Unfuckingbelievable.
Before the Arsies began in earnest 4 weeks ago, I would not have believed that this plucky sludgefest would handily win two rounds. But Inter Arma won the cointoss today, and in doing so, set the terms of the contest. The lachrymose Virginians evince so much weight and deterioration throughout The Cavern that it's hard to imagine them getting toppled by any band who aren't competing with similar gravitas. That's why perennial favorites Old Man Gloom lost, and that's how the otherwise excellent prog metal stylings of Distorted Harmony are undone here. The bubblegum nature lurking around the edges of DH's sound that I mentioned in their first round is even more conspicuous now, after the 45 minutes of devastation that Inter Arma unleashes.
Tonight, we've got a special old-timers cross-genre grudge match, with Overkill and Cannibal Corpse!