EMPERORS & ELEPHANTS To Play Various Midwest Dates, SXSW Showcase, Mankato March 27

 Emperors & Elephants performing November 18, 2014 at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis. You can view all pictures (40) from this concert in Flickr here, and look for a review of this show coming soon.

Chicago-based rock band and Pavement recording artist Emperors & Elephants have a few shows in the Midwest in March and April, including one at Buster’s in Mankato on Friday, March 27 with St. Paul’s Matrekis. The band’s itinerary also includes a trip to Austin, Texas for a showcase a the SXSW Festival on March 15. Emperors & Elephants wrapped up 2014 touring with Tantric in support of their debut album Devil In The Lake.

Watch the lyric video for "Who You Are" by Emperors & Elephants.

Advance tickets for the Mankato show are on sale now for only $5 ($7 at the door), and this is a 21+ show. Here is the complete list of upcoming Emperors & Elephants shows:

March 13 – West Chicago, IL, Cairo Ale House, w/Fashion Bomb, ADD, Kurt Arft

March 14 – Denison, TX, Fat Daddy’s

March 15 – Austin, TX, Delve Inn, SXSW Showcase

March 27 – Mankato, MN, Busters, w/Matrekis, Nowhere Fast

March 28 – Algona, IA, Afterlife Lounge, w/Matrekis, Far From Innocent, Down One Digit

April 25 – South Barrington, IL, Penny Road Pub, w/Platinum, Kurt Arft

INSOMNIUM Announce North American Headlining Tour with OMNIUM GATHERUM, Minneapolis Concert August 18

Finnish melodic death metal band Insomnium will circle the North American continent for a headlining tour with support from fellow Finns Omnium Gatherum during August and September. The campaign starts August 9 in Montreal at the Heavy Montreal Festival, and ends September 7 back in Quebec in Quebec City. Tuesday, August 18 will be see the tour stop in Minneapolis at the 7th Street Entry with local support from Cold Colours. This is an 18+ show, and tickets are on sale now through etix.

Watch the video for "While We Sleep" from the latest Insomnium album Shadows Of The Dying Sun.

August 9 – Montreal, QC, Parc Jean Drapeau, Heavy Montreal Festival

August 11 – New York, NY, Gramercy Theatre

August 12 – West Springfield, VA, Empire

August 13 – Worcester, MA, The Palladium

August 14 – Albany, NY, Bogies

August 15 – Pittsburgh, PA, The Altar Bar

August 16 – Westland, MI, The Token Lounge

August 17 – Joliet, IL, Mojoes

August 18 – Minneapolis, MN, 7th Street Entry, w/Cold Colours

August 19 – Winnipeg, MB, The Zoo

August 21 – Edmonton, AB, Pawn Shop Live

August 22 – Calgary, AB, Nite Owl

August 23 – Vancouver, BC, Red Room

August 24 – Seattle, WA, El Corazon

August 25 – Portland, OR, Hawthorne Theatre

August 26 – San Francisco, CA, Thee Parkside

August 27 – West Hollywood, CA, Whisky A Go Go

August 28 – San Diego, CA, Brick By Brick

August 29 – Las Vegas, NV, LVCS

August 30 – Mesa, AZ, Club Red

September 1 – Denver, CO, Bluebird Theater

September 3 – Louisville, KY, Expo Five

September 4 – Cleveland, OH, Agora Ballroom

September 5 – Toronto, ON, The Garrison

September 6 – Ottawa, ON, Ritual Nightclub

September 7 – Quebec City, QC, Le Cercle

CAVALERA CONSPIRACY Announce U.S. Tour with DEATH ANGEL and COC - BLIND, Play Minneapolis April 27

Cavalera Conspiracy have announced a month-long tour of the U.S. in April and May (complete dates below) to support the Pandemonium album. Bay Area thrash band Death Angel, Corrosion Of Conformity - Blind, and Lody Kong (which includes Max Cavalera's sons) will serve as openers for the trek. The tour arrives at First Avenue in Minneapolis on Monday, April 27. Tickets for the Minneapolis show are on sale now through etix for $25 ($30 at the door), and it's an 18+ show.

Watch the video for "Babylonian Pandemonium" by Cavalera Conspiracy.

