Watain

“The gigs are the most righteous manifestations of the forces behind Watain, and we will always see them as a kind of ritual, where the inner spiritual darkness is channeled. Everyone who attends a Watain gig must expect nothing but blood, fire, and blackest death!” That’s Watain frontman—principal flagellant and master of rituals is more accurate, really—Erik Danielsson speaking to the gravity with which the band members approach their shows/rituals. Formed in the late 1990s in Uppsala, Sweden, Watain are one of the better examples of “true black metal”: mercurially cultish, steadfastly incendiary, and sonically brutal. It’s been four years since these northern sons of one dark lord or another have landed on North American soil (hide the children!), and it will undoubtedly be the most accurate expression of the genre you’re likely to see this year or the next.

Sat., Nov. 20, 6 p.m., 2010