Metal Up Your Ass - November, 2008

When you think about it, it’s really rather morbid that every November we all meet to cheer on a re-enactment of some dude being burned alive 400 years ago. The fact that we herd groups of children to this macabre spectacle is doubly confounding.

Guy Fawkes, after all, echoed the sentiments of a number of our most prominent musicians: specifically, flipping the bird at “the system” and the importance of spectacle... oh, and let’s not forget his appreciation of the importance of pyrotechnics.

Sadly, metal purists won't find much to get their teeth into this month, especially in Edinburgh where the only apparent signs of axe-wielding come in the form of the occasional tribute act. Volts AC/DC (14 Nov), Maiden Scotland (21 Nov) and Tobes of Hades (28 Nov) all appear at the Ark to pay tribute to their heroes. And yes, the latter IS a Rush cover act. Easy there, tiger!

Patronising indeed. Residents of Edinburgh might well consider writing a letter to someone in authority. What lies behind the recent drought? Same goes for Dundee and Aberdeen. The flagging fortunes of The Balcony Bar in the former seems to have had a real detrimental effect on the well-being of the once great post-hardcore stronghold. One would have thought that the latter's proximity to Scandinavia might at least help keep their quota up, but maybe the choppy waters of the North Sea have claimed more Viking long-boats than usual.

Glasgow, on the other hand, is positively bathing in the bile of hard rock, kicking off with serial time signature abusers No Kilter, tearing it up at Barfly (1 Nov). Potentially the highlight of the month, and perhaps of the year, comes in the form of the astonishing Israeli trio Monotonix (10 Nov) at The Captain's Rest. As if this awesome threesome weren't enough, the line-up is completed by the brilliant and deranged DeSalvo and United Fruit. Attendance is almost obligatory. You can safely expect it to sell out fast, so arrive early.

Video: DeSalvo - Oedipus Rising

One week to the day later, These Arms Are Snakes make a welcome return, appearing at Stereo (17 Nov). These Botch offspring are supported by metallic post-rockers Russian Circles. Reputations precede them and expectations are high. If, however, you find yourself craving something a bit more righteous, Opeth can be spied on the same evening at the ABC. The Swedish quintet's collage of prog-metal, jazz and hard rock, not to mention long, curly hair and clenched fists, should quench those with a thirst for the grandiose. At the other end of the glamour spectrum, Greek grind-monsters Human Rejection smear abject misanthropy and hatred across the walls of the 13th Note (19 Nov).

November ends with a quandary as French cult icons Papier Tigre thrash out their immense post-hardcore riffage at The Captain's Rest (26 Nov), having recently conquered at All Tomorrow's Parties, whilst a newly reformed Far (those 90s pioneers of the “Emo” genre – before it became a by-word for whiny garbage) simultaneously hit the stage at King Tut's (26 Nov). It's a reunion many devotees of the late 90s Deftones/Will Haven/Far love-triangle will have been waiting quite some time for. Hopefully their material is ageing better than the genre they helped father.