Jason RocheSaturday, October 5
Orange Goblin
Orange Goblin call themselves “beer core,” and indeed we'll drink to that. These Brits throw down soulful Sabbath-style riffs with a rowdy swagger that evokes images of biker gangs in early '70s Britsploitation flicks. The mighty bellows of vocalist/guitarist Ben Ward on albums like 2012's A Eulogy For The Damned lend a bluesy air to the proceedings. Still, the thunderous riffs allow for ample headbanging.
Don't forget to check our constantly-updated Los Angeles Concert Calendar
Katatonia; Credit: Heather Elizabeth
Sunday, October 6
Katatonia, Cult of Luna, Intronaut, Tesseract
Call this the most stacked lineup of the month. Each band on the bill has progressive leanings. Altered State, the newest album from openers Tesseract, is as catchy as it is mathy. Our love for local doom-proggers Intronaut, meanwhile, is well-documented. Swedish post-metallers Cult of Luna lure you in with riffs that are repetitive yet artful. Headliners Katatonia back their melodic hard rock with depressingly bleak overtones, and will play everyone into Monday morning.
See also: Intronaut's Tour Diary: From Playing Clubs to Opening for Tool in Sports Arenas
Power Trip; Credit: Courtesy of Power Trip
Sunday, October 6
Power Trip
Hardcore heroes Terror headline this bill, but Texas quintet Power Trip is our reason for heading east on Sunday. Power Trip's newest effort, Manifest Decimation, is one of the most unbridled outbursts of fury to come out this year. The thrash on display is made even more voracious by a crust-punk underpinning that lends a larger sense of urgency to the proceedings. The pitting simply does not stop on tunes that stand alongside original genre classics like Metallica's Kill 'Em All.
Dreaming Dead; Credit: Courtesy of Dreaming Dead
Saturday, October 12
Dreaming Dead
This technical-death outfit is spearheaded by one of the most talented women in today's L.A. metal scene, guitarist/vocalist Elizabeth Schall. Both her vocals and playing style are heavily influenced by genre pioneer Chuck Schuldiner of Death. The group puts their own touches though on works like 2012's Midnightmares. Drummer Mike Caffell maintains a rock-solid presence on complex compositions that would teeter on the verge of collapse in lesser hands.
See also: Dreaming Dead's Elizabeth Schall: A Rare Metal Frontwoman
Kylesa; Credit: Geoff Johnson
Monday, October 14
Kylesa
Ultraviolet, the newest album from Savannah sludge-stoners Kylesa, may be the least metal, most pop album the group has done. But it's also their best. The group had been incorporating more psychedelic influences into their sound over the years, but on Ultraviolet, they've finally gotten the balance down. The instrumentation and vocals still rumble mightily, but there is also an accessibility that could have made them a hit in the '90s college radio scene.
Periphery; Credit: Hristo Shindov
Thursday, October 24
Periphery
We believe that one of the reasons the “djent” subgenre is sometimes maligned is because there is a huge dropoff in talent from genre leaders like Periphery and most everyone else. This Maryland group has distanced themselves from the pretenders on works such as 2012's Periphery II: This Time It's Personal. The work of guitarist Misha Mansoor balances the wonderful lushness of ornate prog-rock with the low-end rumble of repetitive rhythm riffage. His talent shines brightly both as a player and a songsmith.
See also: Everything You Wanted to Know About Metal but Were Afraid to Ask
Watain; Credit: Ester Segarra
Saturday, October 26
Watain
Watain's visceral live show represents heavy metal as imagined by God-fearing bible-thumpers. Rotting pig's heads sit on stakes as torches raise flames high into the air, while the group blisters through their black metal visions of apocalyptic Satanism. We're glad that the Swedish band's first L.A. show after the release of new album The Wild Hunt will be at Vex Arts — a venue willing to let them do their full setup — though admittedly the smell won't be pleasant.
Sunday, October 27
Godflesh
From 1988 through 2002, U.K. industrial-metal pioneers Godflesh made their name putting out mechanized outbursts of caustic doom on albums such as 1988 debut Streetcleaner and slowly introducing elements of electronica into their blueprint throughout the '90s. An eight-year hiatus saw band leader Justin Broadrick concentrating on shoegaze project Jesu, but recent years have seen him revisiting the heavier assaults of his earlier work. A new album is in the works for 2013. We're hoping this show will have one or two previews.
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