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Among denim-jacketed heshers across the globe, Portland is a well known thought leader in heavy metal.
Bands whose flyers you see stapled to utility poles on Hawthorne are blog-famous, beer zombie music videos hit a million views on YouTube, there's the metal pizza place, and our albums go deep into year end lists (see no. 12), and not just the all-metal ones.
But for a city that produces so much high quality loud music, we haven't truly had a record store dedicated to the heavy arts. For that pleasure, you had to scrounge through 2nd Avenue Records or Exiled or Landfill Rescue Unit and hope to grab some rare cuts, or travel to party basement Metal Head in Astoria for a truly dedicated shop.
No more. Today, Portland-based Devout Rcrds, run by Stevie Floyd of local doom metal bands Dark Castle and Taurus and her partner Jef "Wrest" Whitehead of black metal act Leviathan opened a new store specializing in extreme heavy metal in their art space on SE 11th Ave., across the street from Rimsky-Korsakoffee. Just look for the wooden sign that looks like a really angry forest.
Alongside their own music, shirts and pins, much of which is highly sought after by collectors, Devout will be carrying music and memorabilia from Portland and Oregon-based record labels including Fallen Empire, Vrasubatlat, Headsplit and The Ajna Offensive, as well as labels like Nuclear War Now!, Hell's Headbangers, Debemur Morti that are indicators of quality among metal aficionados. They will also be selling rarities from their own personal collections and others on consignment.
Floyd told WW that the store will be open tomorrow for Christmas Eve from noon through 8pm and that they plan on opening regularly on Saturdays throughout the year.
On WW's visit this afternoon, the shop was full of black-clad shoppers excitedly browsing through rare LPs and cassettes. If you're looking for a last minute Christmas gift for your cousin with long hair and a huge back patch sewn to his leather jacket, you've come to the right place.
Devout Rcrds will be open at 636 SE 11th Ave. on Saturdays starting December 24.