Rabbits, Death Eyes, Heavy Hands
Recommended
San Diego's Death Eyes explode in fits of aggro-hardcore, alternately turning riff-rife tunes like the bilingual "Wasted Prayers" into oddly engaging experiments in noise. Their 2015 self-titled LP features a zombified Pope Benedict XVI on its cover, alluding to the mayhem found within. Vocalist Alberto G Jurado leads a charge of bone-crunching tones approximating the disconnect between first-wave hardcore and contemporary noise bands, with especially impressive fret tinkering by guitarist Jason Blackmore. It's a fucked-up album to listen to first thing in the morning (see the creepy anti-romance tune "Bedroom Eyes" or the social media-railing "Halfway to Sainthood" for proof), but luckily this show is in the evening at the last great punk-rock venue in Portland, and Rabbits are playing to boot. Get pissed off on Saturday night in America. RYAN J. PRADO