Winter’s Ruin: The March of Metal Madness

Arts & Entertainment Events
Winter's Ruin Metal Fest. Photography by Joe Fowler
Winter’s Ruin Metal Fest. Photography by Joe Fowler

After weeks of research into the events leading up to the chaos of 2016, I needed a break from the intensity of modern life. On March 25, I entered the Ante Room in downtown Charlottesville for Winter’s Ruin Metal Fest.

Winter’s Ruin featured eight bands and several hours of heavy metal music.

I arrived halfway through an instrumental performance by Charlottesville’s Lamaze… I lost myself in the music. So began the ride.

Shredding guitar riffs, bass grooves, percussion precision and vocals serving as the combined voice for generations of defiant outcasts filled the Ante Room well past the midnight hour.

Just outside the doors, a wide variety of people stood talking about a variety of subjects from politics to life as restaurant employees. The various forms of shaming found beyond this haven ceased to exist. Members of the crowd made friends for life with perfect strangers without having to remember a single name.

People engaging in a plethora of lifestyles gathered under one common flag. Back inside the venue, one act followed another with none seeming to have any desire to outdo the other. There was equality in what some would consider a sea of chaos.

I stood in the back of the venue, losing myself in the music as much as I could. Five sets in, I realized I needed to get some work done. I clipped my press pass onto my hoodie and pulled a notepad from the pocket of my camouflage cargo shorts.

Having transformed into seasoned truth-seeker and chaos junkie extraordinaire, Joe Fowler, I went out in search of an interview. The guitarist for the psychedelic doom metal trio, Heavy Temple, was to the left of me.

I approached Archbishop Barghest who seemed to be enjoying refreshments from the bar at a decent pace. After introducing myself, I went after the most important facts I could possibly think to ask about.

“How drunk are you?” I asked. Barghest responded that on a scale of one to ten, he was at a six. I spoke with Barghest for several minutes, before bassist and singer, High Priestess Nighthawk joined us.

After talking for several minutes, the three of us walked outside to talk shop about metal music and anything else that came to mind. Drummer, Siren Tempestas, joined us a little while later.

Nighthawk spent much time talking about heavy metal, “as its own mainstream.” In the 46 years since Black Sabbath released their self-titled debut, her point has become increasingly more difficult to argue against. I went with it. The four of us continued talking for about an hour, the details of which can be found on piedmontforum.com.

One of the most passionate points we discussed was the reputation metal heads unfairly get based on stereotypes. I could hardly debate against the existence of the many misconceptions associated with metal heads.

However, the members of Heavy Temple provided an extremely common counterpoint to those stereotypes. Barghest holds a degree in physics. Nighthawk favors classical music and ranks Tchaikovsky as one of the top inspirations for her music. Tempestas identifies her taste in music as eclectic. She plays a variety of instruments including drums, trumpet and saxophone.

The scene at the Ante Room on March, 25, 2015 provide fulfilling and fascinating fun for many, both inside the venue as performers and fans, and outside in the spring air as a community.