The season-long Coachella that was once NYC’s Tecate-soaked, air conditioner-agnostic summer show roster is right around the corner, but before the procession of un-ironic sun hats and color-coordinated side-boob begins its Uber death march north, This One Goes to Eleven has cooked up a little taste of the old days. Friday the 13th at The Acheron. A hardcore band from Pittsburgh. $10, no bullshit, and plenty of beer. Grab your tickets and get in the pit.
The evening begins with local sludge upstarts Pants Exploder, who are packing a collection of riffs so huge no pair of tight black jeans could ever hope to contain them. Dick jokes aside, these dudes have some very real potential, so check out their self-titled debut—which dropped back in February—and then make sure to show up early for what is sure to be one of the four best sets of the night.
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Following that trouser tearer/terror, are Brooklyn post-doom vets, Thera Roya. Being both rad dudes and certified heavy metal workaholics, Thera Roya stepped up to replace Mountain God on short notice, and deserve to be showered in affection and beer thusly. Before we get ahead of ourselves, however, go listen to their recent split with Sangharsha or pick up a copy of their new b-sides and rarities tape.
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After Thera Roya, it’s Blackest‘s turn to do what they do best—which, as a hardcore band with faith in the almighty power of the breakdown, is play fucking live. These dudes have a demo and a Converse-sanctioned single for you to check out, or you could just take my word for it: I’ve seen these dudes open for High on Fire (one of the most incredible live metal bands of all time) and they more than hold their own. If that isn’t enough to get you in the door, that’s okay. Netflix is fun too.
Finally, we arrive at Slaves BC, who headline their first-ever Acheron pilgrimage tomorrow night. I’ve been raving about the Pittsburgh outfit’s nihilistic new full length, All is Dust and I Am Nothing, since it’s release in February, so hopefully some of you have already hopped aboard that runaway train. If not, there’s almost literally no better time than the present.
Noisey wrote about these guys’ social media prowess at length earlier this year, and while definitely a class above the usual indifferent metal standard, none of that would matter if they didn’t bring it like a pair of rusty brass knuckles to the septum. Thankfully, however, that’s not much of a concern, with Slaves BC flexing a relentless breed of blackened hardcore and a Steel Town work ethic that is sure to make their six-hour trek to Waterbury Street worth it for just about everyone involved. Be there or don’t, but if you’re looking to celebrate Friday the 13th in fittingly morbid fashion, you may as well waste it with us.