia.
Tell me a little about the Majesty DVD.
Ryan: It has 2 discs. One disc is live footage. It has a documentary of how we are as a band. It goes from our life in the band. A lot of the band smokes weed and there’s some of that in there. It is not like an in-depth history, but more like a day in the life of the band. It was shot over the course of a couple of years. I’m on it for the last twenty minutes. It does have some really good live footage, but it isn’t just the run of the mill live DVD. Kids who have seen it come up to the guys and ask about their shoes and stuff that they saw them wear on the DVD.
Does that sort of thing surprise you?
Ryan: Not really. Brian, our other guitar player, wears these all white New Balance shoes. It’s like a funny thing that kids notice that.
Funny but I don’t think that fans see that as very metal. Now a Revolver Magazine cover…that’s metal. How has the Revolver Magazine cover changed things for you?
Ryan: The Revolver cover was cool. Revolver is like everywhere. I could tell my mom to go get one at like, say, Kroger’s and it will be there. That’s how big it is. It’s cool. We all felt honored as a band to be in it, especially Trevor having the cover. It is a step that says, “We’re here.” It helps us carry the torch for death metal. In a lot of ways I think this band is sort of a gateway band.
In what sense?
Ryan: It is a gateway into the realm of more extreme stuff. I hope we can continue being that. A lot of kids are already into Slipknot, Disturbed and bands like that. That is what’s good about us being in Revolver. They do a good job of not only taking stuff people know about and putting out there, but also cover some of the up and coming smaller bands.
I’d be interested to see in about a year what level you make it to, especially after a Revolver cover. In terms of what I will refer to as the “Mayhem bands,” you guys aren’t quite a headliner yet. You’re mid level right now. I’d love to talk with you later on about how your life has changed once again.
Ryan: We will definitely keep trying to bring blast beats and fast music to more people.
With all the exposure, do you ever see yourself breaking through to mainstream rock radio the way Slipknot or Disturbed have? Or do you think that you will remain off the air?
Ryan: Well, I don’t know. I can see us on maybe satellite radio maybe. Mainstream radio? I don’t know if we will ever be on mainstream rock radio like Slipknot. We won’t ever sell a million records or anything, even though selling albums is like a thing of the past. We’re just going to continue to push it and see where it takes us. We’re not too worried about it. You don’t join metal bands to hit it rich or anything. You join because t is what you love to play and listen to.
Any last words before we wrap up?
Ryan: Thanks always to fans. We wouldn’t be here without you. Be sure to get the new CD, Deflorate, on Metal Blade Records.
So I was online today looking up some band info for Pack of Wolves, a band I interviewed for Austin Vida recently, because I wanted to see when their next show was. As I was scrolling through their comments and what not, some dude left a video comment on their page. The video was for an Austin metal band called "Set Aflame". Why I felt compelled to watch the video or check it out, I don't know. I'm glad I did because not only was it a cool video, but the song was bad ass. It has been a while since I last discovered a new metal band that I liked. It made me even happier to learn that they were from right here in Austin, Texas. The video s for a song called "Bloodoath". I look forward to hearing more of their music and checking them out live, maybe interviewing them in the future. Who knows? Anyway, check out the video for yourself and form your own opinion. If you aren't into metal or anything hard core, don't bother watching. Thanks for reading anyway.
Ian is a graduate of Round Rock High School and attended St Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. In 2008 he joined the team at Double Stereo (formerly CD Fuse) as their Blog editor where he reviewed concerts, albums, and did interviews for the popular music site.In January 2009, he became the Editor in Chief for Austin Vida. In 2010, with the help of some of his most talented friends, he launched Red River Noise. "Ian's Music Blog" is also one of the few blogs selected to be a Do512 All-Star.
On any given night of the week he can be found in downtown Austin on 6th Street and the Red River live music district.
