Anti-imperialism, anti-capitalism and pushing
back are nothing new to these four bands.
Their messages can be hidden underneath noisy guitar
and growling vocals, but meet the musicians
who show that D.C.'s heavy scene is definitely political.
Ms. Proxy, Safra Machete and Kirby
form the experimental punk rock trio Blkvapor.
They are a queer Black band in Baltimore,
"protesting, protecting & defending through music"!
They defy every assumption about punk's monolithic
imagery: typically white, male and leaning older.
We immediately knew they were something special
when a friend sent us 'Fuck You (Transphobia)'.
Blkvapor's music is a testimony to ignorance's
presence in American life today, but
is also full of revolutionary reassurance.
Very refreshing to hear that truth.
Did we mention our favorite song is 'Foxglove'?
Blkvapor's debut EP received positive feedback,
and sent them on the road to multiple festivals beyond D.C.
Could they be the catalyst of change in future days?
Don't forget this uniquely rebellious band.
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Trish Rexx is ferocious lead performer of this
punk rock four-piece band.
"Face-melting, high-energy Rock'n'Roll.
Wreaking havoc and riffs since 2013,"
in their own words, punks of the people.
Nicole Kali first discovered Capital Offender in 2016.
"Let the darkness creep in...
we are the creatures of the night,
just wanna be satisfied till the day we die." (Link)
They tell us about a different D.C. than the straight-lace,
official establishment city version.
Trump's administration as 45th President
embodied a destructive, reductionist agenda.
And they called us to resist, stand against it.
"We're gonna fight (fight, fight)!
Get the fuck out of our way!" ('Fight' Lyrics)
Trish's unapologetic about being a powerful woman
who commands sexual attention either.
At first, it may not seem that her passion and
perspective aren't political.
Listen to Capital Offender. Decide for yourself.
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Grishka is a black/death/thrash metal band
of four young dudes: Danny Gorsky (vocalist),
guitarist Will Healy, Larry Gourdine on bass
and percussionst Stephen Mezo.
]
"GRISHKA formed amidst the onset of Covid-19 pandemic.
Unemployed and angry we screamed into the ether in a Baltimore basement."
Their corrosive riffs burn themselves into your memory,
and you wonder where such explosive energy could
come from besides a pandemic...and social collapse.
'Castigation' sounds exactly like the song title,
scorching its political adversaries to set them straight.
hate5six famously recorded Grishka's brutality
and their set is an absolute essential for D.C.-area
metalheads who miss the older-school sound.
They perform with other anti-fascist bands like hometown
favorites Ilsa and New Jersey's Replicant.
Find out what Grishka is about.
]
Who can list D.C. area political, PROGRESSIVE bands
without mentioning these 2008 doom/sludge lords, ILSA?
Unbelievably talented and tonally perfect.
Corpse Fortress (2018) released on Relapse Records
a full decade after first rocking the local scene.
And trust us, we weren't ready then any more than today.
Ominous lyricism interwove with blistering, crisp instrumentation.
One particular track is hard to forget: 'Prosector'.
"We bestow immunity to kill with impunity
Justice delayed, justice denied...
Systematic suicide!" (Genius)
The U.S. government was embroiled in Middle
Eastern and South Asian military fronts at that time,
justifying their hatred of the Muslim world.
Preyer followed and completely shook listeners again.
"Recorded as the world shuttered away in 2020,
ILSA harnessed the fears and uncertainties of troubled times...
"Preyer is a wringing of these themes for the sweat and stink.
Power's destructive force, love and other
extremist positions, religious fanaticism, depression
& mental illness, social order and control."
Indictments of religion, fears of health crises and
distrusting fellow people were all thematic elements at play.
You will definitely enjoy ILSA's global doom prophecies.
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