Scott “Malefic” Conner started Xasthur in California’s black metal underground in 1995 and has spent three decades doing exactly as he pleases — ending the project in 2010, returning in 2015 with acoustic dark folk in place of the earlier black metal, and then on 2023’s Inevitably Dark, partly lifting his own self-imposed ban on heavy music. The record exists because Conner felt like making it. His artist philosophy is one sentence: “Curse him, praise him — he still only does what he wills and that remains his true artistic achievement.” His most recent album, Disharmonic Variations (Lupus Lounge, July 2024), moves through acoustic dark folk and ambient drift — Ghost Cult Magazine rated it nine out of ten and called it “an eclectic masterpiece genuinely crafted for lost souls in quest of solace amidst a cold world.” That version of Xasthur comes to Photo City Music Hall in Rochester on September 28.
About the Show
Xasthur built its early reputation on the depressive, atmospheric end of black metal — albums like Nocturnal Poisoning and Portal of Sorrow built the project’s cult following. Disharmonic Variations is thirteen tracks Conner described as “bitter, painful, dirt-stained, and sometimes even hopeful,” made without commercial consideration or concern for stylistic consistency.
Touring with Xasthur this fall is Temple of the Fuzz Witch, the Detroit three-piece formed in 2017 who describe their sound as “Pure Blackened Doom Metal from the rotting city of Detroit.” Noah Bruner, Joe Peet, and Taylor Christian have pushed heavier with each release. Their 2024 album Apotheosis (Ripple Music) explored fallen angel mythology through Biblical, Zoroastrian, and mystical sources — the band said it was “bigger, heavier, and darker” than anything before it, built on “massive grooves, bleak heaviness,” and a “ritualistic” atmosphere. Critics described the riffs and lyrics as “bleak and crushing as a Michigan winter,” vocals shifting between guttural growls and clean, grunge-influenced delivery. The 2025 follow-up CONJURING pushed the same direction further.
Supporting the Rochester date are Vampiryic Crypt and Antithetic. The September 28 stop was added after the tour’s initial routing announcement, falling between New Hope, PA (September 26) and Brattleboro, VT (September 29).
Venue & Logistics
Photo City Music Hall is at 543 Atlantic Ave in Rochester, a room for heavy and underground music in the Finger Lakes area. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. The show is 16+. No refunds.
Tickets
Tickets are $22. Buy tickets