April 10 - El Paso, TX, Trick Falls
April 11 - Dallas, TX, Gas Monkey Live
April 12 - Austin, TX, Empire Control Room & Garage
April 13 - Houston, TX, Scout Bar
April 15 - Raleigh, NC, Lincoln Theatre
April 16 - Amityville, NY, Revolution
April 17 - Worcester, MA, Palladium
April 19 - New York, NY, Marlin Room at Webster Hall
April 20 - Baltimore, MD, Baltimore Soundstage
April 21 - Cleveland, OH, Agora Ballroom
April 22 - Pontiac, MI, The Crofoot
April 23 - Columbus, OH, Newport Music Hall
April 24 - Joliet, IL, Mojoes
April 25 - Milwaukee, WI, The Rave
April 27 - Minneapolis, MN, First Avenue
April 28 - Lawrence, KS, Granada Theater
April 29 - Denver, CO, Summit Music Hall
May 1 - Seattle, WA, Studio Seven
May 3 - San Francisco, CA, Regency Ballroom
May 4 - West Hollywood, CA, House of Blues
May 5 - Tempe, AZ, Marquee Theatre

Tonight - WHITE EMPRESS in Minneapolis!!

Yes, I know it's been a while. Personal and professional obligations have kept me from doing any writing here, but this blog isn't about me so I'll get to the important stuff (metal).

Get down to The Cabooze in Minneapolis tonight, Thursday, October 30, to witness the first-ever live performance of White Empress, the new band put together by former Cradle Of Filth guitarist Paul Allender which features an exceptional band including former Luna Mortis vocalist Mary Zimmer. Also on the bill are Cwn Annwn, Plague Of Stars (featuring powerhouse vocalist Melissa Ferlaak, ex-Visions Of Atlantis, Echoterra, Aesma Daeva), From Light Rose The Angels, and Splitdriven. White Empress recently released their excellent debut album, Rise Of The Empress, through Peaceville.

The Appleton and Milwaukee dates listed on the poster above were cancelled due to drummer Zac Morris not being available due to a last-minute emergency. The free shows in Madison on Friday and Saturday nights are going ahead as planned. Drummer Jon Siren flew in from Los Angeles on short notice to make these shows possible! Jon's drum credits include work with a wide variety of acts, including Early Man, Hate Dept., and Information Society.

I've have a lengthy, long-overdue interview with Paul that is nearly ready to publish - look for it soon! If you can't make it to any of these White Empress shows, I'll have a review of tonight's Minneapolis show posted in due course.

Cult thrashers INDESTRUCTIBLE NOISE COMMAND Announce U.S. Tour Supporting TANTRIC, Minneapolis Show November 18

Connecticut thrash band Indestructible Noise Command, reactivated 20 years following the release of two minor classics in the late 80s (Razorback and The Visitor), have announced an unlikely tour pairing with Tantric that hits most areas of the U.S. in November. Fortunately, the tour stops in Minneapolis at the 7th Street Entry on Tuesday, November 18. The full itinerary is below, and check out the blistering lyric video for “Stirring The Flock” from their newly released fourth album Black Hearse Serenade.

November 5 – Colorado Springs, CO, Sunshine Studios Live

November 7 – Las Vegas, NV, The Divebar

November 8 – West Hollywood, CA, Whisky A Go-Go

November 10 – Phoenix, AZ, Joe’s Grotto

November 12 – Grand Junction, CO, Mesa Theater Lounge

November 13 – Denver, CO, Roxy Theatre

November 14 – Waterloo, IA, Spicoli’s Grill/Reverb Rock Garden

November 15 – Cherry Valley, IL, Take 20

November 16 – Ringle, WI, Q&Z Expo Center

November 18 – Minneapolis, MN, 7th Street Entry

November 19 – Madison, WI, The Annex at the Red Zone

November 20 – Lafayette, IN, Hideaway Bar & Grill

November 21 – Westland, MI, The Token Lounge

November 22 – Battle Creek, MI, The Music Factory

November 23 – Akron, OH, Ripper’s Rock House

WHITE EMPRESS To Make Live Debut in Minneapolis in Late October

Former Cradle Of Filth guitar Paul Allender has revealed exclusively to Twin Cities Metal that his new band, White Empress, will perform their first-ever concert here in Minneapolis in late October as part of a four-date Midwest mini-tour. I'm holding back the date and venue until everything is confirmed, so check back for complete details. The to-be-announced dates are intended to be small "warm-up" shows lacking full stage production (props, and the like) in preparation for more extensive touring plans that are currently in the works. White Empress canceled previous plans for their live debut on July 12 in Madison, Wisconsin.

