Anicon, Immortal Bird, False and Theories at The Acheron

I've written about how much I love theAhceron many a time on this blog and I'm quite sure that I will continue writing about this beautiful venue for years to come. As I always say, the unique combination of killer food, great people, and 270 degree views of the stage makes for a concert experience that few bands can compare to. When you've got a line up this good things can only get better, as a packed out house was very pleased to find out. This was one of those weird nad unique shows that proves to us how great New York will always be.

Up first were Anicon, who I had never heard of before, but who blew me the fuck away. they have an excellent understanding of black metal and the way that their music ebbs and flows, from crushing blazing riffs to more laid back drones was delicious. Far more frostbitten than many of their American peers, Anicon still have quite a few elements of American black metal. Intelligent and devastating this band is one of those hidden New York City gems who I desperately want to find out more about.

Immortal Bird were up next, fronted by the quasi-legendary Rae Amitay who has quickly proven herself to be one of the great metal vocalists. Her stage presence is stunning, her demonic stage presence and monstrous performance captured my imagination. Meanwhile, the bands top notch songwriting was reflected in their playing, crashing forward and then stepping back, forcing you to revel in the vibes and drink the blood of the innocent. These guys tear the stage up from beginning to end creating a truly transcendent show. In a world where most grind bands feel bland, Immortal Bird go for the throat and make you genuflect in awe.

I had been looking forward to seeing False for a while, but I was hardly expecting their singer to be wearing a sun dress. That being said - the juxtaposition was delicious and the band came off as all the more intense because of it. False are among the greatest of the American black metal bands, largely because of their devastating live presence. The gathered masses were forced into unholy motion and fell desperately in love with what the band had done. Even after a performance as crushing as Immortal Bird's False still managed to resonate - perhaps all the more so because of what they had just seen.

Then the time came for Theories. Now I had seen these guys before in Philadelphia but it was here that I really felt like I understood them for the first time. Each hyper political blast reminds us what metalheads stand for and every punishing attack shook the walls. Theories live will simply tear you the fuck apart. It's probably for the better that their songs are shorter though, because more than three minutes of their pure devastation, with all of its subtle technical ecstasy and stage annihilation would be too much for any one man. Theories understand the true power of grindcore and the deeper I delve the more I fall in love.

And so another great night came to an end. This was one of the best shows that I have ever seen at the Acheron with every band going up and giving it their best. It's nights like these that remind me why I love New York City. Whoever books at the Acheron has been able to do a great job of cultivating top notch lineups - but it's the people who help to make this thing great and the bands who make it transcendent. In a world of suffering, we need to rely on bands like these to avoid putting a gun in our fucking mouths.

Find the bands on Facebook and Bandcamp!

Anicon: https://www.facebook.com/scrapingearthandsky/?fref=ts

Immortal Bird: https://www.facebook.com/immortalbirdband/?fref=ts

False: https://gileadmedia.bandcamp.com/album/untitled-2

Theories: https://www.facebook.com/theoriesgrind/?fref=ts