State College may be more renowned for sticky buns than cathedral burning or goat sacrifices, but on the fourth Tuesday of every month, the town unleashes a wave of its own brand of metal.
Metal Night at The Brewery, 223 E. Beaver Ave., will be in full swing at 10 tonight when monthly mainstays Judgement Shall Pass is joined by The Chaos Method, as well as local indie rockers Phobos Anomaly.
Though State College-based The Chaos Method has been together for about five years, it may not be the most recognized band on tonight's bill.
"The Chaos Method doesn't play nearly as much as the other bands, so it's sort of a treat," said Meredith Rebar, founder and promoter of Cherry Darling Productions, who organized the show.
The band has been a sort of ongoing music project since some of the members were in high school, bassist Joshua Zong (junior-art) said. The four-member group has only one guitar player but tries to make the most of the setup by making "heady" sounds and shifts in time signature, he said.
"We're definitely a riff-oriented band," guitar player James Scheuchenzuber (senior-security and risk analysis) said. "We don't do any solos at all."
The band takes influence from many different subgenres of heavy music, including bands like Neurosis, Pantera, and The Melvins, as well as newer groups like Born of Osiris and iwrestledabearonce.
The group's members all listen to different things and bring different perspectives, Zong said.
"The way we write music is decentralized," Zong said. "We write and rewrite songs and give everyone an opinion, and we all have a say in what happens."
Though State College doesn't have a lot going for it in terms of the heavy music scene, Scheuchenzuber said the group is optimistic about the area. Indeed, they're facing a town much better for metal than it was just a few years ago, he said.
"People should be interested because it's local music and it's original, and I think there is a sad lack of that around here," Scheuchenzuber said . "I think people should be more supportive of local music."
Though the band has played music together for several years, its exact goals aren't definite. The band is more inspired by a desire to perform than making it big.
"We just want to play," Scheuchenzuber said. "We're here to play today and whatever happens tomorrow, happens."
