Darkest Hour stepped up the level of talent at Summer Slaughter when they took the stage and ripped through their set. Best performance of the night in my opinion, (Ensiferum a close second). Click next for more photos.

Winds of Plague came through New York playing two nights at Irving Plaza for this years incarnation of the Summer Slaughter Tour. Click the next button to check out more photos of the band.

“Upon reflection, the NIN/JA tour felt like we had to rush through sets due to a limited allotted set length and many shows were in daylight – it just didn’t feel right to end NIN that way.”

According to update from Trent Reznor on NIN.com, Nine Inch Nails will be performing several smaller club shows in New York City, Chicago and LA as the last shows the band ever performs.

Venues are
New York – Bowery Ballroom, Webster Hall and Terminal 5
Chicago – Aragon Ballroom
Los Angeles – The Wiltern, The Henry Fonda, The Palladium and The Echoplex

More details to be announced soon

Shadows Fall performed live at J&R CD store over the weekend. The band played some favorites from Threads of Life and The War Within as well as a new song called “Public Execution”. The band even played an encore despite employees being scared of Brian Fair who was jumping on top of the CD racks. See photos of that and the rest of the show by clicking the buttons up top.

Despite a little bit of rain Lucero played a free show in Madison Square Park this weekend. After everyone lowered their umbrella’s the show really started to kick in. The band sounded great and played a handful of new songs which will be on their new record, their first on a major label. During the end of the set, I believe during “Tears Don’t Matter Much,” a kid ran onto the stage and did a crazy dance. Click the next buttons to see photos of the band and the kid’s dance.

Krallice tore it up at Webster Hall Studio. Very fast with amazing precision. You definitely need to check these guys out immediately. Click on the buttons above to check out more photos

4th ANNUAL NEW YORK PUNK & UNDERGROUND RECORD FAIR
Sunday, May 17, 2009.
10:00am – 6:00pm
@ SOUTHPAW “Brooklyn, NY”
Records inside while outside SOUTHPAW, is the great “Park Slope 5th Avenue street fair” with Live music, Food, DJs, and Beer.

Leave Home Art Show at Death By Audio

Featuring Works By

LAUREN DENITZIO
CRISTY ROAD
KATE WADKINS
TAMARA WAITE-SANTIBANEZ

And MUSIC By
LITTLE LUNGS
LAURA STEVENSON
FATAL ERECTION

@ DEATH BY AUDIO
MAY 15TH, 2009 – 8PM – ALL AGES!
49 S. 2nd ST. BROOKLYN, NY

More Details on each event after the jump.

Photos by Linda Wildemann

The Bouncing Souls played for an hour and half at Generation Records for Record Store Day. Lead singer Greg Attonito is getting close with Type O Negative up there. Check out more of Linda’s photos at Late Night Wallflower.

ANVIL took the stage last night after a premiere of their documentary Anvil: The Story of Anvil. This band has been together longer than I have been alive and they still rock pretty hard. The film is definitely recommended as it walks the fine line whether you should be laughing with or at the band. In the middle of the film it takes a turn where you really get to know the members and you begin rooting for them, since they never got their fair shake at success. Plus their classic “Metal on Metal” rips way harder than any Bon Jovi song does.

Steel Panther unleashed their lesson in (hair) metal to the audience of the Canal Room in New York City last night. The band’s set which was a variety show of sorts including original songs, covers (Bon Jovi and Guns and Roses, obviously) and comedic stage banter mostly about sex with groupies. Scott Ian who guests on their record, coming out June 9th (Get it?), came out and performed with the band on the song “Asian Hookers” which they apparently wrote in Tokyo in 1978. Check out some photos from their antics below.

The rest of the Taste of Chaos lineup was rounded out by Bring Me The Horizon (above), Four Year Strong and Pierce the Veil. Check out photos below. To see photos of the Cancer Bats go here and Thursday gohere.

Thursday headlined the 2009 edition of Taste of Chaos and blew all the openers off the stage. The band played fan favorites from Full Collapse, War All The Time as well as five new tracks from the phenomenal new album Common Existence. Check out photos below.

Canada’s Cancer Bats flew (sorry) into the Nokia Theatre to open the Taste of Chaos and destroyed. Check out photos below.

…And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead came to the Bowery Ballroom in support of their fantastic new album The Century of Self. Check out some photos below.

Made out of Babies performing live at the BrooklynVegan day party during CMJ Music Marathon.