SLUDGEFEST

Savannah’s stoner metal trio Black Tusk are masters at taking their Black Sabbath and hardcore punk roots and creating a dank, potent, and heady hybrid. Since their inception in ’05, the band has staked a claim in the metal realm on the strength of more than a half-dozen well-regarded releases and brutal, kickass live shows. In November last year, bassist and founding member Jonathon Athon died after suffering injuries in a motorcycle accident. Band dealt with the loss, regrouped, and honored their fallen brother with the ultimate tribute: continuing to lead the pack in the next wave of heavy American rock.