Columnist: Daniela Chaquea
Burial Fog:
Appropriately describing themselves as “brutal doom”, Burial Fog has earned the respect of the locals by providing a terrifying sound, and an even more terrifying live performance. The deep, violent soundwaves that they produce hum and lurk with a precision that slices through your mind and grips at your soul. Burial Fog is Dan Nelson (bass), Anthony Joseph (vocals), Paul Rosato (guitar), and Keenon Lyons (drums). Their impeccable chemistry on-stage and off-stage are the backbone of their brutality. While Burial Fog has showed their raw power on their latest album, Last to Mourn, the lethal, unhinged brutality of their sound proves itself through their live performances. Their slow, haunting elegance is among my favorites in the local Philly DIY scene. Aside from their incredible sound, their consistency to keep said live sound at peak is highly admirable. Bandcamp link: https://burialfog.bandcamp.com/releases
Magnum Opiate:
This duo is quietly tip-toeing through Philly and with a single purpose; to take every spectator’s ears to Riff City. Consisting of John (drums) and Brett (guitar/vocals), Magnum Opiate’s sound rips through a pulsating, tense sound that vibrates your core. This band is that of honest nature, where their reputation has been earned the way any working musician would want it; through their live sound. Charlton’s sometimes technical and sometimes loose drumming carries a great amount of skill that compliments Sullivan’s piercing, guttural screams and their powerful, deep shredding. If you’d like to cross paths with them and listen to the psychedelic sludge of Magnum Opiate, I highly recommend you lurk the local Philly scene as much as they do!
Hover:
This rowdy-sounding trio, Mark (guitar/vocals), Bryant (bass, vocals), and David (drums), are that of fuzzy, grueling nature. Their live performance provides their audience a good ol’ spike in blood pressure and a sound that tears anxiously. Their noisy, boomy math rock demeanor comes in heavy and captivates the abstract-preferring audiences as much as the hardcore-preferring audiences with their eclectic rotation of songs. While this post-punky, shoegazey powerhouse’s ruthless precision beams in their released music online, there truly is nothing like a solid live performance. Hover has earned the respect of the local scene dwellers just as much as the local bands through their growth, perseverance, and vitality in playing music. Bandcamp link: https://hover.bandcamp.com/
Vulturepeak:
In the most positively brutal ways, Vulturepeak is a noisy, post-hardcore metal mess. Their filthy, uninhibited sound punches through the air and cuts you in half. Their latest album, SNAKE BODY, takes the reigns and charges through dark motifs with the consistency of tar in Rob Holodick’s (guitar/vocals) ripping technique and Jeff Hartley’s (drums) primal, loud precision. With a cocktail of pulsating lighting design and opening a sound-based portal to hell, this band is exceptionally talented, natural, and violent in their performance. Years of their hard work showcase an honest approach to their defined soundwaves. This is a band that I highly recommend you go out of your way to see, due to their consistency in putting on an incredible show. There’s never a bad opportunity to expose yourself to a dark world of music. Bandcamp link: https://vulturepeak.bandcamp.com/
Columnist, Daniela Chaquea lives in Philadelphia, PA, but is originally from Queens, NY. She studied at the NYC College of Technology and is the bassist and lead vocalist for the punk/noise band, NOWHERE.