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To call Denver’s heavy metal scene one of the most prolific and fastest-growing musical movements in the nation is no overstatement. In less than two decades, what was once a remote industrial stopover on the wild American steppe has become a veritable sonic mecca for a vast range of genres, with metal and the more extreme forms of punk reigning among the city’s favorites.

With its meteoric rise to prominence, Denver has produced many of this decade’s most decorated heavy acts across a broad scope of styles, from the vintage classicism of Khemmis, to the depressive violence of Primitive Man, to the technical wizardry of Allegaeon. This network of musicians is uniquely compelling not only because of its formidable level of output, but because of its inclusivity and willingness to experiment and cross-breed between strains of metal and punk; Denver has no definitive sound, but rather a unified attitude.

But within such a well-populated community are inevitably acts that, though strikingly impressive, do not make waves on the national level. Below the layers of celebrated names emerging from Denver are bands displaying unparalleled musicianship awaiting their chance at higher renown. These hidden gems — champions of their local scene — ultimately make for some of the most exciting discoveries when digging deep into the unseen niches of the metal underground; the six bands that follow are each exemplars of this concealed majesty, all remarkably skilled and innovative groups of individuals making their own definitive mark on Denver’s cutting-edge local scene.

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Matriarch
Latest release: Constructs of Time (July 13th, 2018)

One of Denver’s most slept-on bands — especially in light of its affinity for all things low and slow — Matriarch have concocted one of the most astral, interstellar interpretations of doom metal ever experienced in this dimension. Combining drone, sludge, post-metal, psychedelia, and what the band calls “hash noise” into a miasma of vibrating quintessence, the four-piece outfit is quite potent on record and downright transportational in a live setting. As cascades of shoegaze-inspired guitar and their cavernous earthen riffs meet the wails of vocalist Austin W., the waves of what Matriarch themselves openly label as “drug music” captivate the mind. Their latest record Constructs of Time features the band in peak form, its two dirge-like tracks of visionary doom standing at a monolithic lengths. Be warned: once you have embarked on Matriarch’s esoteric aural quest, it must be seen through to the end.

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Oryx
Latest release: Born Into Madness EP (October 26th, 2018)

Now-acclaimed pioneers of the blackened sludge movement, Oryx was first formed in Las Cruces, New Mexico in 2012, named after an imported species of African antelope that lives just outside the city. Since relocating to Denver in 2015, the group’s sound has evolved into a crushing, cataclysmic monstrosity embroiled in dissonance and feedback, percussive and unsettling in all regards. Oryx’s aggressive, full-bodied approach to metal oozes from the physicality of their live performances; between touring with Portland funeral doom outfit Un and opening for Electric Wizard at Denver’s Fillmore Auditorium, the group have honed their live show meticulously, unleashing their primal music with uncanny precision. With three full-length albums, a split, and last year’s harrowing Born Into Madness EP constituting their already stacked discography, Oryx are undeniably consistent and unstoppable in their mission to explore the grotesque and the nihilistic.

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Muscle Beach
Latest release: Muscle Beach (December 4th, 2015)

A quirky three-piece creating jagged, frantic post-hardcore at breakneck tempos, Muscle Beach are one of Denver’s more stylistically outlying groups. Where many of their compatriots mix a dose of punk into their metal, Muscle Beach do the opposite and incorporate a metal attitude into their hardcore punk-based material. Often compared with The Refused and the heavier components of Fugazi, the group have corralled their sound into a compact but well-rounded package that jumps back and forth between pummeling, foot-stomping power riffs and bizarre, oblique structures that keep you constantly on your feet. Above all else, Muscle Beach love to have a good bit of fun with their music, and the infectious joy that their bizarre antics brings is perfectly portrayed on both their records and during their live show.

