At Siberia, A Wild Weekend Of Dark Metal and Thrash

It’s midsummer in New Orleans, a time and place that always makes you think of….extreme punk and dark metal? Sure thing– at least at Siberia this weekend, where two nights’ worth of dark and fearsome sounds will be offered for the faithful.

Friday night’s bill consists of bands from the Black Twilight Circle, a shadowy and mysterious union of mostly- California bands who are, they say, “bound to chaos worship through extreme arts and ritual.” The bands release discs on their collectively run Crepusculo Negro label; interviews and personal appearances are rare.  Volhan, who composes for and plays with numerous bands in the circle, told this to a Boston Phoenix writer in 2011: “The early days were intoxicating hallucinations of violence, drugs, hatred, prejudice, struggle, and learning the ways of occult ritual. Black Twilight is our means of limitless expression and the purest disorder.” Friday’s show will include Volhan and fellow Circle members Arizmenda, Bilirubin, and Blue Hummingbird on the Left; plus the debut of like-minded New Orleans band Abysmal Lord.

The Black Twilight Circle hits town on Friday..

Saturday’s show is devoted to thrash and hardcore, and features the recently-notorious headliner Evil Army who, according to internet posts, may or may not have permanently borrowed equipment from other bands at a recent Birmingham, Alabama show. (Two-thirds of the band, guitarist/singer Rob Evil and drummer Michael Murder, have both been incarcerated in the past year; Evil wrote some of the new songs while in solitary). Also appearing will be Pensacola, FL hardcore kids Maggot Sandwich, who made their first EP in 1984 and haven’t performed in years; plus speed-metal band Swingin’ Dicks from Dallas; gonzoid punks Mugen Hoso from Tokyo, and original New Orleans hardcore band the Sluts, whose “Nuke the Whales” stands as a classic of its kind.

Friday’s show begins at 10pm and costs $7; Saturday’s is an all-day affair for $10, starting at 12:34pm (don’t ask why) and likely running into the late hours. At Siberia, 2227 St. Claude.