Twelve Kansas City bands share their thoughts on Armageddon before bringing mayhem to the Mission Theatre
“Perish” by Out of the Suffering
Local music prophets foresee an impending Winter Armageddon, predicting the time and location of its arrival with chilling precision (4 p.m. Saturday at the Mission Theatre). If the name turns out to be a mere euphemism for a violent blizzard, the 12 metal bands gathered at the venue will scoff at the arctic conditions.
“Winter is the bleakest, most miserable time of year, so metal bands thrive off it,” says Dustin Johnson, bassist for the self-proclaimed “Missouri River murder metal” outfit There Is No I in Murder. “Some of the best Swedish and Norwegian bands pretty much live in an icy hell.” (For the most compelling footage ever filmed of a black-metal icon on frozen tundra, see VBS.tv‘s feature on Gorgoroth singer Gaahl.)
However, metal musicians, like the rest of humanity, have yet to weather Armageddon. Dystopian science-fiction films such as the upcoming Doomsday depict widespread atrocities, barren terrain and crazed men in mohawks. In these grim cinematic futures, unassuming characters often rise to warrior-savior status. Seeking Surreal, an indie-rock act on a brick-heavy bill, could be that champion if end-times bedlam arises.
“We might be the most melodic of these groups, but individually we’re all pretty brutal,” Seeking Surreal guitarist Holden Simpson says. “We would form a gang of mutants, cannibalize any males we encountered and capture females for reproduction to boost our numbers. Our music would probably get heavier, too.”
The Resident Evil trilogy suggests that Out of the Suffering bassist Krista Julius might be the one who rises above her brethren to become the zombie-slaying hero of a ravaged land.
“I am prepared to lead my fellow brothers and sisters to safety to ensure the survival of mankind and metal for all eternity,” she says. “Eat your heart out, Xena!”
Severend creates crushing death-metal songs with titles such as “To Watch the Sky Burn,” but when faced with the prospect of an actual fiery horizon, guitarist Collin Kitzerow becomes philosophical and optimistic.
“A key to surviving in a post-apocalyptic world will be mobility,” he says. “Those who are able to move freely and live off the land will survive. Touring bands would thus lead the charge into an unknown future. The music in this era will ask how a loving God could allow such a catastrophe. Metal music will become an outlet for the masses whose lives have been destroyed by the disaster. The messages sent by metal bands will either unite our society as a whole or plunge it deeper into the endless cascade of suffering, disease and false hopes. In this barbaric environment, metal will provide a new release of energy, a new sense of security and a new tool for social change.”
Whatever happens, Godzai guitarist T-Rez wants his group in the middle of the chaos. “If I had it my way, Godzai would be throwing the biggest concert of all time as the bombs are flying,” he says. “People would be running for their lives as we played our sweet jams on the final day. The Four Horsemen would be riding circles around us as the Harlot moshes around with her cup of holy blood. God and the devil would throw down in a no-holds-barred cage match, with us playing the soundtrack to the end.”