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Glacial Tomb
Latest release: Glacial Tomb (October 26th, 2018)

Conjuring up some of the most barren, animalistic sludge this world has to offer and injecting it directly into the center of raunchy 1990s OSDM, Glacial Tomb display one of the 21st Century’s most holistic understandings of the guttural, brutal essence of death metal. After the release of their utterly mammoth self-titled debut album last year, the group quickly climbed among the ranks of many critics favorite new acts, becoming a frequently mentioned name on many best-of 2018 lists. Simultaneously incorporating elements from across the extreme metal spectrum and creating a balance between the primordial and the technical, Glacial Tomb have created a sort of fluid equilibrium in their music, allowing them to explore a multitude of concepts without straying from their idiosyncratic sound. Featuring guitarist Ben Hutcherson of Khemmis and recorded at Dave Otero’s legendary Flatline Audio, Glacial Tomb is a passion project for Denver musicians by Denver musicians, effortlessly emulating the stark, savage timbres that define the scene.

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Noctambulist
Latest release: Atmospheres of Desolation (January 21st, 2019)

Channeling some of today’s most utterly vitriolic atmospheric death metal à la Gorguts or Ulcerate on amphetamines is Noctambulist, a relatively new Denver outfit that generated immediate buzz with their incomprehensibly serpentine debut album Atmospheres of Desolation. Like arcane mystics, the members of the group choose to enshroud themselves, both sonically and physically; despite the all-encompassing layers of static ambience draped over their compositions, the structure of their music itself is readily audible and texturally visceral. With a blend of technicality and atmosphere, Noctambulist have struck a winning balance that entices the ears of both black and death metal acolytes.

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Cult of the Lost Cause
Latest release: Contritions (February 26th, 2016)

Undeniably one of Denver’s grooviest acts, post-metal act Cult of the Lost Cause perform in a style that subverts the bleak and foreboding qualities of the scene’s blackened wave by utilizing frigid, metallic guitar tones in their lush, adventurously psychedelic compositional structures. A strictly instrumental outfit, the band invites the listener on a journey through realms of meditation and discipline, with motifs slowly morphing from shape to shape in an almost ritualistic procession. At times ambient, their music surfs over cosmic seas before diving into passionate, cathartic riffs that return once again to a heavy and sinister center.

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Kim Kelly was named one of the 25 Most Important People in Metal by MetalSucks in 2016 with a résumé that included experience in nearly every facet of the music business: she worked or interned for record labels, was the metal director at her college radio station, owned her own PR firm, and toured the world as a merchandiser. All the while, she wrote for a slew of metal publications and websites – including Invisible Oranges and BrooklynVegan – and became the go-to voice when mainstream outlets such as Pitchfork, Chicago Reader, and the New York Times needed dispatches from the underground.

Anyone who paid attention to her Twitter page could see how her interests branched out beyond metal the past few years. She critiqued capitalism and touted unions at Teen Vogue, and as the metal editor at Noisey, championed metal bands that embraced leftist politics and activism such as Neckbeard Deathcamp and Summoning.

Given her past as a metal renaissance woman (including booking shows since she was too young to get into many venues) and her current role as a significant element in extreme metal’s conscience, it’s not a shock that she is responsible for Black Flags Over Brooklyn 2019. The fest will take place at Brooklyn Bazaar and bring together 16 bands over the course of two days. They come from all around the world and are as disparate as Racetraitor’s brutal hardcore, Ragana’s anarcha-feminist doom, Pulsatile Tinnitus’ ambient noise, Morne’s atmospheric sludge, Chepang’s Nepalese grindcore, and Glacial Tomb’s blackened death metal.

Kim Kelly took a break from raising the Black Flags to answer some questions about the festival:

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*More details on the event follow the interview.

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What prompted you to want to do Black Flags Over Brooklyn 2019?

It was an idle thought that snowballed into something bigger than I could have ever imagined. The idea popped into my head one summer afternoon while I was killing time on Instagram; I saw Dawn Ray’d post a flyer for some cool-looking politically-oriented gig overseas, and thought, “Man, I wish we had something like that here.” I absentmindedly tweeted about it, and got a ton of excited responses right off the bat. That made the gears start turning, so I texted Simon [Barr], the vocalist of Dawn Ray’d, and asked him what he thought of the idea. He and the other fellas were into it, so I figured, fuck it, let’s give it a go.

On a more personal level, I wanted to try and put together the kind of show I’d always dreamed of: One that combined the music I love with the politics I live by, and rather selfishly planned it for my 31st birthday weekend.

