kenmode-sxsw

Metal @ SXSW 2015: Power Trip, KEN Mode, Weedeater, United Nations, Royal Thunder, Cancer Bats & much more

photo: Power Trip at BV-RBSS in NYC in 2014 (more by Ryan Muir)
Power Trip
BV/IO SXSW

This year Invisible Oranges is excited to be co-presenting a FREE SXSW day party at Red 7 on Friday (3/20) with BrooklynVegan. The show runs from noon to 6 PM across the 7th & Red River venue’s two stages, and we’ve got heavy representation on the inside stage from Power Trip, United Nations, KEN mode and the legendary Walter Schreifels‘ new-ish band Vanishing Life. There’s also stuff on the punk/hardcore side (Single Mothers, Pianos Become the Teeth), a couple indie rock veterans (Swervedriver, Superchunk’s Mac McCaughan) and more. Flyer above. More about out the full lineup at BV. RSVP here.

That’s one of three free BrooklynVegan day parties at Red 7. The other two happen Thursday (3/19) and Saturday (3/21), and metal also gets repped at the Thursday party by Canadian riffers Cancer Bats. Not metal per se, but METZ, who, to quote ex-Invisible Oranges editor Michael Nelson, “are heavier than a lot of metal bands,” hit the stage just an hour and a half after Cancer Bats. RSVP here.

We hope you make it out to one or both of those shows, but there are few other desirable destinations for metalheads at SXSW this year too. Here are some highlights:


Royal Thunder
photo: Royal Thunder at IO’s 2013 SXSW day party (more by Greg Cristman)

There’s a metal showcase Tuesday night (3/17) at Dirty Dog Bar with stoner rockers Royal Thunder, as well the teenaged Unlocking the Truth, Betrayal, Dead Earth Politics, Excessum, and Venomous Maximus who played the IO SXSW showcase last year.

During the day on Wednesday (3/18) there’s the Heavy Metal Pool Party at Club Metropolis with promising German band Mantar, along with VIctim Mentality, Ruby the Hatchet, Speedozer, Thelma and the Sleaze, So Unloved and one more TBA.

Metal Sucks hosts their showcase at the Dirty Dog on Wednesday night with MYRONE, Archspire, Elder, Allegaeon, Byzantine, Fallujah, and Norma Jean.

Another chance to see both KEN mode, Cancer Bats and Mantar is the Metal Injection showcase at Dirty Dog on Thursday (3/19) night. Also on that bill is Full of Hell, Felix Martin, Moon Tooth and Veil of Maya.

Weedeater headline the Tone Deaf Touring showcase at Dirty Dog on Friday (3/20) night with King Parrot, FOH NOISE, Lazer/Wulf, The Skull and Stinking Lizaveta.

The Black Smoke Conjuring showcase provides a night of heavy rock at The North Door on Friday night with Kadavar, The Shrine, Elder, Heat (the Berlin band, not the Montreal band), Castle (the San Francisco band), and Ruby the Hatchet.

The New England Metal & Hardcore Festival throws a free unofficial showcase on Friday night at the Des Moines Embassy with Code Orange, Harm’s Way and many more.

The final day of Converse Thrasher Death Match at Gypsy Lounge, Saturday (3/21), has a ton of heavy bands from noon to midnight including The Dillinger Escape Plan, Sick of It All, Ceremony, Power Trip, Code Orange, Om, Goatsnake, The Skull, The Shrine, Arctic, American Sharks and Blasting Concept.

Both Power Trip and Code Orange also play in the indoor stage of Fun Fun Fun Fest’s party at House of Vans at Mohawk on Saturday with Lust for Youth and other non-metal bands.

Another all-day show on Saturday is the Rock of Ages show at the Yellow Jacket Social Club with Goatsnake, Eagle Twin, The Roller, Coliseum, Pinkish Black, Publicist UK, Mantar, Bellringer, Mutilation Rites, Sores and Blasting Concept.

And a ton of bands play the returning Heavy Metal Parking Lot on Saturday including Weedeater, Full of Hell, The Skull, The Shrine, King Parrot and many more. That show has tickets on sale.

Full of Hell also appear at an all-day show at Sweetwater on Friday at 6 PM with Mutilation Rites and others, and they play a noise set at the Sux by Suxwest pre-party at 5715 Cherry Park on Saturday.

Coliseum also play the Metal BBQ at La Barbeque on Friday at 8 PM, and The Highball at The Alamo Drafthouse on Saturday at 2 PM.

There’s also two SXSW shows for Norwegian blackened punks Haust who we just completed a 2-part interview with.

Those are just some of the heavy highlights of SXSW 2015. What did we miss? What else are you excited to see?