This Little Underground

Happening on the same strip but occupying the far opposite end of the musical spectrum was the expanded two-day reprise of the heavy music mini-festival You Are Doomed Fest (May 5-6, Will's Pub), the area's most tastefully curated metal expo.

The jaw-dropper of this year's event was Miami sludge-drone band Holly Hunt. The calling card of this haymaking guitar-and-drums duo is instrumental minimalism jacked to maximum heights.Instead of the typical pit of murk that lots of likeminded bands end up in, their thrillingly primordial beast-groan rages with electrified clarity. This is a campaign of power, not gloom. Guitarist Gavin Perry's rig is mammoth and, in the band's more charging moments, it becomes obvious how killer of a drummer Beatriz Monteavaro (ex-Floor) is. Together, they're one pile-driving phenomenon. And lucky for you, they're back in town this Saturday to open for Torche (May 12, Will's Pub) so go get flattened.

And there's still practically nothing like the stoned-out sludge of Jacksonville/Central Florida band Hollow Leg,one of the most exhilarating metal bands around. Few things are more life-affirming than letting the nasty mudslide of their dirty sound pour down on you. Damn, that shit makes you feel not blood but pure masculine power pump through your veins. That's truth there.

There's no shortage of metal in Orlando. But taken in aggregate, the median IQ ain't exactly high. That's why it's essential to support this kind of high-caliber heavy music gathering. Otherwise, you have only yourself to blame each time you see a mook-rock bill.

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