On an even more personal note, I’ve been in this industry for a long time (I might’ve still been a teenager the first time I wrote something for IO!) and have learned so much from the mistakes I’ve made along the way. When I was younger, before I really became politically educated, some of the bands I covered or worked with had views or lyrics I would never in a million years condone or give a platform to now; continuing to take accountability for that is important to me, and I also think it’s worth mentioning because it’s concrete proof that people can grow and start caring more about the world around them, instead of just riffs. Riffs are very, very important, but aren’t everything. We all start somewhere, and maybe this festival will be some other person’s first step towards something better.

In a cosmic sort of way, it feels like putting on this event and pouring so much blood, sweat, and tears into making it happen is the least I could do.

Although you had Doomed to Suffer Promotions, have you ever undertaken an event of this size and scope?

Nope, I still don’t know what came over me! I haven’t booked a show under that moniker in a very long time (probably since I left Philly in 2010) and seldom book shows up here in NYC now, but did a lot of booking for a long time and still do the occasional benefit show, so it was familiar enough territory. I’m also lucky to be working with people who live and breathe booking, and who between them have decades of experience in making shows go off without a hitch. I’ve been focusing more on curation, media, strategy, and artist relations; there’s a very clear division of labor, and we’re each playing to our strengths.

You worked for MDF for a few years. Did that experience assist you with Black Flags Over Brooklyn? What experiences at other fests gave you the best ideas on what to do and also what not to do?

Well, I wouldn’t say that I worked for them — that’s not an accurate characterization. For several years, with the MDF crew’s blessing and alongside a fluid team of other writers and designers, and illustrators, I edited and put together a zine that we printed up and handed out for free to attendees; I believe the last year we did it, we printed 5,000 copies.

That experience didn’t really impact what we’re doing here (though was certainly valuable in terms of my day job as an editor at Noisey). I took far more inspiration from 161 Fest, Fluff Fest, Eistnaflug, and Roadburn overseas, and Migration Fest, Shadow Woods, and Northwest Terror Fest here in the States, and tried to cherry-pick my favorite bits from each of them to assemble the kind of festival I’d always wished to attend. I knew how important it was to find our aesthetic — in terms of design, genre mix, and overall vibe — and what kind of feeling I wanted people to have when they walk into the space. I learned from Gilead/Migration’s example of starting small, and building; that’s why this year’s event is only a day and a half. Seeing the way that Walter [Hoeijmakers] and the team at Roadburn go above and beyond to treat their artists and crew with great care and respect is something I also wanted to emulate. Eistnaflug’s “no assholes allowed!” policy was an inspiration as well, ha! There is always room to grow.

Did you know all of the bands personally, professionally? Most of our readers know Dawn Ray’d and Cloud Rat — tell us about some of the emerging bands on the bill and why attendees should make sure they don’t miss them.

Yup, most of the bands were booked by me sending a quick text and asking, “Do you want in?” save for one or two who reached out and ended up being a perfect fit. Trophy Hunt, a queer grind/crust trio from Brooklyn, was one of those; they emailed me out of the blue, I listened to their demo, and was immediately sold. They’re opening the show on Saturday, so make sure to show up on time!

I’m excited to see everyone, honestly, but want to emphasize how much care went into the selection of each band, and how much they all rule. It’s a very diverse lineup in more ways than one, and I’m really proud of what we’re put together. Besides the bands you mentioned (who I love to bits and am so excited to see again), Chepang and Sunrot are local favorites who deserve a lot more shine, Niuta’s going to bring the crusty Bolt Thrower worship, our noise artists (Axebreaker, Pulsatile Tinnitus, and Whitephosphorous) are going to add an extra level of audio aggression, I already know for a fact that Racetraitor, Vile Creature, and Morne are incredible live, and I especially cannot wait to finally see Ragana, Closet Witch, Glacial Tomb, and Occultist.

Of course, Black Flags Over Brooklyn is more than music: it’s billed as “an anti-fascist, anti-racist extreme metal festival.” Why are the politics so important to the festival? How is the theme being incorporated into the fest other than the political views shared by the bands performing?

