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Hellitosis’ new album is “Seshing The TrenchMouth.” SUBMITTED

Hellitosis offers wild, surprising new album

Victor D. Infante

Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Local rockers Hellitosis bill themselves as “The most Distasteable band in the World.” That's a big claim — after more than 20 years of writing about music, I have seen some things — but I gotta say, the band's new album, “Seshing The TrenchMouth,” isn't "distasteable" at all. Indeed, if you can get through the sludgy opening, it's actually a pretty engaging hardcore album.

The band will be releasing the album, along with a corresponding novella, “Literally Horrible,” with a show from 1 to 5 p.m. March 5 at the Elm Draught House in Millbury. The event will also feature burlesque performers Mistress Grief and Acacua Sealea, among others. If this all sounds a bit like a random hodgepodge of elements, you're not wrong, but there's something about being immersed in the album that seems like it makes sense, because the album takes you from a sort of muddy, unnerving primal scream of a song, “Trench Mouth,” onto a madcap ride that's at times a tad vulgar, at others shockingly beautifully rendered, and always fastpaced and unpredictable.

“Trench Mouth” gives way to “(Expletive) Witch,” which leans deep into a hard-core sound, continuing the muddy bass line from the first song and escalating the percussion. The vocals, particularly, are of interest. Sometimes we're well in the wheelhouse of the metal demon scream, whereas on the harmonies they're actually rather clear and lovely. Throw in a spoken word interlude where the song's persona is trying to talk someone into getting over their ex-girlfriend, to offcolor but hilarious results, and the band shows its ability to switch up sounds and textures, an ability that contributes to making the album extremely listenable.

The album hits top velocity with the bracing rocker, “(Expletive) Destitute,” before diving into the multilayered “HeroOut,” where a breakout guitar line quivers anxiously on the razor's edge between a murky tone and the heavy pounding of drums. It's a long, intense song, but when it gives way to “To the Hilt,” the change up to more vibrant rock sound provides a needed relief. It's almost an entirely different band: the vocals are rich and dexterous with a wicked tinge, reminding of a young Danny Elfman in the early days of Oingo Boingo. The instrumentation, too, delves more into a garage rock sound, before giving way to hard-core elements. The whole song is totally arresting.

Really, this album is chock full of little musical surprises, such as the off-kilter “Dr. Benfang,” which sets a sort of tightly metered verse to a hard-driving beat, to fascinating results, a trick replicated soon after in, “The Apple.” In the latter song, though, it's really the instrumentation that shines, with hooks in the melody that create moments of joy amid the cacophony, until it's all overcome by a return to an ominous heavy cloud.

Then, with “Hot Dog,” the song erupts into a breakneck blast of speed metal. It's an extremely enjoyable turn, and it sets up the album's closer, “Imprisonment Tartus,” a more than 8-minute-long magnum opus that seems to touch back on several of the album's earlier themes, only instead of wrapping them up, the album plunges them all into a pit of discord and madness. Which is distasteable, certainly, but it's also pretty cool.

5 THINGS TO DO

DON WHITE, ZERO 9:36 AND MORE ...

Don White T&G FILE

Birthday celebration!

Award-winning singer/songwriter, comedian, author and storyteller Don White has a new subject to explore. The Lynn native has opened for Arlo Guthrie, Ritchie Havens, Louden Wainwright III and Taj Mahal, and been featured in storytelling festivals around the country. Now “Don White’s 65th Birthday Show” at the Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley March 5 will likely be celebrated with a characteristic mix of humor and powerful songwriting. (RD) What: “Don White’s 65th Birthday Show” When: 8 p.m. March 5. Doors open for dinner and seating at 6 p.m. Where: The Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley How much: $20. www.bullrunrestaurant.com

