BAND OF THE DAY: MURDERESS

Portland, Oregon is the misanthropic crust capital of the US. From Ashes Rise and Hellshock are the daddies of the scene, opening their black wings over all the little crustlings, bringing them up with an equally healthy respect for proto-extremity like Celtic Frost, as much as Discharge.

The absolutely unholy Murderess (lady-pun on 'murderous' in case you're slow), who were formed in 2008 by the core trio of Rachel Nakanishi (guitar), Eben Travis (drums), and Amanda Burghard (guitar) are the proud end result of this environment and ethic. With the cavernous, trapped-in-a-well production style of suicidal black metal (although it's never all that suicidal is it, given how many albums Shining have churned out in quick succession?) that lends Jozy Kinnaman's shrieks and howls a haunting, spine-tingling chill on their limited run Aborted Society debut, 2010's 'The Last Thing You Will Ever See...'. Never straying too far from the throbbing, melodic, metallic, Swedish-brand hardcore that the scene is built on - Murderess deserve the epitaph of 'blackened crust', but it's a purposeful, driving assault akin to Bathory or early Satyricon, not the introspective, unfocused sprawl of more beard-tugging outfits to make use of the term.