Crushing.

I've worked overtime to keep my first love, music, out of it here. However, I saw a pretty galvanizing show last night at Apocalypse Lounge in the East Village and I want to blab about it. And there are art connections so that squeezes everything through the HAA valves.

The show started with an absolutely mesmerizing band, Throwing Shrapnel from Boston. Abstract grindcore is the best way to describe it. Killer. Killer. Killer. Wall of sound guitarist. Profanely articulate bass. A drummer who understands that shrieking is a percussive device. And a singer who brings it all together. Oh, and the art thread is quite simply one of the best song titles ever: "Michaelangelo's Secret Paint Huffing Addiction." A little clunky, but so was the Big M after he got a few brushes under his nose. And these basement monsters aren't sharing a split with Behold . . . The Arctopus on Relapse, because . . . ?

Also on the bill last night was the ever-evolving and always glowing Death By A Thousand Cuts. Oscillating noise madness. Seriously. Another overwhelming show. And the visuals by Jason Cosco just keep getting better. The art connection here? Jason Ziemniak, half of DBATC and Chrome Peeler Records chief, is releasing a DVD of Banks Violette's recent collaboration with the Black Metal legend Snorre Ruch at the Whitney.