Richard Duckett and Victor D. Infante Worcester Magazine | USA TODAY NETWORK

Singing from the Soul

The Salisbury Singers will reach deep when performing classic and contemporary works in its concert “My Soul Can Reach: Music for Reflection & Renewal” March 5 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Worcester and March 6 at St. Cecelia Church, Leominster. Themes of loss and resolution will include composer Alice Parker’s setting of texts by poet Emily Dickinson and Vivaldi’s resplendent “Gloria,” as well as choral works by Marques Garrett, Dan Forrest and Peter Anglea. The Salisbury Singers MICHELLE SHEPPARD The concert will also feature soloists from Anna Maria College and Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a guest string quartet. The Salisbury Singers will be led by music director Bradford T. Dumont and its new conducting fellow Will Goliger. (RD) What: “My Soul Can Reach: Music for Reflection & Renewal” — Salisbury Singers When/Where: 7 p.m. March 5, Trinity Lutheran Church, 73 Lancaster St., Worcester. 4 p.m. March 6, St. Cecilia Church, 180 Mechanic St., Leominster. How much: $25 adults; $20 seniors; $12 students. www.salisburysingers.org

Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman SUBMITTED

Exploring a ‘Legacy’

Holocaust survivor Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman (1920-2013) became a central figure in the vibrant Yiddish world of the Bronx, New York. Her poetry, songs and artwork were considered invaluable contributions to traditional Jewish folk art. Her creative output spanned seven decades, multiple continents, and numerous media as she dedicated her life to preserving and spreading Yiddish through a community of scholars, artists and Yiddish enthusiasts. The documentary “BEYLE: The Artist and Her Legacy” explores her influence on Yiddish culture through archival recordings and exclusive interviews with Beyle and others. Presented by the Central Massachusetts Jewish Theatre Company. (RD) What: “BEYLE: The Artist and Her Legacy” When: 7:30 p.m. March 10 Where/How much: Online. Free. Go to www.cmjtc.org to register

Zero 9:36 SUBMITTED

Riding High

Rapper-singer Zero 9:36 has been a rising star for a bit now, but he’s rolling into Worcester on the heels of a good deal of big news. First off, he’s at the Palladium headlining the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour, which focuses on artists at their breakout moment. Notable alumni of the tour include Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore, The Chainsmokers, Logic, Post Malone and 21 Savage. On top of that, he’s just been nominated for an iHeartRadio Music Award for Best New Rock Artist. Throw in the success of his recent single, “I’m Not,” and there’s every reason to believe that they’ll be a good vibe at the Palladium that night. (VDI) What: Monster Energy Outbreak Tour Presents Zero 9:36 with Fame On Fire and Garzi When: 7 p.m. March 8 Where: The Palladium (Upstairs), 261 Main St., Worcester How much: $18

Cannabis

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Hopefully whoever is responsible for the success of Chocolate OG is being heavily rewarded by their new corporate overlords.

No. 2: The Botanist: When I heard in 2018 that former Speaker of the House and prolific crier John Boehner was getting into the cannabis industry by joining the board of Acreage Holdings, I threw up in my mouth a little. This guy didn’t lift a single finger to improve cannabis laws in the near quarter of a century that he was in Congress, and now he was jumping on the bandwagon the minute cannabis became undeniably popular and profitable? Gross.

I have to admit though, everyone who I met in my time in the industry who worked at Acreage-owned The Botanist were good people, and when I finally sampled some of their wares, I was forced to admit that the product I had been derisively calling “Boehner Weed” was actually quite good. LA Kush Cake, a hybrid that is a regular on their menu at both their Worcester and Shrewsbury locations, is a particular strain worth seeking out.

Maybe they use some of John’s famous tears to make sure the PH levels in the soil are just right. In any case, I hope that Mr. Speaker is making sure his cultivation team gets a cut of the massive payday he’s going to receive when Acreage inevitably gets bought out by an even larger corporation.

No. 1: Nature’s Heritage: While this brand of flower is produced by a local subsidiary of publicly traded MSO MariMed, you would be forgiven for thinking cannabis was grown by a boutique grower somewhere in the Emerald Triangle.

I’ve been impressed by the smell and taste of every strain I’ve scooped from them, but in particular I recommend you give their Lamb’s Bread a try, as this classic Caribbean sativa can be hard to find here in this latitude. It’s so good, it will have you rushing to LinkedIn to track down Marimed’s executive team, demanding they give their cultivation crew a pay raise and some stock grants.

Draft

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experience and passion for craft beer, and we know our brand is in great hands with them.”

