FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, SXSW WILL BE A METAL FAN’S WET DREAM

I have been to practically every South by Southwest Music Festival (SXSW) since the second one way back in the ’80s. I love the atmosphere of the conference, from its much smaller and humbler days back then, to its over-blown monstrous corporate whoredom current-filled state. But as I have noted here in the past, SXSW has almost always been severely lacking in official heavy metal-friendly sanctioned showcases. If you ever wanted to get your real metal fix at SXSW, you usually had to depend on the non-sanctioned day parties that are thrown around town concurrently with the festival.

Not this year!

I can honestly say that the organizers of SXSW have finally woken up to the beast that is heavy metal and have gone out of their way to cater to our needs. Kudos! Huzzahs! and Hurrahs! to them.

From big names such as Helmet, Crowbar, and Arson Anthem (featuring Philip H. Anselmo and Mike Williams IX from eyehategod) to MetalSucks-approved up-and-comers Kvelertak, Grayceon, and Castevet, to everything from Agalloch to Warbeast.

Also, though they are listed on the website, Louisiana doom-sludgesters haarp told me last Friday in Fort Worth that they will be on the Housecore Records Showcase featuring Anselmo’s Arson Anthem, Warbeast, and Ponykiller.

There are also several metal-friendly panels at the convention proper featuring Duff McKagan, Ms. Laina Dawes’ “Are Metalheads Smart Enough to be Online?” panel that I pushed for last year and yours truly will moderate the “Reel Murder: From Crime Scene to Big Screen” panel at the SXSW Film Festival, which will feature the aforementioned Anselmo, as well as metal video director Hart D. Fisher (Obituary, Dark Angel, Danzig).

Below you will find all of the acts listed on the SXSW website (as of 2/4/11) as Metal, as well as several MS-friendly acts listed under Punk and Rock. Expect even more acts to appear in the coming weeks and a few to drop off. I will start working on the metal-related day parties as they start to rear their ugly heads as well.

METAL

Adept, Agalloch, ALTAAR, Amber Asylum, The Amity Affliction, Animals as Leaders, Arabrot, Asking Alexandria, The Atlas Moth, Benea Reach, Bult, Castevet, Chelsea Grin, Christian Mistress, Crowbar, DAGOBA, Daniel Lioneye, Dawn of Ashes (pictured above), Eagle Claw, Emmure, THE FACELESS, For The Fallen Dreams, Goes Cube, Grayceon, HORSE the band, HOWL, Hull, Iron Age, KEN Mode, Kublai Khan, Kylesa, Liturgy, Magrudergrind, Miss May I, Modern Day Escape, Mose Giganticus, Naam, Novembers Doom, Red Fang, The Rods, Rwake, Saint Vitus, Skrew, Structures, Valient Thorr, Veil of Maya, War From A Harlots Mouth, Warbeast, Weedeater, Whitechapel, Whitehorse, Witch Mountain, Wizard Rifle, Wolvhammer, Worm Ouroboros.

ROCK

Dance Gavin Dance, Dax Riggs, Death Letters, Deathcrush, Dixie Witch, Dredg, Helmet, In Fear And Faith, J Mascis, Kvelertak, Of Mice & Men, Ponykiller, Pulled Apart by Horses, Sasquatch, She Wants Revenge, Suck Piggy, TarantisT, Ume, Uncle Bad Touch (featuring Mikey from Priestess), Witchburn.

PUNK

Arson Anthem, Banner Pilot, Evergreen Terrace, Japanther, OFF!, Peelander-Z, Rolo Tomassi, Zlam Dunk.

Sadly, the ANIMOSITY-era of Corrosion of Conformity is no longer listed among the acts set to perform. So much for this article I wrote last month.

PANELS

Nardwuar’s Video Vault!

Your Financial Advisor is Duff McKagan

Demo Listening Session 3: Metal

Are Metalheads Smart Enough to Be Online?

Reel Murder: From Crime Scene to Big Screen

-CM

Corey Mitchell is a best-selling author of several true crime books.

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