I wouldn’t be doing this otherwise. My goal for this event is to create a real-life, physical space for leftist metalheads to gather, organize, connect, learn, and have a good fucking time. There’s a really robust network of like-minded metal folk online, but we need to take these conversations offline and into the community itself in order to enact any lasting change.

Besides the fact that every band on the bill aligns with our political focus, we have also organized a free, open-to-the-public, all-ages vendor market that will be open during the show all day Saturday, and bring together a number of radical booksellers, local political organizations, artists, craftspeople, zinesters, distros, and record labels, including PM Press, AK Press, Haymarket Books, NYC Anarchist Black Cross, It’s Going Down, Verso Books, POP Gym, The Base, Tridroid Records, Vinyl Fantasy Records, Foxie Cosmetics, Just Seeds, the Metropolitan Anarchist Coordinating Council, and more. We’ll also have a table from the ASC (Awareness Support Corner) collective [that] will be present to hand out free resources and talk with any folks who may need to take a breather during the show.

We are extremely cognizant that not everyone who might be interested in the festival will be able to buy a ticket (or may not be as interested in the heavy metal component), but still wanted to create space for those community members to come out and enjoy the event. I’ve been involved in planning the NYC Anarchist Bookfair for the past couple of years, and took a lot of inspiration from that model.

The fest has received backlash online, because a razor company can’t even make a commercial telling men to be responsible human beings without getting backlash. Are you concerned about that spilling over into the venue?

I honestly haven’t seen much backlash, probably because at this point in my career as a human online, I know which forums and comment sections to avoid (i.e. literally all of them). I’ve been really gratified and humbled by the outpouring of support we’ve received from both members of the metal world and the radical community, and if anyone does have a problem with the festival’s political focus, who cares? If reactionary jagoffs are crying about it in some piss-stained corner of the Internet, good. That means we’re doing something right.

This isn’t only your own work, you have a bunch of people who helped and are helping you make the fest happen. Who has been instrumental in making BFOB happen?

There are two other organizers who I asked to get involved after I began the initial planning. One of them has many, many years of event production and booking experience at venues around NYC (and is playing the fest with Niuta on Friday!). The other is a graphic designer and a DIY screen printer who’s been booking DIY shows for a decade and is deeply involved in the NYC anarchist, anti-fascist, and punk communities. They are both smarter than I am and have elected to keep their names off the Internet, ha!

I also owe a huge debt of gratitude to Meredith [Graves] at Kickstarter for guiding us through the process of putting together a successful campaign, Shannon [Void] at Perfect World [Productions] who helped streamline our publicity, Dan Bones for creating our incredible festival t-shirt design, David [Paul Seymour] at Made in Brooklyn silk screeners for whipping up said festival t-shirts, Racetraitor’s Mani Mostafi for putting together our festival promo video, King Carrion for designing our awesome festival flyers, and the fine folks at Brooklyn Bazaar for making the entire process a delight, as well as every single band, label, and organization who decided to be a part of this, and every single person who gave us support in any way. This is very much a community effort, and I’m so grateful.

Are there plans for this to be a recurring festival? Maybe having it in other cities or even a tour?

Absolutely. If we have some funds leftover after covering expenses and making donations to causes close to our hearts (like the Brooklyn Bail fund and the Internationalist Commune in Rojava), we fully intend to earmark a few bucks for the next Black Flags event. Will it be a benefit show? Will it be a tour? Will we raise the black flag over another city? Will there be a 2020 edition? Time will tell.

Honestly, outside of what we end up doing, I would love nothing more than for other people to take this idea and run with it. I think every metal show should be an inclusive, explicitly anti-fascist space, and if we can be the spark that lights that flame, then let ‘er rip.

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Black Flags Over Brooklyn 2019
Where: Brooklyn Bazaar
When: this Friday (doors at 7:45 p.m. EST) + Saturday (doors at 2:00 p.m. EST)

Tickets for Black Flags Over Brooklyn 2019 are still available at Eventbrite. For more information about Black Flags Over Brooklyn 2019, see the fest’s Twitter or Facebook.

