BATTLE BEASTS, STRONGHOLDCRVSADER Battle Beasts is one appropriately-named act. The Charlotte duo plays flat-out, reckless drum-and-bass noise-rock (yeah, a lot like Lightning Bolt). Yet Battle Beasts’ mix of hardcore pummel with wild-eyed danceability results in a more ruthless creature than the Bolt’s unicorns-n-rainbows bliss-punk: the desperate grit and grime of the genre’s basement origins shine through. Their unlikely cousin Strongholdcrvsader plays minimalist drone-sludge. And though Strongholdcrvsader moves at a slower pace, it’s still sped up compared to obvious influences like pre-2005 Earth. With Elenora Fagan, Such Mad Hope and Sham Lee. $6-$9. The Milestone.
This article appears in Apr 3-9, 2012.
