Founded by guitarist Dave Chandler in Los Angeles under the name Tyrant in the late 1970s, the group followed the sludgy template of Black Sabbath with Chandler's droning, fuzzed-out riffs and the song's molasses-thick tempos. Switching their name to Saint Vitus (after the Sabbath tune "Saint Vitus Dance"), the quartet of Chandler, original singer Scott Reagers, bassist Mark Adams and drummer Armando Acosta ended up issuing two albums and an EP for punk label SST prior to Reagers departure in the mid-1980s.

The band would hit its stride with the addition of singer Scott "Wino" Weinrich. Already renowned for his work leading like-minded Maryland-based band The Obsessed, Wino would provide a potent vocals on such seminal Saint Vitus albums as 'Born Too Late' and 'Mournful Cries.' Though he would leave the band in the early 1990s to reform The Obsessed, the band has reunited its classic line-up several time since 2003 to wide acclaim. Though recent tours have stuck with material from its SST albums, the fact that the band is working on writing new songs could translate to a preview when the band returns to the DNA Lounge. Local metal bands Hammers of Misfortune and Walken also appear along with Washington-based hard rock group Stone Axe.

Saint Vitus Sunday, June 27, 7 p.m. $17-$20 DNA Lounge