Friday
Dawn Ray’d

Racetraitor

Vile Creature

Pulsatile Tinnitus

Niuta

Saturday
Cloud Rat

Ragana

Morne

Chepang

Closet Witch

White Phosphorous

Glacial Tomb

Occultist

Sunrot

Axebreaker

Trophy Hunt NYC

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Here are the new metal releases for the weeks of October 21 – October 27, 2018. Release dates are formatted according to proposed North American scheduling, if available. Expect to see the bulk of these records on shelves or distros on the coming Fridays unless otherwise noted or if labels and artists get impatient. Blurbs and designations are based on whether or not I have a lot to say about it.

See something we missed? Goofs? Let us know in the comments. Plus, as always, feel free to post your own shopping lists. Happy digging.

As a little bit of a challenge, include your own opinion about anything you want to add. Make me want to listen to it!

Please note: this is a review column and is not speculative. Any announced albums without preview material will not be covered. Additionally, any surprise releases which are uploaded or released after this column is published will be excluded.

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ANTICIPATED RELEASES

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Devouring Star – The Arteries of Heresy | Dark Descent Black Metal | Finland

Check back later this week for more on Devouring Star’s latest.

Hate Eternal – Upon Desolate Sands | Season of Mist | Death Metal | United States
I mean, it’s Hate Eternal. This is some of the most over the top death metal to ever exist. Thank you Erik Rutan.

Pandiscordian Necrogenesis – Outer Supernal | Gilead Media | Black Metal | United States

The idea of Pandiscordian Necrogenesis is so outrageous it almost overshadows the actual musical content. Friends, Pandiscordian Necrogenesis is a one-man black metal band, but not in the way you’re thinking. No, this is a one-man band in the classic carnival sense — sole musician Domignostika plays all the instruments at the same time. To boot, it’s improvised. Sounds outrageous, right? It is, but in a good way. This is some solid, thoughtful black metal — chaotic almost to a fault, but staying right within the realm of reason. Don’t expect Mastery levels of utter madness, rather something more concentrated on its “blackened” edge. Expect great things — this is the culmination of years and years of practicing all his instruments at the same time.

Bloodbath – The Arrow of Satan is Drawn | Peaceville Records | Death Metal | Sweden

I can waste my time explaining how Bloodbath is a supergroup and list off all the bands in which all its members are (or have been). Sure, these guys are amazing musicians in their own right, but that isn’t what Bloodbath is about. Bloodbath is about being as gnarly and death metal as possible. The band is truly a testament to the genre and its roots. The Arrow of Satan is Drawn is certainly no different, as it has been for each Bloodbath album. This is old school as all get out, but still fresh. With over a century’s worth of magnificent metal experience among its ranks, one cannot expect any less.

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OF NOTE

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Avast – Mother Culture | Dark Essence Records | Post-Black Metal | Norway

From Jenna’s premiere of “An Earnest Desire”:

The relentlessness of nature and the corruption of humankind by nurture are constants, but the way they’re expressed change with the passing of the tides. While there are many pigeonholes we can use to describe Avast’s expression — blackgaze, post-black metal, and so on — Mother Culture is best enjoyed with an open mind. Whether you prefer your black metal gritty and dark or smooth and sleek, leave pretenses on the shelf and reap the offerings Avast has made for everybody.

Ophidian Forest – votIVe | code666 | Black Metal | United States/Netherlands

Magnificent atmospheric black metal which straddles the majestic and the bizarre with poise and grace.

Eneferens – The Bleakness of Our Constant | Bindrune/Nordvis

Be sure to stay tuned later this week for more Eneferens. Spoiler alert: it’s atmospheric.

Serocs – The Phobos/Deimos Suite | Everlasting Spew | Technical Brutal Death Metal | Mexico/France/Canada
These “international combo” tech-death bands tend to be good, but not great; they tend to be perfect in every way, but not so artful. For some reason (and maybe it’s just me), they lack raw grit of more spontaneous arrangements. Not so for this new Serocs album, though, despite its excellent pedigree, featuring members from First Fragment, Chthe’ilist, Funebrarum, Benighted, and Sutrah (the latter being my personal favorite). As for the music itself, think a pretty even blend of old-school and new-school, with brutal death metal represented mostly by the vocal performance; the standard and stereotypical tech-death mold does not fit this band though some of the guitarwork and drumming definitely pars up.

