Abraded, Turn Cold, Dungeon Filth and Virtual Annihilation get putrid in Atlanta
Written by Scott Belzer | May 8th, 2023
Imagine a dark, dank swamp. There are no lights other than a full moon, but there are sounds aplenty—crickets, frogs, the hiss of an alligator, the slithering of a snake. Beneath it all, there’s something else. A cold, distant cackling—or was it a roar? Was that the bubbling of a cauldron? It could be anything. After all, you’re in Abraded’s world, and it’s all things sinister.
Hailing from somewhere that has almost nothing to do with swamps (Cleveland), Abraded has been slinging rotten riffs and machine gun rhythms since 2018. Often compared to Undergang, Cianide, and Autopsy, the trio—comprised of Patric Pariano, Mark Gallon, and Evan Crouse—provide a brand of quick-and-dirty deathgrind that’s sure to make faces snarl and fists clench. Most Abraded songs don’t go over the three-minute mark, but each is buried in a well of putrid distortion with spewing vocals, knuckle-dragging beats, clever orchestration, and bombastic breakdowns. The band’s lyrics appropriately conjure images of swamps, monsters, psychosexual cannibalism, and witchery—adding a tongue-in-cheek playfulness to all the mayhem.
For their latest album, Unadulterated Perversity (a personal favorite for 2023) Abraded really lean into some gore-stricken fun. In 11 songs lasting 33 minutes, the band unleashes mosh-worthy, rump-shaking rhythms that cleverly traverse a variety of timing. You’ll two-step (“Nothing Left to Lose”). You’ll headbang (“Forced Inoculation”). You’ll headbang even slower (“Putrefying Cunnilingus”) and then get caught up in the gaseous hurricane once again (“The Hillsnatch”). The fact Abraded can also bust out a great guitar solo and memorable melody is just icing on the cake.
Abraded will be throwing trashy riffs your way at Boggs Social & Supply on May 10 with local support from Turn Cold, Dungeon Filth, and Virtual Annihilation.
Turn Cold’s sound sits somewhere in the middle of a Venn diagram labeled “thrash” and “hardcore.” To say the local four-piece is high on energy would be quite an understatement, as the vocalist can be found among the crowd—caught in a mosh—more than their own band. With lightning-quick riffage, straightforward vocals, and reliable, consistent breakdowns, Turn Cold is sure to check a wide variety of boxes for your average heavy music enjoyer. It would be easy (and lazy) to compare Turn Cold to bands like Enforced, Foreseen, Street Justice, or Power Trip, but these guys have their own thing going on. Check out the band’s latest EP, Chew Glass, and be prepared for some Atlanta-style live entertainment. Turn Cold played with Fulci last September and delivered this all-timer bit of stage banter, “We’re Turn Cold, we’re from here. Buy some merch. We have baseball bats.”
Unless you avoid metal shows like an Atlanta tourist avoids Five Points Station, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Dungeon Filth perform at least once. The deathgrind trio brings a palpable energy to each show they play, growing a respectable following amid younger and older metalheads alike in the process. After seeing Dungeon Filth play—whether donned with leather fetish attire or simply sporting street threads—it’s easy to see why: each performance is a raw expression of filth, anger, and fun. Their sound is every bit as dirty as Abraded’s, with a bit more experimentation and emphasis on the “grind” in deathgrind.
And if it’s filth you favor and grindcore you crave, Virtual Annihilation will be dishing it out first on May 10. The local trio—made up of brothers Ty and Tyler Peacock and Jeret McMurray—have released a few singles and one EP, each offering its own rotten sound. One listen of “Paranoi-America” tells you all you need to know about this trio’s blend of dirty-to-the-core deathgrind.
– Scott Belzer
This Wednesday, May 10th Abraded, Turn Cold, Dungeon Filth, and Virtual Annihilation bring it to Boggs Social. You can get your ticket HERE.