This past Saturday I made a 430 mile round trip to see a metal show. Why? Well, it was likely my last chance to catch SUMOKEM live this year, as well as my first chance to see FORMING THE VOID live. There were other more obvious reasons at play as well, such as it was a Saturday night, no one was playing locally and I was bored. So, a road trip it became, and I'm glad I was able to do it. It was a night of great music.

The event was held in Arlington, TX, just outside of Dallas. Division Brewery hosted the event, though the actual performances were held in an adjacent building that houses a retail operation called Panel By Panel/Growl. Essentially a split shop, Panel By Panel caters to fans of comics while Growl holds down the music side of things. It's a really interesting concept, and a cool shop that I definitely recommend checking out if you're in the Arlington area. The night's festivities were presented by Purple Sludge Productions, who deserve a lot of credit for presenting a quality line-up of bands and ensuring things proceeded in a timely and hassle-free manner.

 Opening the evening's music was MASSTER. Performing as a four-piece band, these guys from Dallas laid down some impressive jams, while utilizing some cool visuals on screen. They were a new band for me to discover, and unfortunately I didn't know any of their songs or titles. Fortunately, they have songs available via Bandcamp, (https://masst3r.bandcamp.com/releases) and I'd highly recommend checking them out. As the Stoner/Doom/Psychedelia scene grows I really hope to see this band make their way closer to me as I'd love to see them again.

   Next up, was WOODEN EARTH also hailing from Dallas. A Stoner metal trio featuring Griffin Thomas on drums and vocals, Devin Moreno on guitar and Lee Ryan on bass.   A new-ish band, they've been playing some of their first live sets this year. They put on a really fun riff heavy set, showcasing some superb chemistry in the making.

  I had multiple folks in the audience tell me that WOODEN EARTH are "the" band to see right now. I'd say that's a fair assessment, and that they're definitely on to something. Add them to your list of new bands worth checking out.

  This was my third time this year seeing SUMOKEM. There's only a handful of bands I'm willing to drive a couple hundred miles in the car for, but they're one of them. As is usual, they didn't disappoint. The Little Rock Arkansas Doom/Sludge lords even managed to wreck havoc on the house sound system by tripping a fuse near the end of their first song, "Khizer".

  In the headline slot this night was Louisiana's FORMING THE VOID. Also a four piece, the band include, James Marshall on vocals and rhythm guitar, Shadi Omar Al-Khansa on lead, Luke Baker on bass and Thomas Colley pounding his beautiful vintage drum kit. Primarily highlighting their exceptional album "Rift" which dropped earlier this year, they also worked in a bit of their previous album "Relic".

 I was most excited to hear the material from "Rift" as it's easily a contender for my top 10 albums of the year list. How could it not be? The album is a swirling tapestry of colors and sound that simply rocks as hard as anything I've heard this year. The band absolutely nails that feel live as well. "On We Sail" was an obvious highlight of the evening, with it's powerful riff and catchy vocal hooks, it's simply a damn fine song.

 So yeah, the night was definitely worth the long car trip and not getting home until 4am. For talent like this put together by Purple Sludge Productions, I'd do it again, no questions asked