Heavy Metal -- the phrase has been used in various connotations since Black Sabbath (arguably) generated the first metal ‘sound’ back in the late 60’s. Ever since, the genre has fluctuated between differing standards and floated through a number of decades. Be it radio friendly acts such as Godsmack, the thinking man’s Tool, the stoner riffs of Fu Manchu, or local flavor in the form of The Sword, the current state of metal crosses many borders and fans.

There is no shortage of metal music in Austin. Emo’s and Beerland, along with Headhunters and Room 710 constantly supply a venue for the genre to expose itself to the city. Now Red 7 (intriguingly located between The Beauty Bar and Plush) has become a strong force in providing some of the best in metal to Austin. This weekend they host the Extreme Texas Metal Fest, a two-day salute to wailing riffs, headbanging beats, and general metal mayhem. So march on down to Red 7 this Saturday and Sunday to catch the likes of Scattered Remains, Mala Suerte, Forever Mourne, Belligerency, Ruins Of Honor, crazy fonts, and what not. (Band Slam take note!)

Oh, and there’s a pre-party (or Pre-Fest Metal Assault as it’s called) on Friday night at Room 710 featuring Merciless Death and DogmaHollow, among others.

Red 7: [myspace]
Extreme Texas Metal Fest: [official] [myspace]

Extreme Texas Metal Fest IV
Saturday, August 18th, & Sunday, August 19th
[Red 7] : 611 E. 7th Street - Austin, TX 78701

Image courtesy of Extreme Texas Metal Fest’s MySpace, Author Unknown.