I was fortunate enough last night to be invited to Brooklyn to check out a Kings Destroy practice and hear some of their new material as it’s coming together for their next record. If you’ll recall, their first album, …And the Rest Will Surely Perish, was put out on The Maple Forum, and I’ve dug on their stuff since their Old Yeller/Medusa debut 7″ came my way back in 2010. They’re good guys and a killer band.

They recently recorded a few new demos in Hoboken with Mike Moebius at his Moonlight Studios, and in their practice space, they ran through that material — songs like “The Toe” and “Holy Dice of Thunder,” which I’ve seen them do live a couple times, and “Pain Trade” — as well as some others still under construction. The new tunes are better than they know, and even though some were still pretty formative, I feel like I got a decent picture of where they’re headed.

One real look at Aaron Bumpus playing bass and you can tell almost immediately he’s the kind of player who could fit anywhere. Sure, his Sunn amp may have filled the room with the smell of melting tubes, but I swear, put that dude in a suit on stage with a jazz trio and he could probably handle it. He’s really just beginning to make his presence felt in Kings Destroy, and I think there’s room for him to add more to his fills, but he works really well with Rob Sefcik‘s drumming.

As for the songs, “Pain Trade” cops the beginning progression of the “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” riff just enough to nod to the converted, but on the whole, they feel much less limited to genre and more self-assured. The first record, killer as it was (and it was) was very purposefully doomed. Doom was the mission. From what I could tell as I grooved out to the new songs, the doom is happening more naturally now. One riff that Chris Skowronski and Carl Porcaro ran through that was still basically skeletal reminded me of the chorus to “Love Hate Love” from Alice in Chains‘ Facelift, but they were able to make it work in the context of what they were doing, and Steve Murphy‘s vocal cadence took it somewhere else entirely. It was awesome to watch and I felt lucky to see it.

They have a lot of work ahead of them yet, but they could easily play four or five of those songs live and pull them off, and progress is being made. As a show of same and a way to preview the direction of the yet-untitled second Kings Destroy record, the band recently cut a video with director Lucia Grillo for the demo of “The Toe.” It’s pretty foggy, but they’re all in there, trying their damnedest not to look at the camera. I hope you dig it:

From what I understand, Brooklyn‘s Saint Vitus bar is significantly less convenient for those who actually live in the city, but for me it’s just great. It may not be built on top of a subway station, but I know how to get to Greenpoint with my eyes closed (though maybe I keep them open anyway when I’m in the Queens-Midtown Tunnel), and I’ve yet to see a show there that wasn’t worth the effort of driving in.

The place seems like a decent compromise between being completely inconvenient on one side or the other between those who live in the city and those who don’t, is what I’m saying. They need to invest in a grown-up lighting rig for the stage in back, but other than that, it seems to be developing into a cool spot and I hope it continues to do so. By the time I got over to Manhattan Ave. last night, I was champing at the bit to get to the venue. Somehow I’d gotten it in my head that it was an early show. It wasn’t.

I was there maybe 20 minutes ahead of the start of Mount Olympus‘ set, which wasn’t bad, considering the bar was already starting to fill up. This being just two days after watching Fu Manchu pack out Santos Party House in Manhattan, it was duly encouraging to see a crowd at Saint Vitus, but I guess I’m still not used to people being at these shows. It’s cool and all, and I’m glad more and more are coming out, but it catches me off guard every time. I always expect the place — wherever it might be — to be empty.

But as Mount Olympus got going, they had plenty of audience to high-five, and high-five they did. Guitarist/vocalist Michael Guggino, who helmed the band with a kind of Josh Homme-ian casualness, came down from the stage at several points to engage the crowd. The music varied from punkish tempos to stonerly riffs, and in their last song, Guggino and fellow six-stringer Dickie Spectacular hit up a classic metal solo duel that was a bit cheeky but still more on the side of charming than obnoxious. My inner 14 year old thought it was epic in the same way he wanted to go play Dragon Warrior. I can’t keep that kid interested in anything these days.

Among set regulars “Medusa,” “The Mountie” and “Old Yeller,” Kings Destroy also played three newer songs that apparently they also recently cut as a demo (which they’re in the process of finishing) for their next album. I’d heard “The Toe” a few times already, and it was starting to get familiar, which is always cool, but the set-opener “Dice” and the penultimate “He Who Hath No Name” — which also apparently has the working titles “Decrepit Old White Woman” and “Skullduggery of Tricks” — were totally new to me.

