Housecore Horror Gets Loud

It may call itself the Housecore Horror Film Festival, but with Pantera main man Phil Anselmo and metalsucks.net writer Corey Mitchell at the helm, they were also promising a superheavy metal lineup, Oct. 24-27. Today, they delivered with a vengeance.

First, the big headliners. We already knew that Anselmo would be bringing his stoner crew Down to town, and that Austin gets the eagerly awaited first U.S. date of Italian horror soundtrack masters Goblin. Now everyone’s favorite Grammy-nominated freakazoids GWAR have been announced as the Saturday headliners at Emo’s.

Mitchell confirmed this week that there will be double doses of Anselmo and Goblin. Not only will the Italian chillers be performing the live soundtrack to Suspiria. They’ll also be undertaking a separate best-of performance at Emo’s. As for Anselmo, he’ll not only headline the first full night, but he’ll open for the agents of Argento with his newest project, Philip H. Anselmo & the Illegals.

Quick question. Why would Anselmo put on his own festival and not be the closing band? Simple, says Mitchell.

“Phil said, ‘Fuck it, I want to see Goblin.’”

He’s not the only fan going out of his way for Goblin. Seattle-based black metal experimentalists blackQueen practically begged to be onstage with their musical heroes. Calling them “a fucking great metal band that uses Suspiria-style sounds,” Mitchell relates that, “They approached us as soon as they heard Goblin are playing.”

Of course, this isn’t just a music festival, and Mitchell’s keen to make sure there’s no walls between the music onstage and the on-screen mayhem. Aside from Goblin, there’s also First Jason, lead by Ari Lehman, aka the original Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th. The melding continues on Sunday; instead of having a separate ceremony for films, the awards will be presented between bands at Emo’s.

“Rather than 200 people sitting in a theater, it’s 1,600 people hearing about this indie horror that’s just terrific,” enthuses Mitchell.

It’s not just pure metal, either. Not only will industrial fans get blasted by infamous Austinites Skrew, there’ll be a rare solo DJ show from Nine Inch Nails/Pigface/Marilyn Manson/KMFDM veteran Chris Vrenna.

Mixed in among the international and out-of-state imports are a heavy, heavy roar and rumble of Austin bands. South American transplants and Barge to Hell survivors HeadCrusher, Death Will Tremble (formerly Prey for Sleep), and Dirty Dog regulars/Austin Music Award winners Dead Earth Politics will be hammering through day parties at Antone’s.

Meanwhile, over at Emo’s, occult metalers Ancient VVisdom and Municipal Waste side-project/punk throwback Iron Reagan will be revving the big stage.

“We’re really trying to push the Austin metal scene,” stresses Mitchell, “because it’s always been the bastard child.”

The East Riverside complex isn’t the only venue for the weekend. There’ll be a brutal soundtrack for badge registration at Dirty Dog, plus a heavy rock extension over at Buzz Mill, which will double up as a screening room. Watch for Star & Dagger, the new project from former White Zombie bassist Sean Yseult.

“I saw them open up for Down last year, and they were pretty cool,” attests Mitchell.

Who else is Mitchell psyched about? Fuzzed-up, groove-laden retro-rockers Bloody Hammers. Mitchell called them a cross between early Danzig, Type O Negative, and early Black Sabbath (add in a dose of Maynard Keenan-esque vocals to that heady mix.) Calling them “the band to sneak in and steal the show,” Mitchell promises, “It’s all spooky, scary shit, and he’s got a voice that’s just killer.”

Here’s the full, confirmed lineup:

Down
GWAR
Goblin
Philip H. Anselmo & the Illegals
Eyehategod
Crowbar
Pig Destroyer
Repulsion
Whitechapel
Goatwhore
Warbeast
Pallbearer
Skrew
Iron Reagan
Bloody Hammers
Primitive Weapons
Child Bite
Hymns
Death Will Tremble
A Band of Orcs
Ancient VVisdom
HeadCrusher
Dead Earth Politics
Lord Dying
White Widows Pact
Cavalcade
The Black Moriah
First Jason
blackQueen
Goatcraft
Honky
Star & Dagger
Chris Vrenna

Again, the inaugural Houescore Horror Film Festival runs Oct. 25-27. See www.housecorehorrorfilmfestival.com for more details.