Just to get this out of the way – yes, they live up to their name. THIS WILL DESTROY YOU is one of the loudest bands I’ve seen live – the kind of loudness where you might go deaf if you don’t wear earplugs. I caught them last year at DC9, expecting a pleasant set of their older, gentler post-rock material, with the typical soft-loud dynamic I love. Instead, what I remember best was their last track, a ten-minute blast of droning noise, where each sound caused so much tension that every changing note was a huge relief. I never really knew the feeling of stillness until the concert ended and my bones finally stopped vibrating.

The optimism of their first album “Young Mountain” has largely disappeared. Since that show last year, This Will Destroy You have moved into more experimental, darker, noisier soundscapes. Maybe they wanted to differentiate themselves as much as possible from their fellow Texan post-rockers Explosions in the Sky? If so, mission accomplished. They really hate being labeled post-rock, and prefer the term “doomgaze” now. Scared yet?

So yeah, they’re coming to destroy the Rock and Roll Hotel this Sunday . If you’re looking for a band that stretches instrumental rock into evil territory, or looking for something heavy without quite being metal, make sure you catch this show.

This Will Destroy You
w/ Nighty Nite, John LaMonica
Rock and Roll Hotel
$12 adv/$14 doors
Sunday, June 5th

Martin Silbiger

Martin moved from Atlanta to DC in 2007. He works as a software developer for Soundexchange, a non-profit royalty administration organization. A self-proclaimed metal snob, Martin loves bands that push into unexplored territory. He also writes about pop culture here.