Obviously seeing them once in a live setting is no basis for an ultimate judgment one way or the other, but it seems like the band is starting to branch out, be a little more brazen in what they’re doing. Steve Murphy‘s vocals are more confident and farther-ranging, and particularly “He Who Hath No Name” (or whatever it winds up being called; hard to beat “Decrepit Old White Woman”) was more complex musically and in terms of mood. They’re growing and learning what works best for them and how they can development. It’s exciting to watch. As Murphy took his turn coming down from the stage, guitarist Chris Skowronski sang along to “Old Yeller” from the stage — and that seems like a small thing, but you’ll never see it among bands unless the players have a real appreciation for what each other are doing.

It was the last night of the tour for The Gates of Slumber and Premonition 13, and the former took the stage in workman-like fashion. Over the course of their last couple albums and as they’ve spent more time on the road, touring life seems to have lost some of its novelty for Karl Simon and company, but he, bassist Jason McCash and drummer J. Clyde Paradis still got plenty into what they were doing. The setlist was derived almost entirely from their latest album, The Wretch, which is nothing to complain about.

Songs like “To the Rack with Them” and “The Scovrge ov Drvnkenness” were high points, but the unabashed doom misery of “Day of Farewell” made the set. They may have become the road dogs of American trad doom — seeing them now as opposed to a couple years back is much more like watching a professional band play one in a series of shows — but there’s no denying the potency of the material. Compared even to when they rolled through earlier this year with Orange Goblin, the energy was down, but The Gates of Slumber impressed nonetheless. By the time they finished, the room was full, and it would only get more so for Premonition 13.

Having it on good authority that the hot sauces Premonition 13 were selling at their merch table were delicious, I tried to buy the plum one (there were plum, peach and habanero options), but they were out and I picked up a full copy of the CD instead to go with the promo I’d received to review back when the record came out. The songs from that disc were memorable at the time and proved all the more recognizable as the band got going, starting off with dual e-bow guitar introductions from Scott “Wino” Weinrich and Jim Karow.

In talking to The Gates of Slumber‘s McCash prior to his band’s set, he said that the two bands were sharing a van and that Wino and Karow just jammed all the time. He wasn’t criticizing. He was amazed. He said they had little battery-powered amps, and all they did was play guitar together. Well, watching Premonition 13 on stage, I believed it. Of all the players I’ve seen Wino work with in a live setting, he was the most comfortable and at ease with Karow by a mile. They were like two parallel lines standing on opposite sides of the stage. Of course, Wino has the legacy and pedigree behind him, but the simpatico there was palpable.

I don’t know who was playing bass (maybe someone can help me out on that?), but Karow, Wino and drummer Matthew Clark ran through a set of cuts from the 13 album and it wasn’t so much a surprise, but they killed. I snapped some pictures and then stood in back to watch them run through the start-stop stomp of “Clay Pigeons,” the classically moody “La Hechicera de la Jeringa” and the blistering “Hard to Say.” Seems redundant to make the point that it was awesome, but it was. Solos were tossed back and forth, and though it’s not the highest-profile project Wino has running currently — that would probably either be the supergroup Shrinebuilder or Saint Vitus, whose first album in 17 years is due in March — Premonition 13 proved that it has something unique to offer among the slew of other Weinrich-inclusive acts from over the years. Karow‘s lead vocal on the bluesy “Modern Man” made that abundantly clear.

The subdued “Senses” made for a surprising finish to the set, but sure enough, Premonition 13 weren’t really done. As the audience clamored for one more song, Wino explained from the stage that, since the band was born from jamming, they’d like to finish by just jamming out for a while. Karow started playing a riff and they did exactly that. People had begun to trickle out already, to the bar or beyond, but those who stayed were glad they did, and watching the wall of noise gradually build coming from Wino and Karow‘s Marshalls, I felt like I had a better sense of where the band was coming from than even from listening to their songs.

Premonition 13 begin a European tour this weekend, and if you’re in that part of the world (they’ll play with Trippy Wicked in London; not to be missed), consider the show recommended. With everything else Weinrich has coming up and the fact that the band seems to be driven more by his friendship with Karow than any real business concern, who knows when the chance to see them will come again? I don’t regret one bit taking advantage of the opportunity.

I wanted to stick around and talk to Wino, maybe nerd out a bit on the limited information I have as regards the Saint Vitus record and the Conny Ochs collaboration, but my well honed instincts on such matters told me that it was better to leave the poor man alone and keep my fanboy bullshit to myself, so I did that instead and drove back through Manhattan, waiting through about 45 minutes of Holland Tunnel traffic to get back to the valley and take out the recycling and the garbage — someone had conveniently placed a broken microwave on the kitchen floor in hopes that, one assumes, garbage fairies would come and remove it from there to outside in the trash can — at 2AM. Part of the sky was clear, but tiny flakes of snow were falling from what clouds there were, and I couldn’t help but wish for a blizzard, which as any meteorologist will tell you, is just doom dressed in white.

