Weekly Worth It 5-16-16
By the Seattle Passive Aggressive Staff
Tuesday, May 17th
AMON AMARTH/ENTOMBED A.D./EXMORTUS
Amon Amarth is a very special band. The Viking death metal crew exists in a particular pop cultural bubble: drawing crowds of experienced metal heads and those who just enjoy the easy to digest melodies and discernible growls of vocalist Johann Hegg. Whatever your reason for liking the band, there is no denying that synchronized headbanging can bring out the fourteen year old in any of us, and I cannot imagine a more fun way to enjoy distorted guitars and death growls than an Amon Amarth show.
-Jake McCune
$30//7PM//ALL AGES//The Showbox//1426 1st Ave
Thursday, May 19th
INTO THE STORM/WIDOWER(TX)/ICE TEETH/DILAPIDATION
Summoning an unholy amalgamation of brutal, unforgiving black metal and blistering, frenzied thrash, shred worshipers Widower will be descending upon Seattle all the way from Austin, TX amidst a powerfully diverse local lineup. Opening the night strong with crushing heaviness will be deathly doom trio Dilapidation, followed up by the progressive riff-fueled heavy rock of Ice Teeth. Cascadian cosmic sludge champions Into The Storm will be closing out the night, finishing things off with their uniquely mind-bending sonic conjurations. Show up early and stay late, stretches and hydration recommended to curb excessive bangover. -Brian Kim
$12//9pm//21+//Highline Bar//210 Broadway E
https://www.facebook.com/events/1307342769281948
Friday, May 20th
CONSTANT LOVERS/CHARMS/BAD MOTIVATORS
It is a wonderful sight to see some familiar names on a bill at The Central Saloon again. Weirdo rockers Constant Lovers have been keeping a low profile since the release of 2014’s Experience Feelings on Good to Die Records, but the band has arisen once more to play this beloved Pioneer Square divehole. Opening are two other bands: Charms have been hacking away at their instruments and evolving as a band for several years now, while Bad Motivators are newer to my ears. Both bands complement the heavy yet sarcastic overtones of Constant Lovers music, and the drink specials at The Central complement your desire to have a great evening. -Jake M.
5$ ADV/10$ DOOR//9PM//21+//Central Saloon//207 1st Ave S https://www.facebook.com/events/230703567317648/?ti=icl
MILLHOUS/THE GRINDYLOW/DRY T-SHIRT CONTEST/VOYCHECK
Millhous are one of Seattle’s longest running punk bands, rivaling Zeke in longevity. They cap off a great mixed bill of local acts and trust me; they always bring the party to the stage. Literally. The Grindylow have been not-so-quietly ruling Georgetown with their eclectic SST inspired heaviness (think the weird stuff they put out in the late 80’s) for years and in my opinion it’s time the rest of this town took notice. Dry T-Shirt Contest are the one act I have yet to see live, but just based on their pedigree, this new incarnation of Franklin & Bash will not disappoint. Opening up the show are my current Jet City favorites, Voycheck, who harken back to the golden age of noise rock when Jesus Lizard and God Bullies roamed the Earth. -JM
$5//9pm//The Kraken//5257 University Way NE
https://www.facebook.com/events/1728726307407999/
Fainting Room Records Triple Six showcase, with HE WHOSE OX IS GORED/HAUNTED HORSES/THE FAMILY CURSE/BALI GIRLS/TRANSMISSIONARY
Haunted Horses called it a day well over a year ago, and it was sad. Easily one of the freshest breaths of air in our music scene, the industrial-punk trio absolutely ripped live, and this is your last chance to see them. The occasion is the box-set release by the Fainting Room Collective, a collection of six 7-inch records that have been released by the Seattle independent label now packaged in one set for your vinyl collecting pleasure. All bands will be performing tonight, with the exception of the now defunct Stickers. -JB
$12//9pm//Chop Suey//1325 E. Madison St
https://www.facebook.com/events/1699677946957150/?ti=icl
The Southend has finally had a resurgence in live music recently, thanks to Tukwila’s Lucky Liquor springing up seemingly out of nowhere and suddenly hosting numerous punk, metal, and hardcore shows over the past few months. This coming Friday sees a great bill of diverse heavy bands coalescing together. Blackened, skramzy hardcore outfit Euth come all the way from Laramie, Wyoming, bringing their chaotic concoction of distorted dynamics with them. Denver’s Iwakura are touring alongside them, and are the best newer powerviolence band I’ve heard in years. Local grindcore/powerviolence duo Large Marge, sludge metal doomsayers Darkmysticwoods, and atmospheric black metal newcomers Morrow round out the bill, providing something for everyone, so long as you appreciate deafening, abrasive music. -Dustin Carroll
$8//All ages//7:30//Lucky Liquor//10325 E Marginal Way S//Tukwila
https://www.facebook.com/events/983142928467029/
Saturday, May 21st
SUMAC, JAYE JAYLE, CAUSTIC TOUCH, MASS MARRIAGE
Sumac, the trio of Aaron Turner (Isis, Old Man Gloom) Brian Cook (Botch, These Arms are Snakes, Russian Circles) and Nick Yacyshyn (Baptists) are about to release its follow up to last years The Deal, and I can say it’s just as good if not better, expect lots more on the new record soon from us. Sure, it might beckon some of Isis’ earlier material in spots, but who the fuck doesn’t these days? Honestly, that’s a pretty lazy comparison, but the Hydrahead vibes are there. If you missed the show last year, don’t miss them again tonight. And get there early, this one is going to get packed. -JB
BLACK LODGE//9PM
https://www.facebook.com/events/921314944634500/?ti=icl
ECHO BEDS (Denver, CO)/CALIGULA CARTEL/DEATH MASKS/LES POETES MAUDITS
The past couple decades have seen industrial music as a whole take a turn towards the club scene, with many of the harshest noise-makers instead opting for oontz’s and bass drops in hopes of making people dance. One such group that stands apart from this trend is Denver’s Echo Beds, who seem hell-bent on making people uncomfortable. Their sound is cold, mechanical, unforgiving, and very much their own. With the notable exception of Author & Punisher, very few acts are taking industrial music in such different directions, and breathing new life into a long-dead robotic corpse. Rather than being reliant on a laptop to provide their soundscapes, Echo Bed’s utilize contact mic’s on oil drums as percussion, broken cymbals shimmering dissonantly, layers of tape loops and static samples, overdriven bass guitar, chains, and other physical components to create a cacophony of white noise while the estranged screams of vocalist Keith Curtis rip through the ether. It pays homage to early Skinny Puppy and Godflesh without ever venturing too far outside of their own territory, and would probably fit in better at a Death Grips show over a traditional goth club. Solo drone/noise act Death Masks, literary/music collective Les Poetes Maudits, and Zen Mother round out the bill, which is happening at the entrancing and unique space known as Teatro de la Psychomachia.-DC
9 PM//Teatro de la Psychomachia//1534 1st Ave S
https://www.facebook.com/events/1515456868762492/?ti=icl
