The Metal Column – June 2011
It’s been a hell of a month, hasn’t it? The world’s number one posh couple finally tied the knot and got off our tellies, our number one bad guy met an unfortunate end, bringing closure to no-one whatsoever, and the Middle East has carried on doing exactly what it’d been doing for the past half-century anyway. After all that stress it’s safe to say that we need some kind of release, and that’s where those unsung heroes, our local gig promoters, come in.
Always playing their part in the Scottish metal calendar, dark tidings sweep The Classic Grand as Washingtonian industrialist Assemblage 23 takes the stage (19 Jun), joined by part-time cave-dwelling troll Mortiis.
Hereford instrumental post-rock outfit Talons will be making a few stops, firstly at Aberdeen’s Café Drummond (7 Jun) and then the following night in Edinburgh at Sneaky Pete’s. Then again, there’s always the option of sinfully enjoying the pleasure of the undisputed kings of nu-metal Korn, taking a break from recording their forthcoming Soundgarden-influenced record at the O2 Academy that night,
The bill of the month award undoubtedly goes to the bookers behind the triple-whammy of rock gold that is Journey, Foreigner and Styx (SECC, 9 Jun) although a worthy second place prize goes to The Garage for the unlikely pairing of monster-metal misfits GWAR and Maryland stoner-blues pioneers Clutch (13 Jun). Either way, expect something spectacular.
As always, there’s an eclectic assortment from The 13th Note, such as the uber-heavy sludge machine Conan (5 Jun) and a night with Nottingham’s premier psychedelic travellers Kogumaza (18 Jun), but a special treat lies in store for those with a taste for Giallo who can make it into its hallowed confines on 28 June as Goblin enthusiasts Umberto make an appearance for an evening of cosmic horror.
If all this seems a little Glasgow-centric, worry not for Edinburgh’s Banshee Labyrinth will be risking insurance hikes across the board by hosting a night of fine punk noise, headed up by NY bruisers After the Fall (9 Jun) before unleashing rising tech-death bunch Acatalepsy (18 Jun) in a line-up that’ll be making ears bleed at the other end of the M8.
For the greedy lot who want something a bit more high-profile, This Will Destroy You are destined to fill Ivory Blacks (28 Jun) with a hefty plethora of riffs from their long-awaited sophomore album, and some gadge called Rob Zombie follows up his recent Glasgow show with a jaunt to Edinburgh’s Corn Exchange (30 Jun). You may rightly remember him as a source of all that is good in the world of modern metal.