Extra pics after the jump. I know this was a long one, so thanks for reading.

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It’s a tricky proposition, playing in NYC on a Friday night. On the one hand, it’s pretty much the ideal, right? Get a bunch of people trapped in a small room on a small island — there’s really nowhere to go but to a show. On the other hand, there’s at least three shows for each of the eight million people on that small island, so it’s easy for a band to get lost in the mix. Truckfighters, on their first American run, made a landmark out of the Cake Shop on Ludlow St. Though I’ll certainly have other associations with it as well, it’s going to be a while before something comes to my mind when I think of the venue faster than, “Oh yeah, that’s the place Truckfighters played.”

A full 41 people took advantage of the “say The Obelisk and get in free” thing by the last tally I heard — which was about 38 more than I expected — and the vibe was insane. Like YOB/Dark Castle earlier in the week, it seemed like the people who were there were really glad to be there. And there were a lot of them. By the time Borracho were done, I turned around and the room was packed out. Weirdos, button-down yuppies and in-between-types came and went, but for most of the night, it was consistently hard to get to the bar for all the people standing around.

That has its ups and downs, which I probably don’t need to explain, but good for all the bands having heads to play to. The running order was Borracho, Blue Aside, Kings Destroy and Truckfighters headlining, and the show got going a bit before 9PM, allowing extra time for a crowd to arrive for Borracho, who were up from Washington D.C. solely for this one gig. Seemed like a haul, but if the bonus is you get to play with Truckfighters, I can’t imagine it wasn’t worth their time. They got a good response from the crowd too, played (unless I’m mistaken) four songs from their recently-reviewed Splitting Sky album, and were a fitting start to the evening.

I stand by the critiques I made of Borracho in that review, but it’s worth noting that as each song in their set began, I recognized it immediately. Sure, the record’s still relatively fresh in my mind, but I found myself anticipating the chorus of “Grab the Reins” and looking forward to what was coming next — even hoping for “Never Get it Right” — which I took as evidence of a certain level of quality in their songwriting. They have some growing to do yet, some smoothing out of their processes, but there’s something there. It’s not hollow stoner repetition, and while some of their parts wander, their potential as a unit is plain to see in the live setting. I bought a copy of Splitting Sky, and I think it’s going to be really interesting to hear how they develop with their next batch of material.

Their energy was infectious, in the meantime, which actually wound up not doing any favors for Blue Aside, who were decidedly more laid back and stoic in their on-stage presence. The Boston space doom trio started late following some technical problems with their bass head (an Ampeg SVT that they then put front and center on the stage), and shared vocal duties with an incongruence of atmosphere. Drummer Matt Netto had an almost frantic anxiousness in his playing that was contrasted by guitarist Adam Abrams and sandal’ed bassist Joe Twomey, both calmer and more methodical. Nonetheless, they gave a decent showing of material from their The Orange Tree EP, even if they were the odd men out on the bill.

Blue Aside also managed to separate the yuppie chaff, which was fine by me. It’s not that the band was bad, just out of place, and most of the crowd, which was anticipating a rock show, probably wasn’t ready for the spaced-out excursions they had on offer. That, combined with the conflict between energies as noted, didn’t do them any favors. Still, taken on their own level, they did well with what they had. Would be hard for anyone to play those songs bouncing off the walls.

At this point, I don’t even know how many times I’ve seen Kings Destroy, but it was awesome to catch them as a part of this lineup. I missed them with Sourvein in Brooklyn, so this was my follow-up to their Santos Party House gig with Orange Goblin, and as ever, they did not disappoint. They locked in a groove with “The Whittler” from …And the Rest Will Surely Perish and held it down across their whole set. “The Mountie” was especially tight, and the same new song they played last time around — now graced with the title “Holy Dice” — fit right in with the rest of the selections: “Planet XXY,” “Medusa,” “Dusty Mummy” and “Old Yeller” to close out. Good times.

And I mean that. In talking to guitarist Chris Skowronski after they were done, he said he didn’t think they’d ever felt so on point, and having attended as many of their shows as I have, I can’t help but agree. Each time I see them, they’re better than the last, and whether it’s the raised stage of Santos or the declining floor in the Cake Shop basement, they bring it, plain and simple. They’ve reportedly got more new stuff in the works, so here’s looking forward.

It had already been a good night before Truckfighters took the stage. If it had been just Borracho, Blue Aside and Kings Destroy for the show, it would have more than justified the search for SoHo parking. But Truckfighters made it something different entirely. There was no irony to what they did, no cheeky self-awareness masking insecurity. They took the stage, the crowd and the whole damn place. It was theirs. No worries. They gave it back after an hour or so.

