Every album in Chelsea Wolfe’s decadelong career brought her closer to the extreme metal she’s cited as a primary inspiration. Sixth studio LP Birth of Violence now retrenches the near-solitary aesthetic of her earliest work. Subverting expectations and cocooning after years of non-stop touring, the acoustic folk of “Be All Things” contrasts sharply with the haunted acid pop of “Dirt Universe” and the gothic psych metal of “Deranged for Rock and Roll.” Central to Birth of Violence, the Northern Californian’s stunning voice and insular lyrics tie everything into one clear, bewitching vision. (Sat. 9, Central Presbyterian Church, 5 & 9:30pm)

***.5

This article appears in November 8 • 2019.

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Michael Toland started writing about music in 1988 on the Gulf Coast, moved to Austin in early 1991, and has inflicted bylines upon the corporeal and digital pages of Pop Culture Press, The Big Takeover, Blurt, Amplifier, Austin.citysearch, the Austin American Statesman, Goldmine, Sleazegrinder, Rock & Roll Globe, High Bias, FHT Music Notes, and, since 2011, The Austin Chronicle.