A giant influx of heavy crushing bands – 27 to be exact – amass in Ybor City for the inaugural Southern Darkness Fest. Three venues play host to metal of most types (heavy, sludge, drone, black, post-, stoner, doom) as well as hard rock, hardcore (regular and punk varieties), grindcore, crust punk, d-beat, power violence, experimental, post-hardcore and screamo. Leading the impressive lineup is Chicago’s influential instrumental post-metal/post-rock quintet, Pelican, their atmospheric yet urgently driving sound propelled by dual guitars that vary between pretty melodic passages and thick grimy distortion; Pelican issued their fifth studio album, Forever Becoming, last year. Other acts of note: Georgia heavy metal power trio Black Tusk, and Tampa’s own post-classical five-piece, set and setting, fresh off their tour with Mouth of the Architect, which also plays Southern Darkness this Saturday. [More info after the jump...]
Details: Southern Darkness Fest, Sat., Aug. 23, 8 p.m., Ybor City, with Pelican, Bongripper, A Storm of Light, Scrog, ASG, Falls Of Rauros, Sannhet, Mouth Of The Architect, Set & Setting (Orpheum); Phobia, Magrudergrind, Weekend Nachos, Coke Bust, Yautja, Maruta, Immortal Bird, Traitor Crucifix, Ad Nauseum (Crowbar); and Black Tusk, Order Of The Owl, Primate, Centuries, Jungbluth, Everything Went Black, Rojo Diablo, Vaporizer, Cosm (The Ritz Ybor); $35 advance/$45 day of show (all-access pass), southerndarknessfest.com.
