By Jake McCune
THOU/CLOUD RAT/SAMOTHRACE/O PAON – BLACK LODGE @ 9PM
First and foremost, Baton Rouge doom titans Thou are returning to Seattle, and this time they’re bringing Michigan grind crew Cloud Rat along for the ride. Thou are on a major come back kick right now, having dropped their best record yet, Heathen, after an uncharacteristically long drought of releases. For reference, the last time I saw Thou at the Black Lodge they turned a room full of punk kids, doom dudes, and Pitchfork readers into a sweaty evening mass. Not to sell Cloud Rat short, they released what was easily my favorite grind record of 2013 with their emotional and melodically tinged ripper, Moksha. I’ve never seen these guys and lady live before, but if they’re anything like they are on record you’re going to want to be up close and personal for this performance. Openers and hometown heroes Samothrace are marking their return from a European tour that finished at Roadburn in Tilburg, Holland. So show up early and help welcome our beloved doomsters back to Seattle in style. Ô Paon of Anacortes, WA rounds out this bill, providing an assuredly much needed respite from the extreme with her hauntingly sparse drones and entrancing French vocals.
KING PARROT/VATTNET VISKAR/THEORIES/A GOD OR ANOTHER/THE VATICAN – EL CORAZON @ 7PM
If one ripper of a show isn’t enough to satiate your Tuesday, or if you just want to get your party started a bit earlier, head on over to El Corazon to catch a wide variety of locals opening for touring bands Vattnet Viskar and King Parrot. The Vatican will kick things off at 7:30 with jilted, blown out powerviolence jams. Post-Black mainstays A God or Another are always a safe bet for a great set, and get to make touring black metal buds Vattnett Viskar feel a bit less awkward about being on a mostly grind bill. Theories will round off the local portion of the night with some patented Theories grind, giving anyone an opportunity to see Samothrace/Theories drummer Joe Axler play really slow and really fast in one night: what a treat!
