Play guitar for Pentagram. No, really.

Bobby Liebling with Victor Griffin. Photo M. Spiro/ 2011

Victor Griffin is moving on to other things, and Pentagram needs a guitarist. I don't know about you, but I think for the right person this is the opportunity of a lifetime. The band just posted this statement on their Facebook page so there's no need to rewrite it. Read on...

Agoura Hills, CA - October 25, 2012 – Legendary heavy metal pioneers and doom metal innovators PENTAGRAM are auditioning new guitar players. As previously announced, the revered guitarist Victor Griffin is performing his farewell shows during the Oct/Nov European Relentless Tour. He'll be focusing on his solo career from this point on and the band and fans wish him all the best. Victor will forever be an important part of the "Ram Family." 

PENTAGRAM is now searching for the perfect player who can easily play the blazing, early blues-based, hard rock, proto-metal of the late Vincent McAllister as well as the doom metal mastery of the one and only Victor Griffin. Tone, chops, appearance, tour experience & availability (US and abroad so a passport is required), song writing skills, and sobriety are all important factors. The band will be writing/recording their follow up to the acclaimed Metal Blade release, Last Rites this coming December and January.

Someone who is close to the Washington, DC area is preferred but exceptions will be made for the perfect player.

For songs and video of the band, visit: www.reverbnation.com/pentagramofficial
Please submit a short bio, a photo, and audio or video of you playing. PENTAGRAM song covers are preferred and the following songs are suggested:
"Wolf's Blood"
"All Your Sins"
"Treat Me Right"
"When the Screams Come"
"Forever My Queen"
"20 Buck Spin"

Please send submissions to: PentagramAuditions@gmail.com 

In other news, PENTAGRAM is gearing up to tour Europe and the dates will commence with the band's first ever UK tour. In a celebration of Victor Griffin's time with the band, PENTAGRAM will be playing the Decibel Magazine Hall of Fame album, Relentless, in it's entirety. After the doom pioneers first-ever UK show in London in 2011, Bobby Leibling and the boys return for four shows with Gentlemans Pistols as support, kicking off in Bristol at The Fleece.

PENTAGRAM UK Tour Dates
Tour w/ Gentlemans Pistols
10/31 Bristol, UK The Fleece
11/01 London, UK Garage
11/02 Manchester, UK Academy 3
11/04 Glasgow, UK Ivory Black End Tour
11/06 Kopenhagen, DK Loppen
11/07 Gothenburg, SE Truckstop Alaska
11/08 Oslo, NO John Dee
11/09 Stockholm, SE Slakthuset
11/10 Würzburg, DE Hammer Of Doom Festival

What to get your heavy metal mom for Mother's Day

Acid Queen Jewelry

Every mom is special and so her mother’s day gift should be special, too. If your mom is also a metal head, like me, then it’s can be special challenge finding that thing that reflects her interests as well as her style. The obvious gift for the heavy metal woman is the latest recording of her favorite artist, but why not be more creative? Here are five great gifts besides music for the heavy metal momma (or grandma!)

What mom does not love jewelry? You will find a delightful assortment of custom-designed, hand-made earrings and necklaces at Acid Queen Jewelry, located inside Black Mess Records at 3853 Falls Rd, Baltimore MD 21211. Jewelry designer Alex Camacho creates designs using iconic heavy metal imagery: pentagrams, inverted crosses, skulls, stones and bones galore. Custom orders are available. Mention this article for a 10 percent discount.

Some mothers like to cook. Heavy metal mom’s like to cook recipes from their favorite musicians. You will find these in the book Mosh Potatoes: Recipes, Anecdotes, and Mayhem from the Heavyweights of Heavy Metal by Steve Seabury. Seabury’s book is a collection of dishes contributed from some famous and infamous names in metal. Each dish comes with a back story that any metal mamma will want to read while she’s mixing up a batch of Star Cookies from Dave Ellefson of Megadeth, for example.

If mom’s already a great cook but just could use some cooler cooking implements, try this awesome cheese shredder from Gama-Go. She can shred with the best of them on this flying-V guitar shaped metal grater. Gama-go also makes a devil’s horn barbeque turning fork and a guitar shaped spatula. Cooking has never rocked so hard.

For new moms, Mother’s Day is extra special. Help them celebrate their new mommy status with baby clothes, diaper bags, maternity wear and lots more from My Baby Rocks. These items sport logos from bands like Pantera, Motely Crue, the Sex Pistols, Kiss, The Misfits and many others. Why be a mundane new mother when you can be a metal one?


Extend the fun of Mother’s Day from Sunday until Monday night by taking mom out for a few brews a Metal Monday at the Ottobar, 2549 North Howard St., Baltimore 21218. For $9, mom can drink all she can handle and listen to a variety of current and older metal songs from every possible subgenre. You can even challenge mom to a game of pool. You will probably lose.

Have some extra cash and really want to splurge on your mother? Send her on a heavy metal cruise! There are no less than three heavy metal-themed cruises in existence and there are probably more in the works. Check out Barge to Hell (departing Dec. 3, 2012), the Metal Mayhem Cruise (departing Dec 7, 2012) or 70,000 of Metal (departing Jan. 28, 2013). Each ship departs from Miami and cruises through different parts of the Caribbean. These cruises are not cheap. All-inclusive tickets run $1,000 or more. But it will be an experience your metal mom will never forget.

Countdown to MDF X: (37) October 31

Get your "invisible oranges" ready. Underground legends October 31 play true, uncompromising, epic heavy metal in the vein of more well known acts such as  Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, but with a decidedly thrashy flavor. They perform mid-day on Saturday, May 26 at the Maryland Deathfest.

October 31 has weathered numerous line up changes since its inception in 1995 in Northern Virginia. It's founding member and vocalist King Fowley suffered a stroke and experienced a lengthy recovery. Still the group has perserved, simply because of their love for this traditional brand of heavy metal. They have established a reputation as a crowd pleaser based on memorable, riff-driven melodies and Fowley's powerful vocals. Their sound remains constant in the face of many metal subgenre trends.

The current line up, as far as I could confirm, includes Jim Hunter (bass), Jason Tedder (guitar), King Fowley (vocals), Dave Castillo (drums), and Brian Williams (guitar), who is the group's other original founder. Their most recent recording was an album called No Survivors, which was released in 2005. I have included a track from that album, as well as one from their 2000 recording, Meet Thy Maker. Enjoy!