Ruby the Hatchet

Valley of the Snake (Tee Pee)

Inevitable that a new permutation of music becomes a trend. The strain of occult doom rearing its horned head in heavy rock and metal for several years now shows no sign of fading, and thank Lucifer for that. Exhibit A: Ruby the Hatchet. The Philadelphia quartet wraps riffs around ribcages and grabs groove by the gonads, enveloping the subsequent sonic storm in a miasma of menacing mysticism. Rampaging “Demons” and rumbling “Unholy Behemoth” reap souls ham-fistedly, but the roiling psychedelic epic “Tomorrow Never Comes” and shockingly pretty folk rocking title track strike true. It could be argued that RTH does nothing that hasn’t been done a zillion times before, but Valley of the Snake‘s combo of might meeting melody is simply too satisfying. (Fri., 8pm, North Door)

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This article appears in March 20 • 2015.

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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.