Misery Index

Baltimore's death merchants Misery Index are in the studio, no doubt putting the finishing touches on their next groove-death masterwork. And band members don't have to kill time in the studio while other members are tracking their parts; they simply don't hang in the studio when not needed...

At the Blvd Cafe, its walls adorned with pictures of performances past, Los Angeles' the Funeral Pyre played their last show ... of 2009, amidst a swirl of beer and black metal. Along with Oakland's Embers, in town while on a brief Southwest-ish tour, the mistitled bar-turned-café-but-still-a-bar saw a good two hours of black metal and beer prior to the Funeral Pyre retreating into writing/recordi

When I entered the dark, cave-like Fontanas, Rhode Islanders Howl just finished moving their gear off the stage, which meant Complete Failure was minutes away from sonically demolishing a room full of CMJ-ers. It also meant I missed death metallers Gloominous Doom, who started the night off after Crystal Antlers, Nebula and Naam played the BrooklynVegan day showcase...

Philadelphia's finest, the diabolical geniuses behind Relapse Records, have partnered up with like-minded souls BrooklynVegan-BBG to present its 2009 CMJ showcase. It's all going down Oct. 23 at Fontana's (105 Eldridge St) during the annual CMJ Music Marathon in New York City...