It’s festival heaven for fans of heavy music

Although the Suoni per il Popolo regularly presents shows in the calendar year, tonight is the first night of the full-fledged festival featuring some of the more progressive and innovative artists that reach beyond generational divides. The festival runs until June 19 and features some of its best programming yet. For fans of Power Violence, grind core, stoner rock and other forms of music of a more aggressive nature there is also a festival happening at Katacombes over the weekend that demands your attention. Read on, my fine furry friends.

Thursday: You can start your night at l’Esco at 4 p.m. to see the projection of the first volume of Qualité Reduite, a project wherein bands are filmed playing live, all on videotape. This first volume features UUBBUURRUU, Red Mass, Paupière, Adam Strangler, Vulgaire and les Marinellis. Making this trip even more worthy is DJ Gabrielle Vallée and a BBQ with a veggie option. 4467 St-Denis, 4-7 p.m., PWYC

After getting stuffed full of hot dogs at l’Esco, march up to Casa to see my band — USA Out of Vietnam — plow through the hits for the start of Suoni with the unpredictable Un Blonde and gloomy keys of Old Boy. 4873 St-Laurent, 9:15 p.m., $8/$10

Friday: Anybody who wants to get elbow distance away from true legends, head to Piranha to catch “black metal” legends Venom Inc. with Necrophagia and Occult Burial. This will rool!!!! 680 Ste-Catherine W., 8 p.m., $25/$30

Friday night marks the first night of the other festival in town, Montreal Earslaughter, hosting their first edition over the weekend at Katacombes. Bring earplugs for Vagiant, Outre-Tombe, Organ Dealer, Saccage, Ahna, Malignant Tumor, War Master and Disrotted. 1635 St-Laurent, 7 p.m., $26.14 (3-day passes $66.14)

Suoni continues to flex its eclectic muscle with a quick return from NYC’s Mommy with Haram, Nanadas and Gazm at Casa. 4873 St-Laurent, 10 p.m., $10

Across the street at Sala, get yer Suoni on with Jef E. Barbara’s Black Space, also featuring Dishwasher, Elena Stoodley and Strange Froots. 4848 St-Laurent, 9:30 p.m., $8/$10

Saturday: Montreal Earslaughter continues to roar at Katacombes with Deboned, Retardnation, Gowl, Fist Fuck, Die Choking, Whoresnation, Backslider, P.L.F, Birdflesh, Macabre and Pas Fin vs. Powercup. 1635 St-Laurent, 5 p.m., $31.14

Ghost Vines will release their new cassette at la Passe with Femme Accident and Simone Pitot and the Pale Hum. 1214 de la Montagne, 10 p.m., $5/PWYC

Suoni keeps the punk rawk o’ pumping with Ursula, Crawler, Whip Kisser and the noise punk of Ugly Baby. Casa del Popolo (4873 St-Laurent), 9:30 p.m., $10/PWYC

Venom Inc. coming to town was a close second, but my big pick of the week falls under the Suoni umbrella when noiseniks Wolf Eyes show why they remain as vital as they were two decades ago. Opening up are No Negative, Blankets and Urlapse — this will be insanely good!!! La Sala Rossa (4848 St-Laurent), 9:30 p.m., $12/$14

Sunday: Montreal Earslaughter finally winds things down at Katacombes with an evening of stoner and doom bands including Norilsk, Monobrow, Disrotted, Tunguska Mammoth and Monolord. 1635 St-Laurent, 7 p.m., $26.14

For a real taste of what Suoni is all about, you can catch Oneida’s tub thumper Kid Millions in collaboration with “sax terrorist” Phil Sauter with Curse Purse, Shining Wizard and JLK supporting at Casa. 4873 St-Laurent, 9 p.m., $10/$13

Across the street at Sala, you can catch Inuit folk artist Willie Thrasher, who is currently experiencing a resurgence in his career since Light in the Attic featured him on their much-ballyhooed Native North America Vol. 1 comp.  He will be in performance with Linda Saddleback with a presentation of the film The Ballad of Crowfoot and performances by Little Fire and Sipreano. 4848 St-Laurent, 9 p.m., $13/$16

Monday: Chris Cohen plays at le Ritz, but you’ll want to show up early to catch openers Freelove Fenner and Sheer Agony. 179 Jean-Talon W., 9:30 p.m., $8/$10

Tuesday: Deadly Mardi’s DIY Shows at le Rockette keeps on swinging with Barre. 4479 St-Denis, 10 p.m., $5/PWYC

Suoni is holding some gold on Tuesday, when the ambient drones of Matchess will fill the Casa, with more ethereal sounds coming from TALsounds and Besnard Laker/USA Out of Vietnamer Sheenah Ko. 4873 St-Laurent, 9:15 p.m., $8/$10

Here’s an early Suoni highlight: Will Eizlini and his ensemble, performing a live soundtrack to one of my all-time favourite films, Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Holy Mountain, with Spike Taylor opening up. If you’re holding – do it!!! La Sala Rossa (4848 St-Laurent), 8:30 p.m., $10/$12

At la Vitrola, you can catch a tribute to Sun Ra under the title of Space Is (Always) the Place with the Krautrock of Space Clouds Filter and Paraphonique, les Orcs de Cristal and Crepuscule Solaire opening. 4602 St-Laurent, 9 p.m., $5/PWYC

Wednesday: For fans who pine of the old days of Relapse Records, see Shai Hulud with Dwell, Modern Eyes and Offside at le Ritz. 179 Jean-Talon W., 7 p.m., $15

Current Obsession: Various Artists, Las Vegas Grind Volume 2

jonathan.cummins@gmail.com