I can’t remember the last time I saw people dance at a show. Not even just rocking out — legitimately dancing. Of course, it might have helped that guitarist Niklas “Dango” Källgren only stopped jumping up and down to take the occasional stroll through the crowd. It might have been the best use of a wireless rig I’ve ever seen. As he made his way toward the back of the venue, soloing all the while, the fuzz in his tone was epic, and the set played out like the stoner rock ideal. You could have filmed it and used it as a promo video, people were so excited.

It was kind of odd timing for Truckfighters to come to the States, since their last album, Mania, was released in 2009, but if this is just how the timing worked out and this was when they could all do it, fine. They killed. They managed to keep their intensity up for nearly the entire set, and it was easy to understand what prompted Josh Homme to say they’re the greatest band he’s ever seen, since they showed much of the same fluidity in their songs as does the Queens of the Stone Age guitarist/vocalist when playing live.

That is, though the songs had their given structures, there was an element of freedom in the trio’s handling of them. Bassist/vocalist Oskar “Ozo” Cedermalm had his parts to sing and obviously he, Dango and drummer Oscar “Pezo” Johansson weren’t getting up there and improvising for an hour, but each stop was held out longer for crowd interplay, and where most bands set a clear divide between themselves and their audience — “I’m here and you’re there” — Truckfighters engaged completely. You wanted to be a part of it, to go along with it, and they wanted to bring you. And in the case of Dango and someone’s girlfriend in the audience, they also wanted to make out a little bit toward the end of the set.

They had fun. It seems like such an easy thing, but it wasn’t about mocking something, or being rockstar assholes, or performing in some theatrical sense. They delivered a slew of material and closed with “Desert Cruiser” from 2005′s Gravity X debut, and they sounded like desert rock kings doing it. It was dangerous, out of control and completely fucking awesome. Motion was constant. For the second time in a week, I feel like everything I have to say about a show is hyperbole, but it’s absolutely true. Truckfighters paid off in full every bit of the anticipation I’d had to see them, and I have no idea when I’ll see a rock show that’s that good again.

I was handed a tray of drinks as their set wound down from the bar next to which I was standing, and I placed them on the stage next to Dango, like an offering. Of course, they got off stage preceding an encore and in that time some spoiled yuppie scumbag girls stoke their beers, but the sentiment of appreciation was there, anyway. The room cleared out on the quick after that encore, and I too was splittsville, not imagining any way the evening could possibly get better.

Who knows when they’ll have another album out, and who knows when and if they’ll ever come back. While they played, none of it mattered. All there was was fuzz and glory.

More pics after the jump.

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If you want to prove it, you can print the flier below, but I think pretty much all you have to say at the door is “I read The Obelisk,” and you get in for free.

The show is July 15 at the Cake Shop in Manhattan, and hands down, it’s going to be one of the year’s best gigs, with Swedish fuzz mavens Truckfighters making their Stateside debut, and receiving welcome from Maple Forum alums Kings Destroy, Massachusetts space doomers Blue Aside and Doom Capitol-ists Borracho (whose new and soon-to-be-reviewed album, Splitting Sky, is available now). My temptation here is to launch into hyperbole about how these bands are saving rock or this or that, but the simple truth is it’s going to be a really special night and I’m thrilled to be able to take part in it in this small way.

So yeah, say “The Obelisk” at the door and you won’t have to pay to get in. Here’s the flier for the show:

Special thanks to Steve Murphy and Kings Destroy, to Truckfighters, Blue Aside, Borracho and the Cake Shop.

I didn’t know what to expect in terms of the crowd this past Friday at Santos Party House, knowing that a few of NYC‘s usual suspect-type show-goers had made their way down to Maryland Deathfest, which was also running this weekend, but by the time Orange Goblin went on, the place was packed, and even for Kings Destroy, who opened the night up at around 7:45PM, there was a good, eager crowd happy to soak up as much doom as possible.

In that regard, Kings Destroy completely delivered. I know I’m nowhere near impartial when it comes to these guys, having released their (fucking excellent) And the Rest Will Surely Perish album on The Maple Forum (the band still has copies for sale here), but they just keep getting better. Their new bassist was right in the pocket, and of all the times I’ve seen them, I don’t think drummer Rob Sefcik has ever sounded better. He kept the pacing of the songs down and gave Chris Skowronski and Carl Porcaro‘s guitars plenty of room to breathe, but still hit heavy and clean on the toms, adding no shortage of thunder to the proceedings. You could feel the air move.

