Norwegian black metal bands don’t make it to New York too often, so despite the unfortunate Polish disco venue of Europa, the Urgehal show tonight should be mandatory for any black metal fan. For a band that started in 1992 during the second wave of black metal, appearing with half of the original members is a rare feat. Their obsession with rape and female dismemberment bums me out but I’ll let it slide–this is black metal after all. Also playing are the unfortunately named Spearhead. I guess when you are from the UK it’s OK for your black metal band to share a name with these guys.
More exciting than the merely adequate Spearhead is the inclusion of Brooklyn street metal maniacs, Villains. This band seethes with the type of harsh aggression missing in so many contemporary metal bands, far too often mired in conscientious accessorizing and worshipful throwbacks. These are type of guys who make enemies of just that, like when they started feuding with Skeletonwitch during a previous Europa bill they both shared with Municipal Waste. Seriously, maybe it’s because he lives on Staten Island, but their singer Lino is the angriest vegan I’ve ever met, and I mean angry in a demonic way, not a flag-waving one.
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Regardless, this show promises to kill.
BEVERLY HAMES
