Thursday, August 11, 2011

Momentary Lapse

As you may have noticed, this blog has not been updated regularly.  This is not because things are quiet on the Humut Tabal front, but rather, the opposite.  We have been maintaining our consistent show schedule, and our split with Plutonian Shore, "Oaths ov Stygian Dusk" was released on Tuesday.  In addition, we are opening up for the mighty Absu on October 22nd, which will complete a lifelong dream of mine to open for the Dallas metal gods.  Furthermore, another Morgengrau show has been booked for early October, the details of which will be released soon.  The upcoming months are going to be met with utmost anticipation, and we look forward to unleashing hell upon our audiences.  The peons will be smote. 

Monday, July 25, 2011

New Show Announcements for Summer and Fall

"Rest" appears to be a foreign concept to those of us in Humut Tabal, as we have scheduled several additional shows for our 2011 calendar.

The first (in terms of chronological order) is actually a pair of shows in two days.  On August 12th, we will make our return to Corpus Christi with Xapharon and Dis, and also with Satanical Torment and Angst.  A flier for the event with all information can be viewed below:


Needless to say, we are very excited about playing with Xapharon and Dis again, so we hope to see everyone from our last Corpus show out in full attendance.  The second show will take place in Austin the next night with The Blood Royale.  All details can be viewed on the flier below:


Yet another show comes in the form of playing with Maiestas and Demonhammer, who will be visiting San Antonio on October 1st.  We are playing with these two bands at the Gathering of Bestial Vengeance fest on November 12th, so we can't wait to play this show!  A flier can be viewed below:


More bands will be announced at a later date.  In addition, one last show has also been confirmed, although I will keep quiet about it until a flier is posted.  Let's just say it will be one hell of a time!  See you all at whatever shows you attend!

Sunday, July 24, 2011

A Dedication to Those En Absentia/A Tribute to Followers


This was certainly a curious show.  After a lengthy drive from central Texas, we arrived at our hotel room to discover that our brothers in Plutonian Shore had encountered truck trouble and would not be able to make the show, which was most regrettable.  The other two bands, for whatever reason, also had to cancel, which meant like it was looking like it would be Xapharon and Humut Tabal as the sole acts for the night.  Upon arriving at the venue, we learned that Dis (whom we have a show with on August 5th) had agreed to play on extremely short notice.  As such, the order was switched around to where the lineup would be Xapharon, us, and Dis, which worked well.  Xapharon's performance was stunning, and when it came time for us to initiate chaos, we found our audience to be incredibly supportive.  This was easily one of the best audiences we've had since I joined Humut Tabal, with many people personally complimenting us, purchasing merch, shouting words of support during the set, and they seemed legitimately excited for our return on August 12th.


Setlist:

Wielder ov the Demon Blade
Nemesis Triumphant
Into the Cold
Manifestation ov the Darkness Within
Through the Forest and the Twisting Shadows (Frozen Death)
Furious Winged Helldaemons Soar
Denizens ov Eternal Night
Misanthrope ov the Barren Waste

NOTE:  We forgot our usual printed setlists, so this may be a little off.


This show was dedicated to our brothers in Plutonian Shore.  We shall share the stage soon, my friends.  Our next appearance is this Friday in San Antonio opening for Church ov Melkarth, and the next day, we open for Quarter the Villain in Austin at Trophy's.  We would like to thank Xapharon for bringing us to Corpus, we can't wait for our return!  We also thank Dis for playing on such short notice, and for playing a great set with a killer Cannibal Corpse cover!  We will be back for additional shows in the future, mark our words, and hopefully, we'll bring some friends.  Who those friends are, only time will tell.  We also just booked another show in Austin, the details of which will be released shortly.  We can promise it will be killer, though!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

New Show Announcement: The Gathering of Bestial Vengeance II

On Friday, Humut Tabal will have the honor of going to Corpus Christi to play with our brothers in Plutonian Shore and Xapharon, and after an excellent rehearsal today, I can safely say that we are more than ready.  However, an announcement must be officially made:  On November 12th, Humut Tabal will be playing the second annual Gathering of Bestial Vengeance festival (not to be confused with the similarly-named Gathering of Bestial Legion fest in California) with Verkommen, Steel Bearing Hand, God Slaughter, and many other excellent extreme metal bands.  As no official flier exists yet, the image at the top of this page is a Verkommen logo that will be replaced once a flier surfaces.  The complete lineup is as follows:

