Halloween Shows! (They're fuckin' everywhere)

Halloween is coming up which means that everyone wants to throw either a Halloween party or a Halloween themed show. While I'm not the social butterfly to attend all the Halloween parties around Columbia, there are 2 shows this year for SC Metal fans to enjoy!

For those of us in Columbia we have a show at New Brookland Tavern featuring Burnt Books, They Eat Their Own God, The Catalyst, Sea of Storms, and Abacus.

Burnt Books:

These guys have been in the scene in different bands for years, formed of former members of Thank God, Guyana Punch Line, Tunguska, and the Megameants (and probably more that I don't know of). Being the metal nerd I am, I take pride in being able to categorize the specific genres of most bands, however, I have difficulty with Burnt Books. This is not a bad thing. They're often categorized as "Avantgardcore" and they bring the aggression of hardcore, the haunting melodies of doom metal, and the technicality and breakneck time signature changes of sludge metal into a melting pot of insanity. 

They Eat Their Own God:

I've seen these guys several times over the years through a handful of different lineups and names, but I'm disappointed to say that I've only seen them twice with their current lineup. These guys are another one of those bands where I find it hard to peg a genre to them. They bring alot of progressive sludge/doom elements to their highly emotive crust punk style. Plus their vocalist plays a theremin. 

The Catalyst:

To be completely honest, I've only been listening to hardcore for a little while now. That being said, these guys are one of the more unique and interesting hardcore bands I've heard. They bring alot of different styles to the table, and then smash the shit out of said table. These guys are one of the two bands I haven't seen yet at this show, and I'm truly excited for the experience.

Sea of Storms:

These guys seem to stand out the most on the bill, however, that doesn't diminish their place on the bill in the slightest. These guys play a more post-hardcore style of music not unlike Touche Amore, another sub-genre I've only recently begun listening to. I'd say that these guys are the most "accessible" and the most "melodic" band on the bill. That being said, I'm excited to see what they bring to the table as far as live performances.

Abacus:
Abacus is one of my favorite local bands in the scene right now. They're responsible for opening the door to all the hardcore music I've discovered this past year or so. Playing their aggressive "fury punk" hardcore reminiscent of Trap Them and Converge, they're a staple for any local hardcore show in my book.




 If you live upstate and don't feel like making the drive down to Columbia, Ground Zero is throwing a FREE Halloween show up in Spartanburg, and this one is more for the metal heads than the punk kids, featuring Lecherous Nocturne, Atrocious Abnormality, Enthean, NeverFall, Thermostat, and Divulgence.
 

Lecherous Nocturne:

If you like Nile and bands of that nature, then you'll like Lecherous Nocturne. Brutal death metal with a blackened tinge featuring ex members of Nile, these guys are sure to please any fan of  death metal. 



Atrocious Abnormality:

Lecherous Nocturne not heavy enough? Need some slam in your life? Then Atrocious Abnormality will fill that void for you, because they are brutal in every sense of the word. Deep, gurgling gutturals (damn, even the description sounds horrible), furious blasts, and heavy riffs, Atrocious Abnormality will satisfy every slam metal head's twisted tastes. 



Enthean:
Enthean is South Carolina's answer to Emperor. The recipe for an Enthean song features a dollop of tech death, a healthy dose of blackened influence with a sprinkle of symphonic background. Mix it up with the fact that they FINALLY HAVE A DAMN DRUMMER and you have a force to be reckoned with.

Neverfall:
Neverfall is one of the only pure thrash metal bands in the state (if there are others aside from Prowler, then I don't know about them, and this is a problem). There isn't too much to say about it when it comes to thrash. They play thrash. I fucking love thrash. So should you.

Thermostat:

To be completely honest, I know nothing about Thermostat… All the more reason to find out for yourself!

Divulgence:

If you don't know about these guys by now then you've been living a lie. Divulgence is another one of my personal favorites in the local scene (and not just because I played guitar for them for a few months). Divulgence plays a brilliant mix of thrash and death metal with a hint of black metal. The guitars focus on memorable riffs rather than flashy nonsense. If you like genre bending death/thrash like Skeletonwitch and Revocation then you'll enjoy Divulgence. Also there is talk about this being their last show so...