Like some seething, gluttonous Izzy's fantasy gone terribly array, Sabala's is rolling out a four-day hesher buffet--and metal is on the menu. In fact it is the menu. The metal scene, like everything else in the post-modern Western culture bubble, has fragmented into a particulate dust cloud whose subgenres' multiplicities are mind-boggling. Take it easy. This is a true buffet. Your hunger will be sated: Death, Speed, Black, Thrash, and even Space will be served.

The brain child of Nightpiper Produc- tions' Geoff Minor, Metalfest was conceived in the organic overspill of Seattle's Northwest Deathfest, an event which had bands from along the coast journeying Northward in search of stopgap shows. Minor instinctually put together a Portland Metalfest, and the rest is working on becoming history. In addition to the obvious incentive of seeing the noisy splatter of the Accused, local warhorses ENGORGED, and the cosmic exploration of SF's Subarachnoid Space, Sabala's is selling a four-day pass to this event for a mere 15 bucks. With 21 bands scheduled to play that's like….well, you do the math. It's freaking cheap.

You owe it to your inner, unfortunately acned youth to get out and see these bands. You owe it to the future of the Portland Metalfest. This is not an optional event for any caliber of metal fan. If you miss it, every future devil sign you flash will be false. Your hair will recoil in horror and burn as it touches your shoulders. Your kingdom will forsake you as the riffs fall to the ground unfruited and withering. It is up to you to let the assail prevail.

See Live Music, Pg 27 for complete listings.