Maiestas
Verkommen
Steel Bearing Hand
Humut Tabal
Embolization
God Slaughter
Runes of the Evening
Demonhammer
Of Oak
Imperium Morte

Needless to say, we are very excited about this festival appearance, especially since it will be my first time playing such an event.  In case you've lost track, my official show schedule is as follows, with previously-performed dates lined out:

May 23rd - Zombies in San Antonio (this was a Somniferum show)
June 3rd - Zombies in San Antonio with Woods of Ypres (this was a Somniferum/Humut Tabal show)
June 10th - Walter's on Washington in Houston with Spectral Manifest
June 24th - Bond's 007 in San Antonio with Angel Flesh (this was a Somniferum/Humut Tabal show)
July 2nd - Korova in San Antonio with Eviscerated (this was a Morgengrau show)
July 8th - Trailer Space Records in Austin with Severed Faith and Shadow of Creation
July 14th - Headhunter's in Austin with Hexlust
July 22nd - The Texan in Corpus Christi with Xapharon
July 29th - Korova in San Antonio with Church ov Melkarth
July 30th - Trophy's in Austin with Quarter the Villain
August 5th - Korova in San Antonio with Venomous Supremacy and Plutonian Shore
August 12th - Zero's in Corpus Christi with Xapharon
August 13th - Beerland in Austin with The Blood Royale
August 19th - Headhunter's in Austin with Xapharon and Emperial Massacre
October 1st - Bond's 007 in San Antonio with Maiestas and Demonhammer
October 22nd - Bond's 007 in San Antonio with Absu and Nightbringer.
November 12th - Gathering of Bestial Vengeance II Fest in Dallas with Verkommen

Hard to believe we've been so busy lately, and that we aren't taking a break for the rest of the summer!  Booking inquiries can be directed to either our official Facebook page, our official Reverbnation page, or at the following e-mail address:

humut_tabal@yahoo.com

I'd like to remind everyone that we do intend on slowing down once the fall academic semester begins, so come and see us while you can!  And if you have already come out to support Humut Tabal, Morgengrau, or Somniferum, you have our eternal gratitude.  Horns up!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Baphomet Dawn

In January 2010, I attended a small local metal show in San Antonio at the Ten Eleven that featured Hexlust and Birth A.D.  That show was absolutely life-changing, and ever since that day, I wanted to share the stage with Hexlust and Birth A.D.  One-half of that dream came true on Thursday, July 14th, when Hexlust and Humut Tabal played at Headhunter's in Austin, Texas.

Regrettably, the night started with some confusion that was thankfully ironed out, and Parasitic Reign were added to the bill at the last minute, starting the show an hour early (which was fine by me).  In any case, once this was worked out, we were joined by our friends and we began to prepare for our performance while Trench Wrench and Feral Rex performed killer sets.  Averse Sefira's Wrath Sathariel Diabolus had shown up to watch the performance, and I introduced him to my bandmates, some of whom were nervous about meeting him since they are all big Averse Sefira fans (a fact that should be evident in our music).  Nonetheless, everyone got along very well, and shortly before Hexlust's set, it was time to don the corpse paint and discard our normal selves once again.

Once I have completed the transformation into Prokingu, I prefer to avoid human interaction to concentrate on my impending performance, so I mostly stuck around backstage, where I could hear Hexlust giving an absolutely visceral performance.  The band was performing as a three-piece due to guitarist JT being unable to make the show due to academic commitments - an unfortunate circumstance.  I dedicate this performance to him, and I can only hope to share the stage with him soon.  There was a surprise for extreme metal fans at this show, as I took the stage during Hexlust's set to perform Sepultura's classic "Troops of Doom" on vocals, which was a highlight of my musical journey.  After the performance, I went backstage to tune, and after Hexlust performed "Tombs of the Blind Dead" and an encore of Sodom's "Agent Orange", it was time for Humut Tabal to initiate madness.

It was quite an enjoyable performance, and while it took place at a late hour, there was quite a good crowd that stuck around well into the night that (somewhat bizarrely) included several old friends of mine from high school.  Reuniting with them was a highlight of the evening, and they seemed to be enjoying our set.  We broke out an old one (albeit one that was new to me) in the form of "Into the Cold", an energetic and furious number that was enjoyed by the crowd.  There was also a gentleman who kept heckling us (presumably affectionately, as he looked like he was having a good time) who grabbed the mic during the instrumental bridge of "Denizens" and began screaming something into it.  It was odd to say the least, and I am unaware of how my bandmates thought of this.  In any case, we played well and played a great set, one that bodes well for future Austin appearances with Quarter the Villain (July 30th) and Xapharon (August 19th).  Thanks to Headhunter's for having us, and we can only hope to return in the future!

