Houston doom crew Sanctus Bellum have announced that this year, for their annual birthday show, attendees will be treated with two special sets, each featuring appearances by Bobby Liebling of Pentagram and James Rivera of Helstar. The night will most likely be one of the heaviest nights of the year for Houston, Texas as the bill will be rounded out by Louisiana’s doom/thrash outfit Cauldron (featuring ex Gammacide members), Houston’s hardcore kings H.R.A., thrash band Owl Witch, and the down-tempo stomp of Serpent Sun. This mighty night of metal will take place at Rudyard’s British Pub in Houston, TX on Saturday December 22 and will be the birthday celebration of Sanctus Bellum bassist Ben Yaker and guitarist Jan Kimmel.
Sanctus Bellum will no doubt be the workhorse band of the night, playing a total of three sets. “It will definitely be an endurance test,” exclaims bassist and founder Yaker as he contemplates his three-hour set for the night. First up, Sanctus Bellum will be performing their own set in support of their 2012 sophomore release “The Shining Path.” Immediately following this, the band will take the stage again with James Rivera of Helstar under the name Sanctus Bellum Sanctus as they perform a number of classic metal songs that both Rivera and Sanctus Bellum hail as major influences. Following this set, concert-goers will be treated to the final set of the night, this time under the name Sanctus Bellum Sanctuary, with Bobby Liebling at the helm. The special bonus of this set is that Liebling and crew will perform Pentagram songs almost exclusively from their 70’s material, many of which that haven’t been played live in decades, or even at all. “Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve been a huge Pentagram fan for years and that my favorite incarnation of the band is the 70s lineup,” says Yaker. “This show has given me the opportunity to select some of my favorite, but often overlooked, Pentagram tracks that I’ve always wanted to hear Bobby perform live.”
The artwork for the night was provided by Will Broadbent Illustration, and features Rivera and Liebling alongside Sanctus Bellum members disguised as the Legion of Doom. Posters, which are 24 x 36 inches, will be available at the show, as well as on the band’s official merchandise page. Pre-show tickets are available on the site as well, even as a package deal with a poster, in addition to merchandise from Sanctus Bellum.
