APOCALYPTIC VISIONS

Apocalyptic Visions is an American underground metal band from Atlanta
Georgia. Founded in 1994, the band had its beginnings by making an appearance on a reality television show. Possibly the only band ever to perform their first concert one hour after meeting one another for the first time. To date, they have recorded three full length albums and have toured throughout the U.S. in support of their latest release, Doomsday Device. Stylistically, Apocalyptic Visions are generally considered a hybrid of death and black metal, relying heavily on the theatrical cliches of both genres.

SIGNIFICANCE

The band are known for their exaggerated theatrical presentation, which is manifested in an overt hostility toward their audience. This aggression has earned them the nickname of "The Angriest Band In America," a title originally given them by unimpressed radio DJs[1385], [1386], [1387] and other metal bands. Far from being offended or taking insult, the band instead took delight in the disparaging nickname and adopted it as their own. It has now become a slogan that is proudly displayed in all their print media.
Although they have not enjoyed large popularity, they continue to maintain a fiercely loyal underground fan base. It should be noted that the band makes no attempts to court their fans, nor to promote loyalty; instead its entire scheme for publicity has been one of the same aggression as seen in their shows. Therefore, it could be construed that fans of Apocalyptic Visions enjoy mistreatment.
Despite their ostensible unpopularity, Apocalyptic Visions has earned respect for their musical abilities. When the Cartoon Network asked metal giants Mastodon[1388] to record the opening theme for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Movie[1389] "Cut You Up With A Linoleum Knife," it was Apocalyptic Visions vocalist War who was chosen to perform the opening verse with his signature infuriated growl. War has also appeared as a guest vocalist for the popular Cartoon Network television series Metalocalypse. [1390]
The members of Apocalyptic Visions organized the Swayze's Black Mass Metal Festival on 6/6/06, in collaboration with Deathgasm Records [1391], enlisting the support of a number of other bands. During this performance, Apocalyptic Visions enhanced its theatrical repertoire by releasing over sixty thousand live crickets into the audience. For this, they were banned from the venue for life. Other items they have been known to unleash upon their listeners include blood, decapitated pig's heads, roadkill, flies, and at one all-underage concert... cigarettes. They are rarely asked to return to any venue.