I conducted a lengthy in-person interview with Paul last night, and we discussed details of his recent departure from Cradle Of Filth, and had an extensive conversation about the genesis and plans of White Empress. Look for publication of the full interview during the next week. I dare say that this is the most extensive interview Paul has given about both White Empress and his reasons for leaving Cradle Of Filth!

There has been a ton of activity and news regarding White Empress in the last couple of weeks, so here's a quick rundown.

Photo courtesy of the White Empress Facebook page.

There's been a change on guitars, and the complete lineup of the band is now:
Vocals: Mary Zimmer (ex-Luna Mortis)
Guitar: Paul Allender (ex-Cradle Of Filth)
Guitar: Jeremy Kohnmann (The Awakening)
Bass: Chela Harper (ex-Coal Chamber)
Keyboards: Will Graney (Damnation Angels)
Drums: Zac Morris (ex-Silent Civilian, Ugly Kid Joe)

White Empress has signed with Peaceville Records, and the debut album Rise Of The Empress will be released September 29. The official video for the first track released from the album, "Darkness Encroaching", is now available for streaming exclusively in the U.S. at Bloodly Disgusting, and at Metal Hammer for the UK and Germany. I'm not embedding the video to respect the exclusively of the video on these sites through the weekend, but here's a couple screenshots (taken from the White Empress Facebook page). Go to one of these site to watch the video!!

The band has launched a fund-raising campaign at PledgeMusic where you can buy tons of things from a digital download of the album to a signed guitar from Paul Allender. In almost no time, the band has raised 121% of their goal! Here's a video of Paul explaining the PledgeMusic campaign:

Lastly, you can still download the four-song White Empress EP for free from the band's website, or purchase higher-quality files from Amazon or iTunes.

Concert Review: AGALLOCH and OBSIDIAN TONGUE in Minneapolis

Agalloch, Obsidian Tongue

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis, MN

Click on the picture to see additional photos of Obsidian Tongue (11).

Upon arrival at the Triple Rock for this greatly anticipated show, Obsidian Tongue was wrapping up their first song and the club was packed near capacity. Obsidian Tongue is a two-piece black metal band from Massachusetts, and their guitar and drums combination packs a surprisingly strong punch. Being that their songs hover around ten minutes each, they were only able to play four songs, two from each of their albums. Their set was good, but the constant barrage of primitive, chainsaw guitar riffs and howling, screeching vocals made for difficult listening.

Click on any of the pictures to see more photos of Agalloch (32).

This was Agalloch’s first show in the area, and the place seemed abuzz with anticipation as the band took the stage to the strains of the introduction, “(Serpens Caput)”, and began the set with “The Astral Dialogue” and “Vales Beyond Dimension”. Agalloch is American black metal at its finest, and the band stayed focused on their playing while on stage and maintained little interaction with the crowd, even between songs. Half of the ten-song, nearly 100-minute set was drawn from the latest album, The Serpent & The Sphere, with the remainder a representative selection from each of the previous four albums. Slower, moodier songs such as “Limbs” and “The Melancholy Spirit” offered no respite from the intensity of the show, and the audience treated the band as welcoming heroes. The whole affair was exhausting for everyone in the room, and the band looked drained by the time the show ended with “Into The Painted Grey” from 2010’s Marrow Of The Spirit. Everyone wanted more, and the band obliged with an amazing 16-minute version of “Plateau Of The Ages” for the encore.

As a live band, Agalloch more than delivers on the promise of their recorded output, and everyone at the show seemed to feel like they had witnessed something special. Adding to the unique atmosphere of this show was the one-time availability at the bar of Serpensblod, a smoked red ale inspired by Agalloch, and brewed especially for this show by Hammerheart Brewing (yes, it’s named in honor of the Bathory album!). I snagged one pint before the tap went dry and I was blown away by the smooth intense aroma and flavors. Hammerheart has a Nordic-inspired lodge-type taproom just north of the Cities in Lino Lakes, and if Serpensblod and the Hokan’s Brown Ale I also imbibed that night are any indication, the short jaunt to the brewery would be well worth it!