Straight out of the heavy music mecca that is Providence, Rhode Island, Howl kick so much ass that it’s not really funny but actually rather serious on account of the aforementioned painful ass kickings. Relapse recently released the band’s self-titled three-song EP, which is streaming at Howl’s MySpace and available to purchase here They’re heavy, unpretentious, and not easily pigeonholed into any one of the bandied about subgenres in this grand thing we call metal. I’ll leave it to the opinionated chicken-chokers that make it their lives’ work to define metal in our comments section, but I’d say if the adjective “sludgy” sounds appealing then you’re going to want to get in on the ground floor with Howl before they’re headlining bigger venues.

If you live in the Northeast, you’ll have a few opportunities to catch Howl in cozy (read: cramped) settings in the coming weeks. The band will slay their Providence hometown on August 14 at Firehouse 13 as part of an impressive lineup that includes Doomriders, Javelina, and Night Horse. In September, Howl open for labelmates Toxic Holocaust on their Philadelphia (September 4) and Brooklyn (September 6) dates. Before all that, however, New Yorkers will be treated to a FREE show at Fontana’s this Thursday August 6. It’s sponsored by Tones Of Death and promises free Colt 45, which hopefully is enough incentive to drag your impoverished, metal lovin’ ass out of your home and into the feet of Howl, who will, as promised above, kick said ass.

-GS

[Gary Suarez wonders if summer will come before November. He also writes for Brainwashed and usually manages the consistently off-topic No Yoko No. Say, why don't you follow him on Twitter?]