Kansas City Music Blog

What I missed by not going to SXSW.

During the dubiously titled "Bloggers Are Now in Charge" panel at South by Southwest last week, an audience member uncorked a lengthy diatribe about how music bloggers "only write about artists that they like." In a follow-up rant on his own blog, this self-proclaimed "extreme social media" expert (seminar coming soon to KC!) derided the panelists as "underemployed versions of traditional journalists or music critics - without the 'critical' part." I wasn't in Austin last week, an absence that rendered me unable to participate in this discussion or, more importantly, witness some awesome metal bands. But I'll use this column to a) address the blog issue, and b) tout the acts I would've seen.

The local coverage in None So Vile might be unrelentingly positive, but it's not dishonest cheerleading. Every act profiled here is completely fucking deserving, and as for slagging area groups that don't meet that standard, that's not what this column was designed to do. None So Vile functions as a recommendation mechanism, a detailed response to the standing question "is there any kick-ass metal shit happening this week?" A month into the column, and with a huge list of worthy prospects awaiting future coverage, it seems safe to say the short answer will always be yes. (My divergence aside, this week is no exception - Stonehaven, playing Friday night at The Pig, might be the area's best black-metal act. Look for those guys in this space soon.)

But if for some reason the calendar looks barren (like if everyone takes a few days off after American Waste), I can always put together something different, like an appreciation piece about great local metal releases of the past, or a list of the top ten underrated thrash albums (I have been looking for a reason to write about Ritual Carnage). The point is: I'm not just going to shove an unremarkable group into the spotlight just to fill a slot. None So Vile's featured artists are the kind of groups I'll keep playing long after the "article research" ends.

None So Vile also provides an outlet for subjects I can't wait to discuss. I still barrage friends and family with Koktopus lyrics and Gorgoroth anecdotes, but by placing them in a public forum I exponentially increase my chances of finding someone who cares. My day job involves writing scathingly negative reviews of music's dregs, and this gig lets me address praiseworthy bands in my most beloved genre. As for the mediocre stuff in between, fuck it. Someone who loves or hates it will get more joy out of dissecting it.

Further Listening: If you peruse the online schedule carefully enough, you can experience many of the new-band-discovery benefits of actual South by Southwest attendance, though you forfeit most of the fun. Here are SXSW's most intriguing purveyors of evil noise.

HOWL: This self-described "bong-rippin' labyrinth metal" quartet from Providence sounds like it would be playing prog-rock if sludge weren't gumming up its gears.

Thou: Like most heavy groups that wallow in the swamps of Louisiana (Eyehategod, Crowbar), Thou plays ominous slow-motion tunes that feel as thick as bayou humidity.

Hull: Following in the wake of Ahab and Mastodon comes Brooklyn's Hull, another fuzzed-out, doom-laden group obsessed with massive grooves and nautical imagery.

Tombs: Also from Brooklyn, Tombs play intense, chaotic hard stuff that bears a strong resemblance to "Kansas City sound" pioneers like Season to Risk.

ABSU: ABSU has been around long enough to release a rarities compilation album (Mythological Occult Metal: 1991-2001), but this mighty European-style blackened thrash outfit remains one of dark music's best-kept secrets, perhaps because it hails from Plano, Texas. The group's self-titled sixth album came out last month: It's fast, scratchy and atmospheric, with strong, melodic solos. 2001's Tara, adorned with bagpipes and mandolin, contains the best Celtic-infused myth metal ever conjured on American soil.

Exodus: From the green room to the Riot Room.

Mandatory Attendance: Exodus plays the Riot Room Tuesday, March 31, with Warbringer and local None So Vile favorites Koktopus and Hammerlord. The lineup features two founding members (guitarist Gary Holt and drummer Tom Hunting), as well as guitar-tech-turned-singer Rob Dukes, who boasts a mighty roar and a grizzly beard. This Bay Area band formed one of the pillars of American thrash in the '80s, alongside Metallica (Kirk Hammett started in Exodus), Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth. The current lineup re-recorded 1985's classic debut Bonded by Blood last year, and the results didn't sit well with some fans. True, the drumming on the remake (titled Let There Be Blood) was a little slower, but the inevitable live-performance speed-up will more than compensate for that. Exodus said it best during "Bonded by Blood," a song about raging at shows: Bang your head as if up from the dead/Intense metal is all that you need.

Heroic.