Brace yourself for metal at Ushuaia

I just love metal,” said Levi Archer, lead singer and guitarist for Disaster Complex. “I always have. This is what I love.”

The Bangor- and Brunswick-based metal outfit has existed for only a little over a year, but already its members know this is it. This gig is the real deal.

“We’re always driving all over the place,” said Archer, who said the band splits up practice time between Bangor and the Brunswick area, “usually a couple of times a week. We play anywhere from four to 10 shows a month. This is it. If anything happens and we make it, I’m going wherever it takes me.”

Disaster Complex formed in August 2004, when longtime friends Archer and lead guitarist Tonio Dicentes hooked up with bass player Bob Rox and drummer Barry Compton. Before that, Archer and Dicentes had been jamming for over a year and had cranked out quite a few songs before Rox and Compton signed on.

The first groups Archer lists when asked to name some of his influences are Slayer, Pantera and old Metallica, which would lead one to believe that Disaster Complex is a thrash metal band. But, like most musicians describe their bands, Archer said Disaster Complex doesn’t sound like any one genre, nor does it intend to.

Archer also said the band takes an anti-establishment stance in much of their lyrical content.

“A lot of what our lyrics deal with is people trying to think for themselves in a world like this, where everyone’s constantly being influenced by what they see or hear,” said Archer. “We try to think outside the box, and not just listen to what politicians or the TV says.”

Live, Disaster Complex can be pretty much summed up in one word: brutal. Air molecules tremble in the wake of its aural assault. At their show tonight at Ushuaia in Orono, a Christmas party sponsored by 105.1 WTOS, it’s sharing the stage with Maine bands Deadseason and Tomorrow’s Tragedy and the mask-wearing metal eight-piece Mushroomhead.

While tonight’s show is a big deal for the band, more recently Disaster Complex has been playing gigs for Supporting the Cause Productions, a Houlton-based metal promotion and booking group. Moosestock, held back in September, featured 10 Maine bands, including Disaster Complex, and Archer counts that show as one of the best the band has played.

“For some reason, northern Maine happens to be a huge hub for metalheads,” said Archer, himself a Houlton native. “It’s not so much that there are shows, but there are tons of fans. Maybe it has something to do with having nothing to do, and all that built up angst, but I would say the biggest hot spot for metal in Maine is up north. They’re always down for anything.”

Supporting acts

Open mike night at Soma 36 in Orono has been rocking every Wednesday night since September, with everyone from established bands to brave souls clutching acoustic guitars stepping up to play a song or two. For Wednesday, Dec. 21, open mike night will be a benefit for the Wilson Center Food Pantry, a University of Maine not-for-profit organization. Acoustic musicians are welcome to perform from 8 to 9:30 p.m., and then local acts Overdub, Soul Lemon and Jack’s Wild will take the stage until 1 a.m. Proceeds from the cover charge will go to the food pantry, and donations of nonperishable items will be accepted. For information, visit www.myspace.com/wwwmyxstudiocom.

Disaster Complex, Tomorrow’s Tragedy, Deadseason and Mushroomhead will perform tonight at WTOS’s Christmas Party at Ushuaia in Orono. Doors open at 8 p.m., and tickets are $15 at all Bull Moose Music locations. For information, visit www.eye9d.com. Disaster Complex’s Web site is www.disastercomplex.com. Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.com.