They had one yet-unnamed new song on offer, which was their closer, and though vocalist Steve Murphy later told me they played it too fast, the track had a cool, later-Sabbath vibe that sat well next to album cuts like “XXY” and “The Mountie.” I dug it, anyway, but I guess that was bound to happen. Kings Destroy groove like few are bold enough to do in New York, and I’m even gladder to call them friends than I am to plug the hell out of their record every chance I get. They’re only getting better.

It was kind of a funny circumstance, but I’ve only been to Santos Party House twice now (this show and when Weedeater came through in February), and Brooklyn psych outfit Naam played both shows. The trio — who are on most if not all of the tour with Orange Goblin and The Gates of Slumber — had a synth organist on stage with them, and it really filled out their sound. They said he was doing a couple shows as part of the band, and Naam are a force on stage anyway, but this put them in a different league altogether, with guitarist/vocalist Ryan Lugar‘s tone being excellently complemented and filled out by the sustained organ sounds.

And as regards Naam, I can’t think of another way to say it: bassist John Preston Bundy has one of the best doombeards in NYC. That thing is good, and he clearly knows it. As Naam wound down their set with the epic title-track from their Kingdom EP, his vocals complemented Lugar‘s and the resultant swirl was even more visceral for the organ sounds. Naam was probably the odd band out among the three doomier acts on the bill, but if it bothered them, they never let on, and the hometown crowd — which unless I’m mistaken included a few family members who gathered around for pictures after their set — ate it up. I don’t think there was anyone there who needed convincing, but if there was, they were duly convinced.

I had been looking forward to seeing The Gates of Slumber since picking up their newest installment, The Wretch, at Roadburn and reveling in its doomly snail’s pacing. When last I saw them, it was in the small room under Webster Hall, and they were good then, but there’s no denying guitarist/vocalist Karl Simon is completely in his element rocking out mournful total-doom songs about drinking and losing at life. They were killer. Hard not to hoist a claw or two to such rampant musical misery.

The material from The Wretch was some of the strongest they played — that’s not to discount the impact of “The Ice Worm’s Lair” — and new drummer “Cool Clyde” Paradis has a clearly natural ability to play slow and still make it sound heavy. Between him and bassist Jason McCash, Simon had formidable backup, although maybe that’s underplaying their roles in the band a bit, since each third of the trio brings so much to the whole. Either way, their songs managed to sound empty and minimalist and still without actually being boring or inaccessible, and they showed that their latest lineup is their strongest yet.

And then, after three already killer sets, there came Orange Goblin. The foursome had been wandering through the crowd for most of the night, back and forth between backstage and the bar, the can, etc., and they came out introduced by AC/DC‘s “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll).” Santos was long since packed out, and it was more of a party (as the name of the venue would suggest) than a show by the time they were a few songs in. The songs from Orange Goblin‘s last album, 2007′s Healing Through Fire, went over especially well — “They Come Back” and “Harvest of Skulls” being high points — but even through classics like “Cozmo Bozo” and “Aquatic Fanatic,” frontman Ben Ward had the crowd eating from his hand.

There was a mosh pit, if a friendly, old-school-metal, “let’s all bump into each other and not throw punches,” one, and a single diver took the stage no less than four times, singing along with Ward and even once trying to grab the vocalist’s beer, which was where the line seemed to be drawn. As it’s become my motto for existence, “Some You Win, Some You Lose” was a special boon, guitarist Joe Hoare putting the song’s awesome main riff to good use for the crowd singing along to Ward. There was a three-song encore of “Time Traveling Blues,” “Quincy the Pigboy” and “Scorpionica,” all of which sent the audience apeshit, though maybe a little less so for the former, which is a slower cut. Nonetheless, Orange Goblin were amazing the whole way through.

It had me thinking back to the last time they were in town, in 2006 with Scissorfight at the now-showless Continental, and how even though they’ve only been back to the US once since then (for the Planet Caravan fest in North Carolina in 2009), their reputation has grown enormously. I recall the Continental being crowded, but nothing like this. Santos is a much bigger room, and it was full, so there’s no doubt the last couple years have brought well-spread word on their unique and boozy brand of mayhem. All the more exciting, then, to think what they’ll be able to accomplish with their next album. Ben Ward called the NYC show a “life-changing moment,” and maybe it was.

Orange Goblin was nonetheless headed south to Maryland Deathfest and then out for more shows with Naam and The Gates of Slumber, so once it was over, it was over. Someone suckerpunched Tommy Southard from Solace outside the venue, perhaps out of jealousy of Solace‘s last album, A.D. (which was my pick of the year in 2010), but I didn’t stick around to watch the drama unfold if there was any. With a long-enough drive back to Jersey, some late-night empanadas and subsequently my humble river valley ahead, I split out for the car, rife with the kind of energy only a really, really good night can provide.