Redemption Rock co-founder Dan Carlson told me signing on with Craft Collective will help the brewery achieve one of its biggest goals for this year: increasing distribution throughout the state.

And while Craft Collective expands Redemption Rock’s footprint east and west of Worcester County, the brewery will continue self-distributing to restaurants, bars and stores around the city.

Spencer monks get marketing help from a Boston university

Personal promotion doesn’t figure prominently in a cloistered lifestyle, so the monks of Spencer Brewery have accepted the help of Northeastern University students and professors in coming up with new advertising campaigns.

According to Northeastern, professors Koen Pauwels and Yakov Bart have been devising marketing strategies for the monks, who run the first certified Trappist brewery in the country.

The assistance has been free through Northeastern’s Digital, Analytics, Technology and Automation Initiative, which the university called “an interdisciplinary team that researches and develops methods to help businesses compete in the data-driven world.”

The team has already tested hundreds of ads for the brewery, Northeastern said, determining that younger consumers prefer high-alcohol brews to lower and rural markets have more interest in Spencer’s regular releases than its seasonal beers.

Northeastern consultants also recommended the brewery use Facebook to promote its brand, taking advantage of the targeting advertising.

Father Isaac Keeley, Spencer’s director, told Northeastern’s marketing website that the brewery will soon launch its first national advertising campaign.

Babymoon

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never understood the concept of a hormone monster until that moment. I shouted unspeakable things up at the man and stormed off, throwing open the door to what I thought was an elevator bay, but was in fact an employee entrance. At that point, I felt like I had to commit to the bit so I stomped my way through the maze of industrial halls until I emerged into what can only be described as the upside down world. A nice bellman on his break directed me to the hotel lobby. Something about the experience snapped me back to reality. When my husband finally caught up to me, he showed me the pictures. They were salvageable.

Bring your partner a beach bag: On our first day, my husband realized he had forgotten to pack one essential item — the beach bag. Worry, not. He cleverly displaced our hotel hair dryer to co-opt the bag it came in. The bag itself wasn't offensive, a white canvas drawstring satchel, understated, except for big black block letters that spelled “BLOW OUT.” He brought it everywhere. I mean everywhere. To the pool, to the beach, to the Ritz Carlton for lunch, even to WET with all the pulsing beats and the itsy bitsy, Louis Vuitton bikinis. I have a sneaking suspicion he might try to take it home. If we get an outrageous charge to our room for the equivalent of a designer purse, I swear I'm buying another carton of milk and forcing him into that tub. Zee heiress of zee Speedo fortune always gets her way.

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Ready to Soar

It will be a busy but harmonious couple of days for the Worcester Chamber Music Society as it “takes wing” with shows at the BrickBox Theater March 4 and 6. First up, the WCMS Spotlight Concert series shines a special light on two of its acclaimed members, Joshua Gordon, cello, and Randall Hodgkinson, piano, Joshua Gordon, cello, and Randall Hodgkinson, piano, perform with the Worcester Chamber Music Society. SUBMITTED March 4 with a program that includes works by Brahms and 20th-century composers Marti Epstein and George Walker. And on March 6, WCMS presents its annual Free Family Concert with two performances of Erik Jorgenson’s “Aaponi’s Destiny — The Adventures of a Mayfly.” Students from Neighborhood Strings will play at the beginning of each performance. Come early and visit the EcoTarium’s insect/mayfly display at the JMAC. Art created by students at CreativeHub Worcester, Gerald Creamer School, and New Citizens Center will also be featured. (RD) What and when: WCMS Spotlight Concert series, 7:30 p.m. March 4 How much: $30-$38 adults; $10 students; $5 EBT/WIC; free youth 17. Livestream and On-Demand: $20 single; $38 household; $5 student; $2 EBT/WIC. Go to www.worcesterchambermusic.org for more information. What and when: Worcester Chamber Music Society Free Family Concert — “Aaponi’s Destiny — The Adventures of a Mayfly.” 1:30 and 4 p.m. March 6 How much: Admission is free, but tickets are required. For more information, go to www.worcesterchambermusic.org Where: All shows at BrickBox Theater at the JMAC, 20 Franklin St., Worcester