Darkest Hour should be familiar to anyone following the hardcore scene in DC. Having played as a band for 15 years now, these guys have perfected their blend of metalcore, combining hardcore singing and screaming with fiery death metal riffs. To celebrate the release of their new album, The Human Romance, they put together a huge metal tour that’s kicking off at the 9:30 Club this Friday.

The show is part of the 3rd annual Atticus Metal tour, featuring a slew of metalcore bands from around the country – The Human Abstract and As Blood Runs Black from LA, and Born of Osiris from Chicago. These are some of the top bands in the metalcore scene these days, if that’s your sort of thing. And you know what? It’s my sort of thing, because I love huge riffs. I love headbanging. Sometimes I have to headbang next to a bunch of Myspace kids, but I can deal. Of these, I’m most excited for The Human Abstract, the most metal, least ‘scene’ of these bands – their sound borrows from progressive metal groups like Opeth or Between the Buried and Me.

Friday night will really be all about Darkest Hour, though. The local kids go CRAZY for this band! If you like moshing, hardcore dancing, or just headbanging in the back, I’ll see you there.

Atticus Metal Tour
Darkest Hour
w/ Born of Osiris, The Human Abstract, As Blood Runs Black
9:30 Club
$15

‘News Stand in HDR’
courtesy of ‘JPott’

After yesterday, today seemed like a good day for good news in local journalism. The American Prospect announced this morning they are bringing 30-year journalism veteran Kit Rachlis to helm the publication. From the release:

Rachlis’ career in journalism spans almost 30 years, during which time he has been an editor at The Village Voice, the LA Weekly, the Los Angeles Times and most recently at Los Angeles magazine.

“We are thrilled to welcome Kit Rachlis to The Prospect,” said Rapoport, who is also President of Demos (www.demos.org), The American Prospect’s publishing partner. “He is a superb editor and journalist, and brings the perfect blend of skills and experience to this position.

‘Trevor Booker, Tony Parker and Kirk Hinrich’
courtesy of ‘Keith Allison’

Last night, the Wizards pulled the trigger on another “building for the future” trade, sending Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Mike Bibby, Maurice Evans, Jordan Crawford and a first-round pick. Not only does Crawford have good upside, Bibby brings a savings of about $2m to the club’s books for the 2011-2012 season – and who knows if he stays put or gets flipped again to clear more space.

For fun, here’s the Wizards opening day roster (starters in bold, players in italics no longer with team as of last night):

PG          Gilbert Arenas

C             Hilton Armstrong

PF           Andray Blatche

C             Trevor Booker

G             Kirk Hinrich

SF           Josh Howard

G             Lester Hudson

GF          Cartier Martin

C             JaVale McGee

C             Hamady N’Diaye

F              Kevin Seraphin

SF           Al Thornton

PG          John Wall

PF           Yi Jianlian

SG          Nick Young

‘IMG_8775.jpg’
courtesy of ‘bridgetds’

In a move widely hailed as both smart and thrifty, the Washington Capitals announced today that they have re-signed forward Matt Hendricks to a two year contract. The contract brings Hendricks back to Washington at $800,000 per year, for a total cap hit of $1.6 million. So far this year, the 29 year old, third-year pro has put up solid numbers with the Caps, tallying 7 goals and 12 assists while splitting time on the third and fourth lines. The signing brings the Capitals to 16 players signed for the 2011-12 season, with just under $14 million remaining, according to CapGeek.com.

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‘West End Bistro’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

In two short years since coming to West End Bistro from Eric Ripert’s flagship New York City restaurant, Le Bernardin, Chef de Cuisine Joe Palma has quickly made a name for himself in DC. So it was with great pleasure that I got the chance to sample Chef Palma’s newest offerings for the spring menu at West End Bistro. I was not disappointed. Both Chef Palma’s reputation for simple, fresh ingredients and his southern heritage shone through in his newest creations. Details and pictures after the jump.

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‘The Intercounty Connector In the Sky’
courtesy of ‘Photos by Chip Py’

7.2 miles of the new Intercounty Connector opened this morning in Montgomery Country, connecting I-270/370 to the Maryland-97 (Norbeck Road) and deploying the first of five sections of new toll road that will connect the 270 Spur to I-95. The Toll Road, the first segment of which will cost $1.45 or $1.15 depending on time and day, will add another 10 miles in two separate segments before the end of the year.

While they get people used to the new road, there’s no cost, so for the next two weeks, the ICC is free as in beer.  Currently, the road ends with a stoplight at Norbeck Road, and WAMU was reporting some traffic backups there today.  Did you take the new road to work this morning? Was it worth all the hassle and years of fighting?