The seventh annual Northwestern Black Circle Fest is upon us, brimming with a bombardment of metal for all tastes. Looking for some depressive doom and black metal? Barrowlands have you covered on Thursday. More keen on classic heavy-metal riffage or mythological occult metal? Then Friday's bill featuring Christian Mistress' fist-clenching heavy-metal rock 'n' roll and Absu's mind-molesting magick-metal is right for you. Interested in savage, shape-shifting beasts? Saturday, see the brutal, blackened death metal of Weregoat and the technical thrash attack of Weresquatch. Saturday also features an appearance from New Wave of British Heavy Metal kings Grim Reaper, who will no doubt grace Portland with timeless cuts from their 1983 debut, See You in Hell. Preemptive neck stretching prior to each show is strongly recommended. ARIS HUNTER WALES