Woe (NYC):
Woe, originally emerging from Philadelphia in 2007 and relocating to New York City in 2011, represents a significant force in the American black metal landscape. Founded by Chris Grigg, the band started as a solo project, evolving into a collaborative entity that has pushed the boundaries of black metal with its thoughtful and innovative approach.
Their music, characterized by its depth and intensity, speaks to the complexities of human experience, blending aggressive soundscapes with introspective lyrics. Albums like "A Spell for the Death of Man" (2008), "Quietly, Undramatically" (2010), "Withdrawal" (2013), "Hope Attrition" (2017), and "Legacies of Frailty" (2023) showcase Woe's journey from a one-man project to a band that challenges and expands the genre's conventions.
Currently based in New York City, the band's lineup includes Chris Grigg on vocals and guitar, John McKinney on bass, Michael Kadnar on drums, and Matt Mewton on guitar. This formation has solidified Woe's place in the black metal scene, earning them respect and recognition for their contributions to the genre.
Woe's music reflects a mature and reflective approach to black metal, emphasizing both the aggression and the atmospheric elements of the genre. Their work is a testament to the band's commitment to exploring new territories within black metal, making them a noteworthy and respected entity in the genre's evolving narrative.
Obsidian Tongue (Portland, Maine)
Lauded as USBM’s best-kept secret, Obsidian Tongue has been on a steadfast artistic journey since its formation in 2009. They’ve never failed to retain the original mission of playing raw and cathartic melodic black metal as they journeyed further into psychedelic and progressive territories with each release following 2012’s self-released debut “Subradiant Architecture”. While their debut won a passionate following for its perfect union of the grimy and the epic sides of black metal, it was 2013’s “A Nest of Ravens in the Throat of Time” (Hypnotic Dirge Records) and its psychedelic dark metal that established their name more into the scene and showcased their ambitious nature even more.
2015’s 15-minute single “The Lakeside Redemption”, with its progressive, haunting, dreamlike, and triumphant elements, set the groundwork for their third full-length, which took several years of tireless effort to complete. Released in Jan of 2020, “Volume III” (Bindrune Recordings) was the band’s magnum opus but all plans to support the album on the road became thwarted due to the pandemic. So all that was left to do was write even more music. This gradually led to the creation of not one, but three works: the first being 2024’s much-delayed self-released digital EP “The Stone Heart” and the second being their fourth full-length album “Eclipsing Worlds of Scorn” to be released via Profound Lore Records on May 30, 2025.
In the summer of 2024, Obsidian Tongue, comprised of vocalist/guitarist/bassist Brendan Hayter (Thrawsunblat/Obsequiae live) and drummer Raymond Capizzo (Falls Of Rauros/Panopticon live) returned to the all-analog Mystic Valley Studio, where their first two records were made, to print their Covid-era home sessions onto two-inch tape. Mixed and mastered in the analog domain as well by Alex Garcia-Rivera, “Eclipsing Worlds of Scorn” boasts a unique and unmistakable sonic force amidst the modern digital landscape; created with a total absence of click tracks, quantization, or sound replacement of any kind.
The progressive black metal journey that is “Eclipsing Worlds of Scorn” takes off immediately with the wrathful sounds of “Orphaned Spiritual Warrior” and “Snakeskin Tunnel Colony”, easily
the band’s two heaviest tracks to date. These flow directly into the apocalyptic title track, and onto the vulnerable and surreal sounds of “To Forgive Oneself” leading into the acoustic instrumental “…And Still They Dream”. This dream ends with the triumphant “Theater of Smoke & Wind”, a true psychedelic black metal classic that still evokes some of the original feeling found on the band’s “Subradiant Architecture” debut.
16 years into the band’s existence, Obsidian Tongue clearly show no signs of running out of new ways to alter their sound - song by song, album by album.
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