By Brian Kim
This Friday, May 18th, there is some serious shit going down at the U-District’s Rat and Raven. If you require convincing, here are some words to whet your musical appetite.
Local metal experimenters Into the Storm have been kicking around this town for over half a decade, but it seems only recently with the release of their brilliant Captains LP have people really started paying attention. Perhaps this is because this band is not an easily digestible, heavy metal tablet to be taken with water after a meal. Nay, I dare say that Into the Storm is the thinking man’s metal, music that requires active aural attention (and it wouldn’t hurt to crank that shit either). Walking a tightrope over everything from THC-laced space-doom to fast-paced, tightly wound thrash-punk, Into the Storm provides a varied platter of well crafted and delicious heavy experimental rock. Stream Captains at their Bandcamp page, and then buy the LP:http://intothestorm.bandcamp.com
Having been lying dormant for some time, Enemy Camp has only recently resurfaced in the expanding empire of Seattle’s heavy music scene. The band has new material, recently recorded with the infamous Tad Doyle, and judging from their new pre-production track online, it’s fucking righteous. Expect intense and engaging riff-shreddage, epic buildups, and bangover-inducing breakdowns. Check out the new track on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/enemycamp
Riding in from the east comes Spokane’s experimental hardcore outfit Faus and “southern rock / metalcore” group Straight To Our Enemies. Imagine if you will, the heavy, aggressive, sometimes spastic rhythms of bands like Between the Buried and Me, layered with desperately shouted, spoken-word style vocals a la Dan Smith, and you’ve got a general approximation of Faus. It doesn’t sound like this band could be boring if they tried, and I expect their live performance to be well worth the inevitable ear-drum damage. Straight To Our Enemies sound like the exact intended use of the Boss ML-2 Metal Core pedal, and while they aren’t exactly what I would describe as “southern rock” (I tend to think of bands like Skynyrd and Kansas), they certainly have a dirty south feel within their riffs and progressions. Every so often they get really melodic for a bit, reminiscent of screamo acts like He Is Legend or Underoath. Be prepared for a roller coaster of emotions. Check out some songs online at the bands’ Facebook pages: Faus https://www.facebook.com/fausmusic / Straight To Our Enemies https://www.facebook.com/STOEpage
Remember, this is happening Friday May 18th at the Rat and Raven, starts at 9 PM, $5 to see the show, and it’s 21+. To quote some wise words, “DON’T FUCK UP!”
