52 September 21 - 27, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER contents | shopping & services | Arts & entertAinment | Food & drink | sports & recreAtion Best Music Video for HeadBanging into oBliVion Fugitive, “Blast Furnace” Following 2022’s scorching debut EP Maniac, North Texas metal lords Fugitive are already back for more blood. The supergroup includes guitarist Blake Ibanez of Power Trip fame, plus members of Creeping Death, Scourge, Impalers and Stymie. Fugitive recently dropped a music video for its latest devastating thrash cut, “Blast Furnace,” melding an old-school, VHS aesthetic with seriously sick new riffs. Watching “Blast Furnace” feels like viewing history in the making: Fugitive is well on its way to securing metal legend status. Mark our words. Best soul-deVouring lP Frozen Soul, Glacial Domination This sophomore LP from Frozen Soul is further proof that Dallas is home to the most cutthroat metal around. The band is upping the undead ante with 2023’s Glacial Domination, an impressive effort co-produced by Trivium’s Matt Heafy, with guest appearances by North Texas’ Reese Alavi (Creeping Death) and Blake Ibanez (Power Trip, Fugitive). Glacial Domination’s bone-chilling death metal is the perfect tonic to Texas’ stupid-hot summers, and its ambitious-yet-accessible tracks will rattle around in your skull for days. Frozen Soul is definitely the band to watch. Best series insPired By Local True criMe HBO’s Love & Death Love & Death, starring Dallas native Jesse Plemons and Elizabeth Olsen (WandaVision, Wind River), is a masterwork based on a true-crime tale that unfolded in nearby Wylie. In the limited series, Olsen plays Candy Montgomery, a bored housewife who strikes up an affair with her friend’s husband (Plemons). Things then go terribly wrong, as in ax-murder wrong. Love & Death is pitch-perfect North Texas circa 1980. Filmmakers got everything right, from the accents to the small-town rumor mill to supporting actress Krysten Ritter’s closer-to-God hair. This show better bring home all the dang awards or we’ll lose even more faith in humanity. Best chance of Booting Ted cruz U.S. Rep. Colin Allred This born-and-raised Dallas Democrat is gearing up for the match of his life. Earlier this year, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred announced his entry into the 2024 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Allred, a former NFL athlete, impressed politicos in 2018 when he flipped Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions’ seat blue. Now he’s bringing that same fighting spirit to take on GOP Sen. Ted Cruz. Allred has rapidly expanded his name recognition and reported robust campaign fundraising. His dedication to bipartisan legislating makes him the advocate that Texas desperately needs in the Senate. Best CoMeBack Longhorn Ballroom Oh, Longhorn Ballroom: How we missed thee. The irreplaceable Dallas music venue recently came back with a bang after Edwin Cabaniss, who’s also behind The Kessler, bought it in 2021. The Longhorn’s much-anticipated renovation was well worth the wait, as it now serves as a mini-music museum where concertgoers can take in history while sipping a beer. Over the years, the Longhorn has been visited by country- music gods Willie Nelson, Emmylou Haris, Merle Haggard and Asleep at the Wheel. Here’s to a bright future, Longhorn. 216 Corinth St. 214-272-8346, longhornballroom.com Best adVocacy grouP Texas Equal Access (TEA) Fund GOP lawmakers may have succeeded in banning abortion statewide, but reproductive rights groups haven’t stopped working to get folks the care they need. The Texas Equal Access Fund continues to help low-income North Texans attain abortion care by offering financial and emotional support. Those who can’t afford to travel out of state for an abortion can contact this nonprofit for assistance. TEA Fund tirelessly advocates to correct misinformation and break down stigmas surrounding abortion. The organization’s work is more crucial today than ever. P.O. Box 227336, Dallas 75222 844-832-3863, teafund.org Best MuseuM exhiBition Dallas Museum of Art’s Saints, Sinners, Lovers, Fools: 300 Years of Flemish Masterworks Some shows may be splashier or garner more ink, but the DMA’s Saints, Sinners, Lovers, Fools: 300 Years of Flemish Masterworks is the must-see exhibition of the year. This irreverent yet elegant collection of more than 130 rarely seen works from The Phoebus Foundation in Antwerp, Belgium, includes work by Hans Memling and Peter Paul Rubens. Saints unveils the best and worst of the human condition, from ethereal paintings of the Nativity and the Magi to whimsical portrayals of medieval life full of greedy merchants and frolicking fools. The intricate brushwork and incredible details keep audiences returning for more: The DMA has extended the exhibition through Oct. 15, 2023. 1717 N. Harwood St. dma.org Best new gallery for enVeLoPe-Pushing work Keijsers Koning The Dallas art scene has gone through ebbs and flows in the past decade, but we are definitely on an upswing when spaces like Keijsers Koning join the mix. Delivering art of all media and aesthetics with a dollop of humor, the gallery opened in early 2022 and has a little something for everyone. Its Art Fair offerings were particularly droll, with a rainbow troll doll sculpture by Brent Birnbaum and neon cherry pierced by a screw by Tamara Johnson. Curator/ owner Bart Keijsers Koning isn’t afraid to mount work with a bit of controversy, either. Recent exhibitions have included the feminist-focused Breathing Among Werewolves group show and an exhibition of work by industrial pioneer/ provocateur Genesis Breyer P-Orridge and Eric Heist, to name a few. 150 Manufacturing St., No. 201 469-962-5391, keijserskoning.com Arts & Entertainment courtesy Keijsers Koning Gallery BEST NEW GALLERY FOR ENVELOPE-PUSHING WORK Keijsers Koning
