The inaugural day-long Destroyer Fest assembles an impressive group of metal acts with varying sounds and brings them to the State Theatre stage, all in the name of charity. On the national front, headlining duties go to North Carolina-hewn Weedeater, a trio that doles out surging, grooving stoner metal dosed with high-octane dynamism in a live setting. Aggressive New England outfit Full of Hell slays with “grinding death in the form of hardcore punk,” while Athens, Ga.’s Lazer/Wulf brings incredible technicality, surprising melody and ambitious concepts to their fusion of prog-metal, thrash, and what-the-funk; new album The Beast of Left and Right forms a palindrome – the instrumental passages, lyrics, and other song elements are the same backward and forward. My brain hurts just thinking about it.
Nearly a dozen local and Florida-brewed acts of varying heaviness support these three nationals – from Yogurt Smoothness’ noisy post-punk experimentalism to the greasy cheeky Southern metal sounds of American Party Machine, both from Orlando, to the doomful slow rock-outs of St. Pete’s own Cosm and the heavy crunching instrumentals and operatic arias of Miami-spawned prog-metal two-piece Cave of Swimmers. Proceeds from the fest will be donated to the Epilepsy Services Foundation in conjunction with Epilepsy Awareness Month.
Details:Destroyer Fest with Weedeater, Full of Hell, Lazer/Wulf, Holly Hunt, ULCER, Orbweaver, Cave of Swimmers, Cosm, Hollow Leg, Nothing In The Dark, American Party Machine, Landbridge, Yogurt Smoothness and Servants of the Mist, Sat., Nov. 15, 3 p.m.-midnight, State Theatre, St. Petersburg, $15 advance, $18 at the door (official after party at Local 662 starts at 11 p.m., $5); statehteatreconcerts.com.