New York has a long and rich history for heavy music. Many metal and punk acts have gotten their start coming through the five boroughs, and 2016 has proven that the heavy scene is still thriving in the city, where "black" venues like Greenpoint's St.Vitus do a great job to book the loudest artist around - locals included. We found three NYC artists in that venue's calendar that are worth covering:
Primitive Weapons (pictured) is a Brooklyn-based noise/metalcore outfit that just released their sophomore album The Future of Death on April 15th. Their brand of metallic hardcore is reminiscent of unforgettable metalcore acts like Botch, Converge, and Cursed, while also taking influence from post-hardcore acts such as Refused. Their track “Ashes or Paradise” highlights the band’s metallic crunch and aggressive style, but also puts their more melodic moments on display. Primitive Weapons will be playing St. Vitus on June 4th in support of Wax Idols & King Woman.
Also from Brooklyn, River Cult is a new heavy psych rock band who just started playing shows in April. Their self-titled EP was released in February, and it features three lengthy songs that use their runtime to create evolving layers of music. The track “Shadow Out of Time” starts off with squealing guitars and slow, looping drums until the tempo shifts and the band explodes into a fuzzy rock sound reminiscent of 90’s stoner metal act Sleep. River Cult will be playing St. Vitus on June 13th. Check out “Shadow Out of Time” below!
Sick With Bloom is the latest album from the black metal outfit Yellow Eyes. Released at the end of 2015, Sick With Bloom is a suffocating record characterized by an atmospheric nature and frenetic layers. The title track (streaming below) lulls the listener into a brief state of tranquility before erupting into a fury of shrieking vocals and relentless carpet of in that sets the pace for the rest of the record. They will be playing St. Vitus on June 9th.