— Andrew Rothmund

Glacial Tomb – Glacial Tomb | Gilead Media | Sludge/Black/Death Metal | United States

As far as sludgy blackened death metal goes, Glacial Tomb nail the necessary balance pretty well. Riffs are thrashy, but well-paced and decently technical. The vocals rip space and time. There are some crunchy, elephant-stomping moments. Check, check, check. The impact, overall, though can be one-note, as songs feel like they bleed together but never vary in their intensity. Glacial Tomb is something I’d much rather see live, to be honest, than listen to on record.

— Andrew Rothmund

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FOR THE ADVENTUROUS

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Daughters – You Won’t Get What You Want | Ipecac | Noise Rock/Hardcore | United States

I still remember when Daughters was an impenetrably weird hardcore band — so much so that I keep forgetting they eventually ended up a noise rock band. So much so that I forgot they broke up. Here is their reunion album. They are still noise rock, still impenetrably weird. Godspeed.

Street Sects – The Kicking Mule | Flenser | Industrial Hardcore | United States

The Kicking Mule: unnervingly tense, emotionally displacing, abysmally dark, groovy, trend-setting. Wonderful, too. Street Sects have been on to something special since their inception, for sure, layering metal- and hardcore-like dissonance, gnashing, and intensity with the tools and principles of industrial music. This latest album sees the project at its most cohesive (and digestible, for that matter) and therefore its most appealing: fans of everything from Marilyn Manson to Gost (even to Ghost) should be able to find something to latch onto.

— Andrew Rothmund

Nechochwen – The Ancient Pulse | Nordvis | Neofolk (and sometimes Metal) | United States

I can’t believe it’s already been ten years since the release of Nechochwen’s debut Algonkian Mythos. Time flies. Returning with a collection of rarities and covers, The Ancient Pulse concentrates on the neofolk style which defined Nechochwen’s first era. Expect stirring, nature and culture inspired songs, but also the unexpected Rotting Christ and Ozzy cover. What an interesting compilation.

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FROM THE GRAVE

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Skepticism – Stormcrowfleet | Svart | Funeral Doom Metal | Finland

Skepticism’s outrageously, impossibly good debut — a benchmark in funeral doom metal — gets a full remix and remaster, and my god is it glorious. Read about the process in my interview with organist Eero here.

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OTHER RELEASES

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Warrel Dane – Shadow Work | Century Media | Progressive Groove Metal | United States

I keep forgetting Warrel is gone. It is extremely sad, but then I remember the legacy of music he left behind. Though Shadow Work was never properly finished, it stands as one of his great, final works.

Hissing – Permanent Destitution | Profound Lore | Black/Death Metal | United States

I could go on about this album (I don’t think it would be very positive), or you can read a positive review we’ll be publishing soon. Either way.

Cognitive – Matricide | Unique Leader | Technical Death Metal | United States

Not the best thing out on Unique Leader right now, but not the worst. Worth a spin of this one track if you’re feeling in the tech-death mood. The crushing bit right after the two-minute mark is especially saucy.

— Andrew Rothmund

The Order of Apollyon – Moriah | Agonia | Black/Death Metal | France

I was a huge fan of this band’s 2015 album The Sword and The Dagger, and I’ll be honest, this new Moriah record doesn’t rip quite as rawly or hark back to metalcore as much as I’d like it to. The band is much darker now (to their benefit, actually), and much more death metal. Definitely worth a spin if you’re looking for the traditionalities of the subgenre with some nice flair added (especially the vocals this time around), but the blend as it exited just a few years ago has since changed.

— Andrew Rothmund

Unleashed – The Hunt for White Christ | Napalm Records | Death Metal | Sweden

Classic Swedish viking-themed death metal (no, not like Amon Amarth. This stuff is nasty.) If you aren’t familiar: educate yourselves.

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