The Bowery Presents

Music Hall of Williamsburg upcoming shows

BORIS
official website
Some bands are fly-by-night operations, garnering instant fame, critical acclaim and shattering all album sales expectations within their first couple years of operation. You've seen 'em before — they're certainly here today, everyone's darlings tomorrow, and merely relegated to curbside refuse service just before the end of the week.

Boris is certainly not one of those spontaneous success stories. Though the thunderously heavy and melodic Japanese experimental rock outfit has only very recently been introduced to American ears — most notably via its groundbreaking 2006 release, Pink — the trio (vocalist/drummer Atsuo, vocalist/guitarist Wata and vocalist/bassist Takeshi) has been steadily grazing its unique sonic turf for well over the past decade. And the release of its latest full-length endeavor, Smile, will force the boundaries of Boris' already-expansive repertoire — which features nearly a dozen albums — into new extremes.
Torche
official website
myspace
After the breakup of Floor in 2004, Torche vocalist/guitarist Steve Brooks decided to carry on the thundering tradition of his former band, recruiting guitarist Juan Montoya (also formerly of Floor), drummer Rick Smith, and bassist Jonathan Nuñez. This lineup evolved the sonic template Brooks had created with Floor into a lush and more fully realized sound. In 2005, the Miami, FL four-piece released their eponymous debut on Robotic Empire, introducing the world to a new brand of doom/stoner metal that replaces the bleakness and despair typical of the genre with a more triumphant and anthemic sound: the heavy metal equivalent of Chariots of Fire. Combining de-tuned, droning guitars reminiscent of doom luminaries Earth and Sunn 0))) with soaring, harmonic vocals, Torche created a new take on the genre that is best described as "doom pop." After the album's release, the band began extensive cross-country touring, sharing bills with the Sword, Mouth of the Architect, Jesu, Isis, and Mogwai. In March of 2007, Torche released a remastered version of their self-titled album featuring the bonus track "Make Me Alive." In the summer of 2007, Torche released the beautifully packaged EP In Return on Robotic Empire, featuring a jacket designed by John Baizley of Baroness. Late in 2007, the band announced that they had finished recording their second album, Meanderthal, which was slated for a spring 2008 release.
--by Greg Heaney
Russian Circles
official website
myspace
If one wanted to be lazy, they could simply describe Russian Circles as an instrumental act in the vein of Pelican and all those other post-rock/metal hybrids. But this would be doing a huge disservice to Russian Circles. Yes, the band certainly draws from the likes of post-rock/metal trailblazers Isis and Neurosis, but there is also a significant draw of math-rock from the likes of Don Caballero, Drive Like Jehu, and Frodus, not to mention, the occasional nod to math-core pioneers Botch. Combine all these influences together and you get the brilliance that is the forty-four minutes that comprise “Enter”. -Scene Point Blank
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