I know this was a long one, but if you’re still reading, thanks for that. More pics after the jump.

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I put a note out last night on Facebook that I had one copy left of Kings Destroy‘s epic and awesome first record, And the Rest Will Surely Perish, and sure enough, almost as soon as I did, it was snapped up. So that’s it, that disc is gone, on the very same day that the next Maple Forum release was announced. Timing is everything.

If you didn’t get your Kings Destroy, however, don’t despair. There are still some avenues by which you might do so. First and foremost, there’s at a show. I wasn’t cool enough to get in this past Sunday to see them slaughter Brooklyn with Winter, but you can bet your ass I’ll be there when they play with Orange Goblin next month, and you should be too.

If you’re not in the area, though, and you live as far away as, say, Europe, there’s always the Psychedoomelic webstore. They’ve got some copies for 10 Euro, which as I understand it is on the cheap, even though the exchange rate from the American dollar means I’d pretty much have to sell my car to get it.

If you’re not European and still on the semi-mighty dollar, I know for a fact that All That is Heavy has 10 copies for sale. El Danno has supported this whole Maple Forum project since it got going, so I’d definitely advocate giving him your money.

As much as that’s true, I’d also advocate giving it to the band directly. I didn’t know this, but apparently somewhere along the line Kings Destroy set up a Bandcamp site. They’ve got the album for sale digitally and physically, and you can stream it there as well. If you need to be convinced to get over there and get your copy, here’s the whole thing:

I know I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating that it’s been an absolute fucking pleasure working with Kings Destroy. The dudes are all pros and top notch human beings (and you know I don’t usually go in for human beings). As a band they rule and as people I’ve been glad to get to know them. I can’t imagine I’ll be lucky enough to put out their next record — for which writing is reportedly already under way — so let me just say how thrilled I am to have been associated in any way with And the Rest Will Surely Perish. On every level, it’s a product I’ve been proud to stand behind and a record I’ve truly come to love. Thanks to everyone who bought a copy and thanks to the band for lowering themselves to my amateur-ass level in finding a record label. Whatever comes of their next full-length, I look forward to gushing about it extensively.

The headline pretty much has all the details you need, but it was announced today that Long Island doom legends Winter — who are already playing Roadburn as part of SunnO)))‘s curated day — are on the bill for the April 3 BrooklynVegan-sponsored show at Union Pool. This is cool news on its own, but made all the better by the fact that Kings Destroy are set to open the night. Tickets are here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/159632

A flier makes it official:

Singapore grinders Wormrot and the reunited Deathcycle are also playing, and as of yesterday’s trip to the post office (graciously handled by The Patient Mrs.), I have 6 copies left of Kings Destroy‘s And the Rest Will Surely Perish. Get yours here: http://mapleforum.bigcartel.com/

I put out a notice about this over the weekend on Facebook, because I was so nerdishly excited about having successfully constructed it myself, but I figured I’d announce it today too in case not everyone spends all day every day sitting in front of their computer. The Maple Forum now has a BigCartel webstore where you can purchase releases. I know, the Kings Destroy link for Paypal is right in the sidebar, but this is more official-looking, like maybe I’m not just some schlub paying to press bands’ discs and I actually know what I’m doing. Even the appearance of that is a big step, as far as I’m concerned.

Click here to go to the official webstore of The Maple Forum.

That link will also be permanent in the sidebar in case you’re ever wondering how to get there.

There are two Kings Destroy orders waiting to go out (I’ll hit the post office on the way to work tomorrow), which brings us down to a measly 9 copies left. Once those go, it’s gone, so if you want it, now’s the time to get on it.

I’ll be announcing what the third Maple Forum release will be next week, so stay tuned for that, as we’ll have artwork, streaming tracks and all that good type of stuff over the coming however long until it’s out.

You might think that after months and months of telling you how badass Kings Destroy are, or about how their And the Rest Will Surely Perish full-length was my favorite album of last year, or about how much they kill it live, I’d be sick of doing so. Dead wrong, my friends. Kings Destroy are fucking amazing and if you haven’t heard them yet, you should rectify that as soon as humanly possible. Sooner even.

