SETTING THE SCENE. The metal scene is being brought to the historic Mabel Tainter stage thanks to first-time event, Metal at the Mabel. The lineup includes Casket Robbery, lead singer Megan Orvold-Sheider pictured. (Photo via Facebook)

The Chippewa Valley has a large local music scene including all kinds of genres, but local metal music can be a rarity to find (the exceptions being larger festivals like Rock Fest).

Since 2019, Menomonie’s Zymurgy Brewing has been hosting death metal shows along with their brewery offerings. They took a break during the pandemic but are now hoping to launch back into full swing by having a larger venue to host the bands, with Zymurgy sponsoring the drinks.

Now, Zymurgy is presenting a metal show at the city’s legendary Mabel Tainter Theater on Saturday, July 8.

The promoter of the event, Dustyn Dubuque, has been cultivating heavy metal events at Zymurgy. As the music scene has grown in Menomonie, he wanted to make this unique event happen, even if it was for one time only. 

The historic Mabel Tainter has been hosting performances for well over a century, but hasn’t featured metal music before. Summer is their slower season, but they wanted to take the extra time to experiment with different ranges of entertainment and music. Their hope is that this first-time event will bring more foot traffic into the spectacular theater.

Metal at the Mabel lineup:

• Putrid Pile, Shaun LaCanne, a.k.a. a one-man brutal death metal band, will headline 
• Casket Robbery: a female-led band with a brutal, catchy sound
• Witchden: a Minnesota-based band that brings a dark mystique to every show they play
• Blodwar: a Minnesota-based death metal band with a mix of old-school and new-school

“(It's) just nice to know there is a niche in the Chippewa Valley being filled for those who enjoy heavy music or would like to experience something new,” Dubuque said.

The bands lined up for Metal at the Mabel have all previously played at Zymurgy Brewing. Tickets for Metal at the Mabel are $15 including fees.

Zymurgy Brewing will also be hosting ZymurderFest on Aug. 12 with a four- to 10-band lineup. Other entertainment includes fire breathers, a taste of specialty brews, and a pizza truck.

Tickets for Metal at the Mabel Tainter are available online. Tickets for Zymurder Fest can be purchased online as well.