I tear out a page of this Book of Black Earth now and write: Night is the origin of urges. Where winged wolves crawl. Watching, smelling the wind, the pack, it senses its kill a mile out and surges. Running up stairs, frenzy toward air, these wolves have wings, I swear. Tendons to their feathered limbs taut as piano wire pull starving fast twitch muscles to their answer — an animal grazing mindlessly. The pack’s need of meat is weaned on unwarning. Once above its prey, the winged wolves circle and fall teeth first toward jugular. Tearing down. The grazing animal, gone. Winged wolf pack full. Scene was incisors snapping blood, maroon dark red maroon. The window soot city shrivels away in codeine eyes and I, pointed stylus of iron, wonder. Where the pack of hunger-want will feed next. Where, the wolves have wings I swear.

** Book of Black Earth play tonight at Neumos with Snuggle, Samothrace, Heiress, the Helm, and Salo. 8 PM Doors / $7 / 21+. Also look for Book of Black Earth in Austin at SXSW.

• Amy Powell

B.O.B.E. guitar player / vocalist TJ Cowgill and drummer Joe Axler met me on a rooftop under a moonless sky for lantern discussion:

Your song title "Death of the Sun". That seems so bleak. If there was no sun, there would be no life. Without life, you wouldn't be able to make music. That's not really what you want is it?
TJ: The "Death of the Sun" is very bleak indeed, yet its very concept is one that has been immortalized by Christians for the past 2,000 years in their belief constructs through transmogrification of the literal sun in the sky as the "Son" of God brought from heaven to earth to live and die for our sins. They have based their entire belief structure on the most literal interpretations of astrological concepts that their predecessors viewed as simple allegory and myth and far beyond that, have handed down morality with one hand while denying basic human rights with the other. Does that make any sense to you?

What does B.O.B.E. think of kittens?
TJ: If you want tough guys, check out the dead guy from the band DEATH, wearing his kitten shirt.

What does B.O.B.E. think of the TV show Friends?
TJ: I like the oversized coffee cups they drank from, and the flannels that they wore.

What does B.O.B.E. think of knitting?
TJ: I think it's great. My little sister is quite skilled at crochet, and I’ve been looking into getting her one of these machines.

What does B.O.B.E. think of snuggling with kittens while knitting?
TJ: I think it's probably better than what most of The Stranger staff does with their spare time. And hey, by the way, why do you guys tip so bad when you go out drinking? Is Dan Savage taking all your big ad money and spending it on call dudes?

TJ, talk vocals for me. How THE HELL do you do that? Are you hoarse all the time? And are you ever just mumbling, or are those really all words?
TJ: I get hoarse a lot, but I've been trying to overcome that. We'll see. Those are all words I say trust me.

What is Book of Black Earth's message to the world?
TJ: To think for yourselves. If at any point you felt as though you had life all figured out, then you probably did. Assholes who don't know what they are talking about all over the world try and cram ideology and politics down your throat on a daily basis and more often than not, they have an agenda. You should already know the answer to life's most troubling questions and if not, well, good luck.

Joe: Message to the world? The point of this band is to make music, make it brutal, and have a good time doing it while getting it out to as many people as possible. I guess the message is to get brutal! And get the new record when it comes out, ha.

Where does the Book of Black Earth sound come from?
TJ: From the world around us.

Joe: TJ and I are the only two remaining original members, pretty much everyone involved in the past has put their own inspiration and sound into what they have done for B.O.B.E., but I think our sound basically comes from our love for metal, and making music that is hard and uncompromisingly heavy, while trying not to fall into some marketable cliche like so many new and young bands do now to try and sell a record.

Where did you record your last album, Horoskopus?
Joe: We recorded Horoskopus with Chris Common (These Arms Are Snakes, Mouth of the Architect, Pelican) at The Red Room here in Seattle. The recording went very well. Chris is a friend and he’s also a drummer, which made things go pretty smooth for me.

Are you looking forward to SXSW? Will y’all be doing any knitting in Austin?
TJ: Yeah for sure, no knitting plans as of yet, but we'll figure something out!