Our friends over at BrooklynVegan have even seen fit to give Kings Destroy a nod — and a much appreciated nod it is — as regards their slew of upcoming live shows, including dates with Wormrot and Deathcycle in Brooklyn, and in Manhattan with none other than Orange Goblin and The Gates of Slumber! If that’s not enough, the band will also be heading south to Miami next week for a gig with Shroud Eater. Here’s info for the shows forthcoming:

03/05 Beelzebub’s Cave Miami, FL with Shroud Eater
03/12 The Gutter Brooklyn, NY with Sweet Diesel
04/03 Union Pool Brooklyn, NY with Wormrot, Deathcycle and a secret band warming up for Roadburn
05/28 Santos Party House New York, NY with Orange Goblin, The Gates of Slumber

Maybe you saw it, maybe you didn’t, but I recently updated the Maple Forum label page with info about And the Rest Will Surely Perish (which, admittedly, should have happened a long time ago but doesn’t seem to have hurt them any). Anyone interested in buying a copy of the record (12 left) can do so using the Paypal button below or in the sidebar of this page. Thanks to everyone who’s placed orders already for your support of Kings Destroy and The Obelisk.

Purchase Kings Destroy’s And the Rest Will Surely Perish:
SOLD OUT

It’s with great pleasure that I now present to you “The Whittler,” from Kings Destroy‘s And the Rest Will Surely Perish.

Kings Destroy, “The Whittler”

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While you listen: I have 14 copies left of And the Rest Will Surely Perish. A batch went out this morning to the All That is Heavy store to replace the ones they sold through, and requests came in from PsycheDOOMelic and Shadow Kingdom Records as well, so they’ve been going quick, like I said they would.

Bound to help in that regard is Kings Destroy‘s radio debut. The band made their first appearance on the CMJ Loud Rock chart this week, coming in at number 18. Kind of strange to see The Maple Forum on the chart next to heavy hitters like E1, Profound Lore, Nuclear Blast and Relapse, but hell, great doom speaks for itself. Hopefully the people get while the getting’s good.

If you haven’t yet picked up a copy of Kings Destroy‘s And the Rest Will Surely Perish on The Maple Forum, please do so with the Paypal link above. $10 domestic American shipping, $12 international.

Thanks to everyone around the world who has placed orders so far.

I have a mere 39 copies left of Brooklyn doomers Kings Destroy‘s first full-length, And the Rest Will Surely Perish. I dropped a package today at the post office to go to the UK, and that put me under 40. If you want to get your copy before they’re gone, I’d recommend sooner rather than later to do so.

The response for The Maple Forum‘s second release has been fantastic, with the band garnering heavy praise and Saint Vitus comparisons (these two things are absolutely the same in my mind) from press and buying public alike. As the “label dude,” I couldn’t be more thrilled at the reception to the record, and I know Kings Destroy has big plans for 2011, so they’re only getting started.

If you’ve already bought the album, thank you for your support of the band, the label and The Obelisk as a whole. If you haven’t heard any of it yet, I’ll have a new song premiere in the next week or two, and you can check out opener “The Mounty” below.

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And the Rest Will Surely Perish was recorded and mixed by Sanford Parker at Water Music in Hoboken, NJ, and features the doomed-out artwork of Seldon Hunt. An even better reason to buy the disc is Kings Destroy fucking rule. 39 copies left.

The magic number of Kings Destroy CDs is 53. That means I only have 53 copies of their Maple Forum debut, And the Rest Will Surely Perish, left. If you haven’t yet, you can buy yours using the Paypal button above. It’s $10 domestic, $12 international. Easily worth it for a record this awesome, in any case.

If you missed it, the Village Voice recently did a track premiere for And the Rest Will Surely Perish opening cut, “The Mounty” and gave the band a nifty writeup. Because it’s the internet and nothing’s sacred, here’s the song for your streaming pleasure:

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I’m planning on putting more music from Kings Destroy online soon. Also some cool announcements to come from the band show-wise for the New Year, so definitely stay tuned. All lists aside, And the Rest Will Surely Perish really is my favorite album of 2010, and if you’ve picked up a copy, I hope you’re enjoying it at least half as much as I am.

Thanks for supporting Kings Destroy, The Maple Forum and The Obelisk. Only 53 copies left!

It had been years since I was last in the Cake Shop, but upon my arrival I found it much the same as I’d last left it: upstairs a coffee bar that sells LPs and limited this-and-thats, and downstairs a basement venue not unlike other venerable Manhattan stops I’ve come across over the years — Lit Lounge, Ace of Clubs, The Pyramid all spring to mind. Christmas lights hung around the stage, giving a festive air, which was appropriate for Kings Destroy‘s record release show for the brilliant And the Rest Will Surely Perish. I got there in time to see the band soundcheck, and they sounded tight, guitarist Carl Porcaro playing through a broken wrist and not being held back by it in the slightest. Everything came through clear, so they broke down and eventually the show got going.

Maegashira opened. There was a lot of friends, a lot of emotions and a lot of feedback. Then it was over.

