Published at 7:00 AM on January 24, 2009

By Austin L. Ray

Nine Reasons Why the Scion Rock Fest Will Melt Faces

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If you're a fan of heavy rock music, there's a good chance you've heard rumblings here, there and pretty much everywhere about the Scion Rock Fest. Organized by those metal-loving so-and-so's at Vice and Scion, the one-day, absolutely-free festival promises to take Atlanta's Masquerade by its shirt collar on Feb. 28 and shake the rock venue and every one of its denizens to their knees...for 12 hours straight! But don't take my word for it: peep the line-up, which is still growing, and enjoy the top nine reasons why I won't be standing at the end of that sure-to-be-unforgettable Saturday one month from now.

1. The poster (pictured above)
Just look at it! That wolf is hungry and he won't be sated until he dines on blood! Everyone at Scion Rock Fest is going to die. It's going to be awesome.

2. Paste Band of the Week alum Torche
This Miami/Atlanta powerhouse sits decidedly on the more accessible side of the metal spectrum, with a sound Paste writer Andrew Earles describes thusly: "pummeling, earth-shattering noise married to gorgeous melodies." Witness:


3. Did I mention there's gonna be TWELVE HOURS of music?!?
It's true. If you've ever been to a serious music festival, you know it requires endurance. Even a dozen hours of the most delicate, Swedish twee pop can take a toll. Try to imagine a dozen hours of some of the heaviest rock bands on the planet.

4. Mastodon
We've written a good bit about these dudes, and it's going to be exciting to finally hear the songs we've been reading so much about from the band's forthcoming album Crack the Skye. I'm also particularly looking forward to seeing Blood Mountain's lead-off track, "The Wolf is Loose" (see #1) live again. Enjoy:


5. Corpsepaint!
What can I say? I've never seen seen a corpsepainted band live before and it's something I'd like to check off the list, you know? Norway's 1349 has me covered at the Scion Rock Fest. Thanks, 1349. Check out the band's corpsepainted faces here.

6. High on Fire
A recent discovery for yours truly, Oakland's High on Fire put out a pretty ridiculous record a couple years ago called Death is This Communion. I'm still absorbing it, but a good buddy of mine (who's flying in from Brooklyn for the festival, which means he's totally metal) loves this song the most:


7. Did I mention that tickets are FREE?!?
I know. I did. But seriously! This one actually melts faces in two ways, one good and one bad, because 1) it's awesome that the folks behind this shindig are handing out tickets and 2) entry is not guaranteed/re-entry is prohibited/the line will be longer than a David Foster Wallace sentence. Sigh.

8. Zoroaster
Fittingly, several of the band's on the Scion Rock Fest line-up (Mastodon, Torche, Kylesa, Harvey Milk, Baroness) are either from Georgia or have Georgia connections, which is just one more argument for the South's ridiculous pan-genre musical dominance of late, from hip-hop to indie rock and more. Add Zoroaster to the list. Purveyors of some of the slowest metal in the land, Zoroaster's tunes are oftentimes like a viciously long staring contest. Blink if you dare:


9. In addition to all of the above, there are tons of other bands (Neurosis! Nachtmystium! Boris! Wolve in the Throne Room! Krallice! More!!!) playing, and even more rumored to be added to the ever-evolving line-up soon.
Nine reasons? More like nine thousand.

Coming to the festival? Insanely jealous that you can' t make the trip? Leave a comment telling the world why Scion Rock Fest melts your face.

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