Chaos in Tejas Picks

Church of Misery

THURSDAY

Pierced Arrows

After nearly two decades of creating gritty blues melodrama as Dead Moon, Fred Cole, his wife Toody, and drummer Andrew Loomis called it quits after 14 albums and 19 years. Rather than a radical change, a tweak was all Fred and Toody needed, and with new drummer Kelly Halliburton they've experienced rebirth. Odds favor Friday's Fred & Toody Playing the Hits! bill at the Scoot Inn unearthing some Dead Moon. – Adam Schragin

FRIDAY

Mark Sultan

Montreal's Mark Sultan, who shares the spotlight in the King Khan & BBQ Show, made his name as the leader of the notorious Spaceshits, but he's prolific under his own name, ranging from garage pop and soulful balladry to raging punk – usually all on the same LP. He's currently promoting latest LP War on Rock N' Roll. – Michael Toland

The Biters

This Atlanta rock & roll outfit dresses like glam junkies, but its power-pop rules, especially if the emphasis is on power. Credit bandleader Tuk's time in the Heart Attacks, but the balance betwixt melody and flash has more in common with Cheap Trick and Redd Kross. EP compilation It's All Chewed Up, OK? slays. – Michael Toland

SATURDAY

Main Attrakionz, Fat Tony, Nick Woj, Children of the Night, Cities Aviv, Fast Ronald

Punk and hip-hop go together like peas and carrots. If you can't see it, maybe Nick Woj can help flip your lid. The Philadelphia DJ is coming off a big spring of mixtapes (four since March), including April's Tracks N Traps, Vol. II, which pits Cam'ron, Nas, and Jay-Z under a dirtier scope. None come dirtier than Texas Battle League boss Fast Ronald, the San Antonio native liable to make any showgoer his target. The rest of the rap bill stays decidedly on the cool. Queens trio Children of the Night send hazy raps out the basement. Oakland, Calif., duo Main Attrakionz blow G-side smoke, and the group's Young One Records labelmate Fat Tony mixes Bun B and Das Racist with H-Town grit on this summer's sophomore release Double Dragon. – Chase Hoffberger

Winter

Winter barely ever existed. This reunited NYC death/doom trio's entire legacy is defined by the seven lurching, charcoal-black rumbles on its 1990 debut (and sole) LP Into Darkness, reissued by Southern Lord. A truly soul-eroding gem from the then-nascent extreme metal scene. – Luke Winkie

Iceage

Iceage gets press for being teenagers from Copenhagen, Denmark, but last year's debut LP New Brigade trended as classic 35 years ago. With 12 songs under 24 minutes, Iceage didn't waste any time, and its live shows are just as riotous. – Zoe Cordes Selbin

SUNDAY

Theories

So new that Encyclopaedia Metallum hasn't even caught up to them, Seattle's Theories have toured hard behind a demo of uncompromising grindcore that feels almost classic in its focused agony. – Adam Schragin

The Rival Mob

In the heavily mined landscape of hardcore, the Rival Mob out of Boston is notably more assaultive, distilling the wrecked vocals and meaty riffs of NYHC forebearers through a pinhole of barely-managed despair and angst. Six-song bleeder Hardcore for Hardcore unwinds at a fevered pace. – Adam Schragin

Agents of Abhorrence

In the minutelong berserkers these Aussies call songs are interludes of recognizable riffage lasting a second or two before the onslaught of blast-beats and throat-stripping vox kicks back in. That ebb and flow pays dividends for the bassless thrash/grind trio, allowing guitarist Ben Andrews (My Disco) to play in both his modes: fast and really fast. – Kevin Curtin

Ringworm

After making a name for themselves in the early Nineties, these Cleveland metalcore vets disappeared for a decade. Side projects and tattoo shops took time, but they re-emerged stronger than ever in 2001. Hard riffs and grating guitars remain a signature; throaty screams from singer Human Furnace wake the dead. – Zoe Cordes Selbin

Lemuria

Sheena Ozzella's breathtakingly badass vocals brew a storm over her post-punk guitar riffs. Fresh off a Record Store Day 45, the upstate New Yorkers are releasing a limited supersecret record to tide fans over until an LP release this winter. Bassist Max Gregor is an Austin scenester extraordinaire. – Zoe Cordes Selbin