Metal Massacre 2 – The Craft of Brewing

Human Infection performing at The Craft of Brewing in Ashburn, VA on 08.05.2023. Photo Credit: Robert Escue

Ashburn, VA – A power packed lineup of local and regional acts including Roanoke’s Human Infection, Richmond’s Murdersome and Plague Fever, Virginia Beach’s The Day of The Beast, Herndon’s Seikilos and Junkhead for an evening of metal.

In these post-pandemic times where venues are hard to come by, huge thanks to The Craft of Brewing for putting on this event. And a special thanks to the fans who came out for this event, they went hard almost the entire day and that rules!!!!

Kicking things off the young fire-pissers of Seikilos set the pace with a six song set and a cover of NWA‘s “Fuck Tha Police” that got everybody off their feet. They remind me of band that used to play in Hampton Roads a long time ago called Straight Jacket that thrashed their asses off until they broke up. If you haven’t seen them live, you are missing out!!!

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Seikilos SETLIST

Bounce
Broken Tusk
Power Trip
Damn
Death Boogie
Burnt Leaves

Changing the pace from thrash/groove metal to hardcore, Junkhead takes the crowd on a different journey. I have no idea who influences them but they sound like a mix of Agnostic Front and Madball, which is pretty solid. If you are looking for a hardcore band for a show I would hit these guys up.

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It has been some time since I have seen my friends in The Day of The Beast throw down and have an opportunity to talk story with them, so it was great to hang out and thrash with them. As always, they bring the punishment with a set of songs mostly from their fourth album Indisputably Carnivorous.

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The Day of The Beast SETLIST

Enter the Witch House
Corruptor/Infestor
Indisputably Carnivorous
Annihilation Prayer (Shallow by Thy Graves)
Judas In Hell Be Proud/Predators Path
The Diabolic Separation from Hope
Disturbing Roars at Twilight

Keeping the energy level the same but switching it up, PlagueFever brings the Venom/Bewitcher style of black metal to the mix. Until this show, I had only heard of these guys. Playing songs from their first album, Crude Implements they sounded good and the crowd loved them. I look forward to seeing them again in the near future.

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This is my second time seeing Murdersome this week as they opened for Havok and Toxic Holocaust on Monday and for most in the crowd it is their first time. Unlike the Canal Club show, lead singer Johnny Throckmorton is not stuck on stage and can throw down with the crowd. Continuing the thrash assault on the crowd, they responded with a decent pit and challenged Johnny to most with them.

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Murdersome SETLIST

Carnal Death
Housing the Wretched
Revel in Darkness
Smoke & Mirrors
Night’s Edge
Credulous
Ghosts of the Lesser Known
Face to Forget
No Way Out

Closing out the night were my friends from Roanoke, Human Infection brought the heavy with a punishing set of songs from their last three albums Infect to Ingest, Curvatures in Time and Gravesight. The pit was still going with fewer people, but the intensity was there.

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Human Infection SETLIST

Lesser Being
In the Dreaming Eye
Virulent Virtue
Exalted Through Suffering
Vile Disposal
Enrapturing the Divine
Unspeakable Acts of Violence
Curvatures in Time

Show Date: 8-05-2023