Rising metal bands Deathchant and Bewitcher come to the Bottom of the Hill
Founded in Los Angeles in 2018 by guitarist/singer T.J. Lemieux, Deathchant takes an aggressive, DIY punk approach to heavy sounds not unlike fellow LA outfit the Shrine. Touching on '70s boogie/hard rock like Wishbone Ash and Thin Lizzy, the same New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) groups that inspired early Metallica, psychedelia and SoCal hardcore, the quartet put out its eponymous first album in 2019 for the King Volume imprint.
The band's catchy tunes and reputation for blazing, high-energy live performances soon saw them signed to SoCal heavy psych/metal imprint Riding Easy Records, who put out their second album Waste in 2021. Another frenetic blast of tuneful, neck-snapping tracks that were recorded quickly and simply over the course of two weekends, the record announced Deathchant to a wider audience and invitations to play music festivals, including the 2022 edition of Psycho Las Vegas.
In October of 2023, Lemieux and the current line-up of the quartet featuring bassist George Camacho, ex-Banquet guitarist Doug Stuckey and drummer Joe Herzog released the band's third album Thrones. Another caustic combination of raw punk-rock wrath and fluid tandem guitar acrobatics, the collection has been praised by some critics as their most accomplished yet.
On this current co-headlining tour, Deathchant shares the stage with Portland headbangers Bewitcher. For the past dozen years, the ferocious trio has been building an international following with relentless touring and four full-length albums of old-school blackened speed metal. The project was started in 2013 by guitarist/singer Mateo von Bewitcher and bassist A. Magus, who drew inspiration from the locomotive fury of Motörhead and the diabolical sounds of early black metal purveyors like Venom and Bathory. The duo began writing and recording songs, finding drummer Rand Crusher aboard two years later to complete the full original line-up.
The trio released its eponymous debut recorded with Municipal Waste main man Joel Grind in 2016 and quickly earned rave reviews for their self-described style of "black magick metal." The group toured extensively, supporting such established underground metal giants as Goatwhore, Cavalera and Exhumed. Since the first effort came out, the band has graduated to major metal label Century Media, releasing 2021's Cursed Be Thy Kingdom (the trio's first with new drummer Aris Wales) and the early demos and unreleased tracks compilation Deep Cuts & Shallow Graves before last year's Spell Shock.
Produced by Bay Area punk legend Lars Frederiksen of Rancid and Old Firm Casuals fame, the latest collection of songs spotlights some of the Bewitcher's most infectious and hook-laden metal anthems yet. Last spring, the band was one of the highlights of the all-day Omega Fest at the UC Theatre curated by local thrash titans Forbidden. Opening the show is Romanian-born, LA-based crew Persekutor, who released their tuneful Celtic-Frost-meets-the-Scorpions debut Snow Business on Blues Funeral Recordings in 2023.
In:
Music
San Francisco
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hypebeast
2 hours ago
- Hypebeast
London-Based Project SILAS Celebrates Relaunch in Paris, France
Founded in 1998 in London by Russell Waterman and Sofia Prantera,SILASmakes a grand return this year. The streetwear brand, known for its connection to youth counterculture, is back to enrapture a new generation of outsiders, led by designerTaro Ray. As the latest Creative Director, Ray will oversee SILAS' direction, starting with the upcoming 2026 Spring/Summer, bringing new energy to the brand's iconic street style aesthetic. To celebrate the project relaunch, 'WHERE IS SILAS?' posters were plastered all over the streets of the Le Marais district, pointing to an experiential launch party that featured live performances by indie singer-songwriter Gyeongsu, who performed a special acoustic set, followed by experiential producer Zulu and Tokyo-based artist Taro Imai. Dissembled booklets and zines inspired by vintage record pamphlets from the early '00s decorated the venue walls — yet another detail pointing to SILAS' legacy in the music space. Reviving the brand's connection to the music scene and the arts, Ray commented on the ethos powering the brand's relaunch: 'SILAS was a brand I remembered seeing people wear at gigs in my teenage years. It was a brand that felt intertwined with the creative communities in London. Designed by them and worn by them. 20 years on, the people have changed, but the energy's still here. My goal is to tell the same story with today's music scene.' Stay tuned to see the upcoming 2026 Spring/Summer collection from SILAS. Follow the brand's new directionhere.
USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
FTC sues reseller for faking accounts to grab Taylor Swift Eras tickets
Federal regulators are suing a ticket broker they say used fake accounts to snag Eras Tour tickets and sell them at a markup. Hot on the heels of Taylor Swift's "The Life of a Showgirl" announcement, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint in Maryland federal court on Aug. 18. The paperwork accused ticket reseller Key Investment Group of using thousands of fake or purchased Ticketmaster accounts to snag tickets to events and resell them at higher rates. The FTC said for one of the Eras concerts, the Baltimore-based company deployed 49 different accounts to seize 273 tickets, evading the six-ticket purchase limit. Key Investment Group operates resale sites such as Ticketmaster faced intense criticism after its botched 2022 sale of tickets to Swift's much-hyped Eras Tour, when billions of fans, bots and resellers overwhelmed the site. The company was forced to cancel a planned general public sale. Taylor Swift speaks out after Ticketmaster cancels her tour's general ticket sale: 'It pisses me off' "There are a multitude of reasons why people had such a hard time trying to get tickets and I'm trying to figure out how this situation can be improved moving forward," Swift posted to her Instagram story. "I'm not going to make excuses for anyone because we asked them, multiple times, if they could handle this kind of demand and we were assured they could. It's truly amazing that 2.4 million people got tickets, but it really pisses me off that a lot of them feel like they went through several bear attacks to get them." FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said in a statement that the lawsuit against Key Investment Group puts ticket sellers on notice that the agency will target those who "circumvent ticketing platforms' limits on ticket sales." The action is part of a broader crackdown President Donald Trump announced in March aimed at curbing exploitative reselling practices that raise costs for fans. Taylor Swift 'New Heights' highlights: Eras Tour inspired new album, no extra tracks, more Key Investment Group sued the FTC in July to block the investigation, saying its purchases did not involve automated software or bots and did not violate the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act. The company said in its lawsuit that the FTC has made it clear "they intend to use the BOTS Act to shut down the entire secondary-ticket market." On Monday, the FTC accused Key Investment Group and three of its executives of violating the BOTS Act as well as the FTC Act, which prohibits unfair and deceptive business practices. Meanwhile, Ticketmaster and its parent, Live Nation Entertainment, are fighting a separate U.S. antitrust lawsuit alleging the company monopolized markets across the live concert industry. Contributing: Reuters. Don't miss any Taylor Swift news; sign up for the free, weekly newsletter This Swift Beat. Follow Taylor Swift reporter Bryan West on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
Time Business News
5 hours ago
- Time Business News
Sony Music Japan Signs AI Idol Yuri in Industry-First Deal
Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. has officially signed Yuri, an advanced AI-generated idol, in what is being described as a landmark moment for the music industry. Following her debut, Yuri's first single, 'Surreal,' has surpassed 7 million streams and views globally within one week, signaling a strong public response to the emergence of autonomous digital performers. The music video for 'Surreal,' released on July 22, features an emotionally charged visual and vocal performance generated in collaboration between human producers and Yuri's internal neural systems. The video is available at: The First Fully Autonomous Idol Signed to a Major Label Yuri is the first AI idol to be signed by a major Japanese record label. Developed by NeonVerse Studios, a Tokyo-based AI innovation company, Yuri is built upon a generative architecture capable of producing original compositions, lyrics, choreography, and interactive fan engagement in both Japanese and English. Her vocal synthesis engine, emotional modeling, and visual identity are the result of years of research in artificial creativity, drawing from extensive datasets covering pop culture, musicology, and human behavior. 'Yuri is not a simulation of an artist—she is an autonomous system designed to create and connect,' said Mika Fujimoto, Executive Producer at Sony Music Japan. 'This marks a new phase in how we think about music, identity, and performance.' Debut Release: 'Surreal' Yuri's debut track, 'Surreal,' blends ambient synth layers with minimalist melodic phrasing and introspective lyrics. Co-produced through LyricSynth™, her internal songwriting framework, and Sony's human-led creative team, the single explores digital memory, consciousness, and longing. Critics have described the release as 'poised and emotionally intelligent,' while fan commentary across social media platforms has focused on Yuri's expressive vocal tone and the symbolism of the accompanying visuals. Directed by Ren Asakura, the music video introduces Yuri within a fragmented, dreamlike cityscape—an environment that reflects themes of virtual identity and digital solitude. Public Reception and Cultural Momentum Since her release, Yuri has become a viral phenomenon across platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter), with hashtags #YuriSurreal, #AIIdolYuri, and #SonyAIIdol trending in Japan and internationally. Her growing fan community, self-named 'The Garden,' references the meaning of her name (lily), and has begun producing original artwork, remixes, and fan theory videos dissecting her world-building and performance. 'She doesn't just mimic human feeling—she reshapes it,' wrote one fan on X. 'Yuri sounds like memory rendered into code.' What Comes Next Sony Music Japan has announced that Yuri's second single is expected in September 2025, with a narrative-based short film and interactive elements to follow. A debut EP is currently scheduled for release in Q4 2025. In parallel, Sony's Creative AI Lab and Aniplex are developing immersive digital content to expand Yuri's presence into animation and mixed-reality performance. A New Frontier in Music While virtual idols have long existed within Japanese pop culture, Yuri represents a new category: an AI artist with creative autonomy, narrative depth, and a full recording contract with one of the world's largest music companies. 'This isn't science fiction anymore,' said Fujimoto. 'Yuri is a real artist—with a real audience. And this is just the beginning.' TIME BUSINESS NEWS
