Tonight's top touring shows put a serious emphasis on all things heavy.
This Will Destroy You at Good Records
This free, in-store performance by San Marcos' This Will Destroy You serves a CD and LP
release party for the band's Suicide Squeeze Records debut, Tunnel
Blanket. In addition to the performance, the fine folks at Good Records will be offering up free
posters, buttons and other goodies with purchase of the CD or LP. Rumor
is that food and a certain tasty beverage will also be provided free of charge. If the
impressive, atmospheric drone of TWHY isn't enough incentive for you to
attend this show, well, hopefully the added accoutrements will do the trick.
Black Label Society, All That Remains and Hail the Villain at the House of Blues
Zakk Wylde (born Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt ) has played
guitar for Ozzy Osbourne on and off for several years. But he's done plenty on his own, too. After his first
stint with Ozzy came to an end around 1995, Wylde formed Black Label
Society, and his band's brand of metal doesn't deviate all that much from
that of his former boss. Like an unholy mix of Metallica and Lynyrd
Skynyrd, Black Label Society is kind of the white-trash version of Black Sabbath.
Wylde leads this howling, trailer-park nightmare into some unexpectedly
bluesy territory, but for the most part, it's standard metal clichés.
Songs such as "Parade of the Dead," "War of Heaven" and the pompus piano
ballad dedicated to Arlington's Own Dimebag Darrell, "In This River," come across like they were created from a rubric
written by Ozzy himself -- not that such is a really bad thing, mind you.
Steve Helms at Billy Bob's
Hailing
from Cleburne, Steve Helms is the kind of workingman country artist
that is always best-suited to the confines of Billy Bob's. Helms'
self-titled, debut effort just hit the streets and tonight's show serves
as its release party. Fans of old school country acts like George Straight
will find much to enjoy in the music of Steve Helms. Songs such as "Lyin'
Here" and "What's It Gonna Take" offer laid-back, hayseed grooves, and
just the right amount of rural wisdom.