Chrash Record-Release Show @ Rozz-Tox -- June 1 (photo by Loren Thacher).
Black metal was born in Scandinavia more than three decades ago, the devilish creation of bored, angry, and misanthropic teenagers who sought to take the rawness of thrash and carry it to faster and more sinister extremes. Thirty-plus years later, the style is more popular than ever, but many bands have realized that reinventing the diabolical wheel is not enough.
While bands such as Emperor were adding sophisticated and symphonic elements to grim and frostbitten riffs in the early '90s, there's been a growing trend of bands who, while deeply steeped in black metal, have attempted to take the style in new directions. All too often, these bands can get lost in their own pretensions, and at worst can incur boredom with hamfisted attempts at “fusion” or “progression.”
Spirit Possession are not one of those bands. 2023's ...Of the Sign is a jarring, hyperactive, and downright terrifying piece of work, aptly described in its promo blurb as “Erratic musical madness with improbable entrances, and impossible exits.” It's twisted and ambitious, but most importantly, it kicks serious ass, and fails to bore even on repeated listens. The Portland band are taking their chaotic yet fiendishly organized black metal mutation on the road, and are stopping at Davenport's Raccoon Motel on June 1.
The Spirit Possession show is yet another in a seemingly endless parade of nationally rated underground artists from a variety of genres, ranging from metal and indie rock to country-folk singer/songwriters, who will pack rooms in more fashion-conscious cities but still deign to stop in the sticks. The Raccoon Motel is notorious for such under-the-radar-but-not-for-long shows, and is truly a jewel of the Quad Cities' music community. Bolstering this is the opportunities the venue affords to local musicians, who more often than not can find themselves opening for national touring bands. Both of the opening bands on June 1 are local, and each adds its own take on sonic brutality to make for a diverse bill. Obsidian Hammer channel rage and groove into a swinging, doomed sludge rumble self-described (aptly and hilariously) as “hateful blues rock.” The Hunting Grounds Death Cult mix noise, grindcore, powerviolence, and other nasty odds and ends into an oppressive and at times terrifying wall of racket. This is, of course, a compliment. Doors are at 7 p.m., the show is at 8, and advance tickets are $15.
Napoleon Dynamite's Uncle Rico probably could've hit Rozz-Tox with a football back in '82, if he were standing behind the Raccoon Motel. The proximity of the venues has led show organizers to occasionally stagger set times to allow people to hit shows at both spots on the same night. This isn't likely on June 1, but those less interested in metal have a fine option in Rock Island.
Chrash (pronounced “crash”) are dropping their first new album in six years, and celebrating its release with a live performance at Rozz-Tox. They play spare, economical indie rock (self-described as “phantom rock”), delivering pointed, topical lyrics sweetly and briskly. Music for the Next Scene picks off where 2017 The Music left off, taking on scene and national politics as well as poignant, personal reflections. Chrash will be the only live band performing, but members of Running Man will be spinning records before and after their set. Given that RM drummer Dennis Hockaday has recently taken over at Ragged Records, some excellent selections are guaranteed. The doors to 2108 Third Avenue open at 7 p.m., the show starts at 8, and $10 advance tickets can be found through at RozzTox.com. Admission will be $13 at the door – cash only.
June 15 sees Davenport's Stompbox Brewing celebrating its fourth anniversary. I expounded at length last year about their pretension-free approach to craft beer, instrument effects pedals, and music, with the unstated goal of bringing all of those things to the uninitiated without gatekeeping. While some lineup additions were in progress at press time, this year's lineup is an eclectic mix of rock and metal styles. Rezinator return with some sticky-icky sludge; Marmot are rolling out from Des Moines with a basket of crunchy riffs and emotional melodies; Pink Frost are flanking from Chicago with some energetic shoegazin'; and Strange News are tumbling down from the Northwest Illinois hill country with acid-fried heavy rock, laden with Skynyrd and Scorpions-style guitar harmonies and delivered with bluster and sass. Music is planned outdoors at 210 East River Drive from 4:30 to 11 p.m.; there is no cover charge.
