HOUNDS OF HATE, WHITE WARDS, WET

Two Olympia hardcore bands—White Wards and Wet—make the Black Lodge the destination for heavy-music fans tonight. White Wards' whirlwinds of tyrannical guitar fury have offered no apologies in the past, with tracks like "Fucking a Dead Body" and "Tear the Veins Out" spewing abrasive horrors into ears in about a minute or less. Keep an eye out for their sure-to-be-debased full-length released in the next couple months on Iron Lung Records. Fellow Olympians Wet rely on a more distinctively Northwest flannel-wearing riffage that also smells heavily of teen spirit. But with a cold face-pummeling attack that also reinvigorates tired grunge-punk tropes through a spastic hardcore lens, Wet have a promising future as well. New York straight-edge hardcore act Hounds of Hate round out the bill with even more hard and fast riffs—come armed with earplugs and perhaps kneepads. Black Lodge, 9 pm.

TOPSHELF RECORDS' EMO EXPANSIONISTS

Emo—once condemned as a pejorative term for the red-eyeliner-wearing, Gerard-Way-worshipping, and generally clueless—is alive and bleeding again in its truest form at Boston label Topshelf Records. As the brood-prone reader may be able to infer, the World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die is a gazillion-piece, Connecticut-based ensemble that writes grandiose songs high on emotional luminescence and low on self-restraint. Released last year, their debut full-length, Whenever, If Ever, possesses a nearly overwhelming sense of urgency. The record reveals everyday tragedies through meticulous orchestration and clean production, and its sparkly guitar lines and teenage feelings coalesce, sounding honestly Kinsella-blessed without getting overly sappy. This should translate well to a live show adorned with barely choked-back tears and the clever guitar sounds of fellow Topshelf signees Into It. Over It. and A Great Big Pile of Leaves, as well as the Eastside's post-high-school indie rockers Special Explosion. Signed to the label in December, the young band creates gleaming and dreamy indie rock, making their upcoming EP one of the year's most anticipated local releases. Vera Project, 7:30 pm, $10.