eyehategod

Philadelphia's underground metal scene is nothing if not incestuous (in the best possible way, of course). Take for example up-and-coming black metallers Woe, who boast members of Infernal Stronghold, Rumpelstiltskin Grinder, Absu, the Green Evening Requiem, Krieg and XXX Maniak amongst their ranks -- and there are only five dudes in the band...

Eyehategod hadn't even played a song yet, but the energy thickly choked the fans aboard The Temptress on Oct. 24. "Pussy, guns and heroin," drummer Joe LaCaze chanted during sound check. It was the opening call for absolute havoc. As the swampy sounds blasted from the band's amps, the crowd erupted headfirst into the band...

The Knitting Factory's Hollywood location, a fixture on Hollywood Blvd. since 2000, closed its doors in the wee hours of Oct. 26 after the three-stage club held its final shows Oct. 25. In attendance were supporters of the Los Angeles metal scene, industry personnel and Church of the 8th Day, vehement supporters of the local and national metal scene, and promoter/booking agent for many of The Knit

There is no set formula to creating grind and Pig Destroyer have proved there is no need for rules. All members have day jobs, preventing them from exercising heavy touring schedules. Yet, the band wisely selects enough shows to play to continue a healthy presence around the world (yes, they play international shows)...

ON A BOAT: Nola sludge kings Eyehategod have a few dates scheduled in the Northeast later this month. The shows feature an impressive supporting cast, including Pig Destroyer, Goatwhore, Anal Cunt, Howl, Unearthly Trance and Tombs, and one of the shows is actually on a boat...

"A small person falls, you help them up. Anyone falls, you help them up and keep it f---ing moving," Goatwhore vocalist Benjamin Falgoust demanded Oct. 24 when they played Gramercy Theater with Obituary. This was part of Falgoust's Judas Priest circa 1982 concert ethics speech (he gives it often)...

For the first time ever, I wish I was in Skindred. That's because the band will be embarking on its first ever tour of India later this month. They'll be playing in Mumbai, Bangalore, and Delhi, and, with any luck, the boys will have some time to do a little sightseeing...

It's a Monday afternoon, just outside Little Rock, Ark., and the members of the Destro are speeding down the highway, blasting the Allman Brothers Band's 'Ramblin' Man.' The band is on tour with It Dies Today and Arsonists Get All the Girls, and as guitarist Nick Emde admits, the Destro's sticking out like a sore thumb on this trek...

They've always done things a little different in the South, and that could not be more true than with the sweat-stained and whiskey-soaked sludge bands that make up the heavy music scene south of the Mason-Dixon Line. It's nothing new really, EyeHateGod has been doing it since 1988...

"I want to hear that primal ass chant. The war chant," Down's Phil Anselmo demanded Sept. 14 at New York City's Nokia Theater. The crowd then, in military fashion, delivered a steady stream of "Ehh! Ehh! Ehh!" Down have come a long way from being a Pantera side project with a history that has provided for a full documentary on the band...