Setlist:
Frozen Death
Manifestation ov the Darkness Within
Soul Void
Denizens ov Eternal Night
Into the Cold
Wielder ov the Demon Blade
Furious Winged Helldaemons Soar
Misanthrope ov the Barren Waste

After the show, we cleared out everything with help from friends and departed, mentally and physically exhausted.  Two days later I would witness Devourment (an influence on Humut Tabal, if you can believe it) in a small club in San Marcos, which was an absolutely killer show - one of the best in a long time - and I got to see my comrades perform in Disfigured, VBT, Pervserum (as well as seeing Grotesque Formation, although I don't know any of them personally) as well as catching up with friends in Engaged in Mutilating, Venomous Supremacy, Prolicide, and many others at an afterparty that raged well into the dawn.  It was a weekend that will live in infamy, and I am glad to have been a part of it.  Next week, we conquer Corpus Christi with our brothers in Plutonian Shore and Xapharon!  Expect a lengthy entry with tales concerning our trip.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

CYFAWS

Yesterday, we were visited at rehearsal by a most eerie spectator.  Despite the cool, calming weather outside the rehearsal, the visitor instilled a chilling sensibility in all of us, albeit an oddly comforting one.  We rehearsed thoroughly for seven hours yesterday and are completely ready for our headlining performance in Austin on Thursday.  After almost two years, I will finally have the honor of sharing the stage with my companions in Hexlust.  We will also be performing with Feral Rex and Trench Wrench, so it will definitely be a good show. We have shows booked until the end of the summer, and future shows will also be booked for the fall, so those who consider themselves our fans will be in for an excellent couple of months.  We can only hope to deliver.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

The Shadows of Faith


After finally completing my month-long struggle with academia, it was time to celebrate by playing a show.  Practice went stellar that day (minus the absence of Hravan due to work), and after a nourishing dinner at Torchy's Tacos, we ventured out the Trailer Space Records, where we met Severed Faith and Shadows of Creation.  We discussed the mighty Absu, which is always fun, and it makes me happy to hear other metalheads praising their glory, even those outside of Texas.  Before the show even started, I did some browsing around the record store and found some excellent purchases:


A bonus to playing a show in a record store.  There was also an encounter with a toothless old man who kept trying to sell us flowers, which was interesting to say the least.  There were also two LED displays from the infamous bomb scare caused by viral marketing for the "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" movie, an incident that amused me greatly at the time, so getting to perform with the LED lights in our presence was great fun.



We had soundchecked early, and by 7:30, it was time for the ritual to start.  We were playing without corpse paint for this show since the ambiance didn't entirely seem right to initiate that transformation.  In any case, it was a fine set and we had a good time.  The audience seemed to enjoy us, although we didn't get to play an old favorite that we were planning on bringing back.  There's always next time, especially in the busy world of Humut Tabal.  This was our friend E's cousin's first real metal show as well, and she apparently enjoyed our set, which is always good to hear.

Setlist:
Wielder ov the Demon Blade
Manifestation ov the Darkness Within
Nemesis Triumphant
Furious Winged Helldaemons Soar
Frozen Death

After hauling our gear off, we watched Shadow of Creation, who blew me away with their songwriting ability as well as technical prowess in terms of musicianship.  Their bassist was very good, and was quite nice to me when we met.  Severed Faith's performance was also very impressive, and I bought a shirt after their set that I shall wear with pride (curiously, I wore the same shirt to a club afterward and got some odd looks).  I was also given a sticker that I stuck on my bass case (next to my Birth A.D. sticker), which was a most hospitable gesture that was highly appreciated.  The show ended at ten - an unusually early hour - and we would have been able to roll out, but Grimzaar had unfortunately locked his keys in his car.  The situation was quickly dealt with, though, and I was able to head out in time to celebrate a friend's birthday party downtown.

Overall, this was not the typical type of Humut Tabal show, but one that was quite enjoyable nonetheless.  Many thanks to our new friends in Shadow of Creation and Severed Faith, for I hope to share the stage with them again someday (especially if we're ever in Georgia).  Thanks to all those who came out to the show!  Our next performance is on July 14th at Headhunter's, we hope to see our Austin friends there!