I couldn’t remember if I’d seen The Brought Low since they put out Third Record earlier this year, but even if I had, I was certainly more familiar with the songs this time around. During the course of their set, they played the first four songs off the album in a row — by the time they got around to the ultra-grooving “My Favorite Waste of Time,” I was both drunk and so happy I couldn’t stand still — as well as cuts from their prior self-titled and Right on Time offerings. They’ve always been a live band in my mind, and since they went power-trio, they’ve only gotten better. Their garage rock side comes out more in their sound, but they offset it with thicker tones and occasional breakneck speed. However long it had been, it felt like too long since I’d seen them. What a band.

As they do, Kings Destroy pulled in a good crowd for the release show, and they positively killed. They were slower than the last time I saw them, and it seemed like the band had purposefully taken a step back to examine what they were doing live, to bring it more in line with the album. It worked. Porcaro and fellow guitarist Chris Skowronski played together with the kind of unspoken chemistry you can only have when you’ve shared a stage with someone for years — because they have — and bassist Ed Bocchino‘s tone is quickly becoming one of my favorites in doom. Couple that with the refined crash of Rob Sefcik and the increasing confidence of Steve Murphy — now firmly in command of the room — behind the mic, and you’ve got the makings of a classic.

They’re reportedly at work on new material already, but stuck to And the Rest Will Surely Perish for their set. I’m not sure when I grabbed it, but at some point in my stupor, I grabbed their set list and it went as follows: “Medusa,” “The Mounty,” “Planet XXY,” “The Whittler,” “Stung,” “Dusty Mummy” and closing with “Old Yeller,” leaving only “Two Tons” from the record unplayed. Even when Porcaro broke a string, they kept going. He got another guitar and was back in it in no time, and no momentum was lost. These dudes are pros — and I’ll be totally honest — they make me wish I had a real label, with distribution and promotion and all that happy crap, because they deserve to be heard.

The crowd thinned out some after Kings Destroy, leaving Alkahest to close out the night in the basement. I continue to be a fan and intrigued to see where these guys end up stylistically, since every time I see them it’s a different kind of experience. Frontman Chris spent a good portion of the set writhing on the Cake Shop floor (which didn’t look clean), leaving the stage to the rest of the band, who filled it amply. They were a last-minute replacement for Mighty High, whose drummer’s special lady had a baby the week prior, but Alkahest made the best of it and capped off a great night in fittingly aggressive fashion. Their balance of tortured vs. angry vs. ambient has not yet ceased to fascinate.

The Patient Mrs. drove me back to the valley, and certainly I wouldn’t have made it without her. I gave back some of the evenings Newcastles in the form of a short and sweet-tasting vomit session, then crashed out, my ears ringing, my body sore, and my stomach already looking forward to the omelet that would necessarily follow in the morning. I wouldn’t have traded any part of the night for anything in the world.

Kings Destroy‘s trad doom monolith, And the Rest Will Surely Perish — the second release on The Obelisk‘s in-house label, The Maple Forum — sold 27 copies in its first week of release. All of the thank-you cards are gone, and I have 71 copies of the album left. If you haven’t yet, place your order via Paypal using the button above.

Just a reminder, Kings Destroy play their CD release show this Friday, Dec. 10 at The Cake Shop in NYC with Mighty High, The Brought Low and Maegashira supporting. It’s going to be a great time, and the band will have copies of the record available, so please come down and pick one up. Here’s the flier for the show again:

Click on the Paypal button above to purchase a copy of And the Rest Will Surely Perish by Brooklyn doom outfit Kings Destroy. The cost is $10 for domestic American orders and $12 for international (you’ll recall last time it was $14). The album comes in a full jewel case with stunningly doomed artwork by Seldon Hunt and, in all honesty, I think it’s the best traditional doom record of the year.

You get your elements of Saint Vitus and Sabbath, but there’s a dirty rock edge to it too, some Church of Misery riffing and this badass ultra-groove that you just have to hear to understand. Sanford Parker did an amazing job bringing out the best in the band (the drum sound is unreal), and there are even some shades of the band’s collective NYHC pedigree in acts like Killing Time and Uppercut.

The first 20 orders come with a thank-you card. No bullshit. I bought thank-you cards, and I have them ready to go. They have a turtle on them. There were 300 discs pressed, and I have 100 to sell. You’ll note the purchase link is in the sidebar as well as above; I’ve kept two copies for myself, given one away and sold two already since putting that button live last night. 95 copies left to go out.

Thank you for your support of The Maple Forum, of Kings Destroy and of The Obelisk.

[Please note: This post will be in the top spot for the next week. New ones will appear underneath.]