The Etruscan goddess Cloacina, worshipped by the Romans as an aspect of Venus, once presided over the Roman sewer system from her shrine above its great drain. Interestingly, she was worshipped not just as a goddess of filth, but one of purification. A state of purity achieved through an existence spent wallowing in filth is as good a description as any for the appeal of genres like harsh noise, power electronics and death industrial. This music expresses some of the most profoundly negative, violent impulses imaginable but can, when performed properly, be transcendent enough to actually cleanse the psyche of listeners and performers alike.

SEWER GODDESS, the local death industrial project who has been raising an unholy racket around these parts for some nine years now, is very much capable of that kind of transcendence. While some of their output is purely electronic, much of it (like the punishing Lifeless Dreaming) incorporates more traditional guitars and drumming, lending the style some interesting doom and extreme metal influence to go along with all the cold and mechanical furor. Kristen Rose’s vocals alternate between unsettling yowling and blood-curdling screams ensconced in a murky, swirling, dirgy mess that can indeed resemble the distant clanging and whooshing of massive pipes and drains. It’s not for everyone, but sieving through all that raw spew can glean great treasures for those willing to find it.

SEWER GODDESS are performing twice this week: first at the Waltham Sports Pub on June 3rd with IMPENTINENT THIEF and DEATHGOD MESSIAH, then again at Deep Thoughts in JP on June 5th with HOSPITAL PRODUCTIONS’ all-star lineup of CLAY RENDERING, LUSSURIA and DUAL ACTION.