Funeral Rain Press Corps

On July 10th at Belvedere’s in Pittsburgh, PA, the Campaign For Death Metal Purity 2010 Tour featuring HOD, Cardiac Arrest and Gravehill will join forces with death metal pioneers Incantation along with Western Pennsylvania’s low-end sewage death metal masters Funerus and Pittsburgh’s premier death metal juggernauts Abysme under the banner of the Ibex Moon Records Fest. Ibex Moon Records owner and Incantation frontman, John McEntee comments on the event:

“We are very proud to bring this killer death metal event to Western Pennsylvania. There are a lot of great bands from this area along with a huge fan base. This will be the first time Incantation has played Pittsburgh in at least two years. For Funerus it’s been even longer, something like five years or more. This show will also feature performances by some of the best live death metal bands to emerge on the scene in quite some time. Gravehll, HOD, & Cardiac Arrest have all proven themselves to be a force to be reckoned with. We hope with the success of this kick ass bill, we can bring more great death metal shows to the ‘Burgh. We look forward to a kick ass gig and hanging out with all our local friends.”

The first 25 people paid through the door will receive a free Fest T-shirt. Ibex Moon Records will be giving away additional prizes throughout the fest.

CAMPAIGN FOR DEATH METAL PURITY 2010 TOUR DATES

July 2nd @ Plan B – Portland, OR*
July 3rd @ The Parkside – San Fransisco, CA*
July 4th @ The Blvd – Los Angeles, CA*
July 5th @ The Drunken Lass – Prescott, AZ
July 7th @ Beerland – Austin, TX
July 8th @ The Riot Room – Kansas City, MO
July 9th @ Nightcap – Chicago, IL
July 10th @ Belvedere’s Lounge – Pittsburgh, PA**
July 11th @ Jimmy’s Place – Allentown, PA
July 12th @ Dingbatz – Clifton, NJ
July 13th @ Fontana’s – New York, NY
July 14th @ Melody Inn – Indianapolis, IN
July 15th @ TBA – Memphis, TN
July 16th @ Downtown Music – Little Rock, AR
July 17th @ Walters – Houston, TX
July 18th @ Ten Eleven – San Antonio, TX

* – w/ Fatalist
** w/ Incantation, Funerus and Abysme

Genres: Black Metal, Depressive Black Metal, Shoegaze
Labels: Apparitia Recordings, Drakkar Productions

Celestia bring a cool sounding black metal to the table with Archenae Perfectii…, and it’s definitely more original than many two-person black metal bands’ output in recent years. Not content with trying to write Darkthrone or Mayhem clones, Celestia actually have something here that, although not a completely groundbreaking new sound, is genuinely solid and very much their own.
I can hear elements of their fellow countryman Neige’s project Alcest in it, as well as touches of Norwegian and Swedish black metal, some punk and classic metal, and even some gothic metal, all tossed together and mixed up nicely. Add in the fact that there is some production going on rather than just putting some lo-fi shit to tape, you’ve got a nice listen too.
7 out of 10.

Celestia on MySpace.

Genre: Deathcore
Label: Candlelight

Opening with a pretty sounding instrumental (“Lux Et Tenebris”), Viatrophy’s self-titled debut sounds like a band that’s been seasoned with years of experience in the underground.
In other words, it sounds pissed off.
Mixing a gentle amount of prog and black into their deathcore, Viatrophy throw some chuggy riffage with snare-riding blasts in your face, creating a deathcore that is engaging and interesting. It’s definitely one of the most memorable deathcore releases I’ve heard in awhile, and I’d recommend it to people that are into multiple scenes the most. Straight deathcore fans might not like the subtleties as much as more diverse fans.
In the end, Viatrophy’s self-titled brings a pain to my neck and scars to my eardrums.
7 out of 10.

Genres: Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Symphonic Metal
Label: Candlelight

Well holy shit. Honestly I figured I’d be throwing on some thrash when I played this but that is a big resounding no. This is some bonecrushing proggy stuff that’s part Meshuggah and part Dimmu Borgir, who Xerath name drop as influences. Thunderclaps and beautiful keyboards drop off into a maelstrom of brimstone scented riffs and you’re tossed around like a rag doll in a tornado, unable to stop banging your head. Until “Interlude” comes in, at least. It’s a gorgeous keyboard tune that really fits with their “chug-score” style of playing.
If you’re into metal that makes you think, you should check out Xerath. And if you just prefer metal that you can beat the shit out of people in the pit to, Xerath fits that bill too. They’re fucking good.
Favorite tracks are “Nocturnum”, “Interlude”, “False History” (watch for a video of this song sometime soon), and “Abiogenesis”.
7.5 out of 10.

Genre: Thrash
Label: Independent

Take a little bit of Anthrax, pre-’89 Metallica, and a fair amount of Slayer, throw in some Candlemass, and call it Serenity Dies.
With a voice that reminds me a lot of Tom Araya and Messiah Marcolin combined, these guys bring a bit of a slower, chuggy thrash metal to the table. The song “Blood Serenade” is probably the best example of what I mean, and could be the best song on the album. It’s my favorite, at least.
These guys kick ass.
8 out of 10.

Serenity Dies on MySpace.