Dying Fetus and Thy Art Is Murder are co-headlining one of the most brutal tours of the year along with Enterprise Earth, Rivers of Nihil and Sanction. I was there to capture their Atlanta stop at The Masquerade.
New Yorkers Sanction got the night off to a good start with a short but powerful set showcasing their hardcore infused brand of metal, complete with devastating breakdowns and some serious chugging.
Rivers of Nihil got on stage next with the iconic backdrop from the cover of the freshly released Where Owls Know My Name (Metal Blade). Rivers of Nihil are one of my favorite technical death metal bands with progressive elements and they were ridiculously good on the night. Their live rendition of my favorite song from the new album, The Silent Life, was truly majestic and I found myself headbanging for the rest of their set.
Enterprise Earth have been flying under the radar since their 2017 release, Embodiment, and are generally one of the more underrated bands in the deathcore scene. However, their set on the night was nothing short of phenomenal. The band cover the entire spectrum of death metal from melodic to technical with Dan Watson’s complementary brutal vocals making this band truly special.
Aussie deathcore legends Thy Art Is Murder are one of the most prolific bands in the scene. I had caught them last year supporting Decapitated and was impressed with their performance. They kicked ass this time around too as expected, immediately launching into Dear Desolation, Puppet Master, and my favorite Holy War, enchanting the crowd with killer syncopated riffs and breakdowns. What I love about Thy Art Is Murder is the pure emotion that accompanies the brutality, making seeing this band truly memorable. Dear Desolation (Nuclear Blast) is one of my favorite releases of 2017 and I can’t wait to see what the future will bring for this band.
One of the forefathers of American death metal, Dying Fetus walked on stage flanked by two backdrops spelling out the title of their latest album, Wrong One To Fuck With (Relapse). The band’s simple setup of guitar, bass, and drums, and dual vocal attack with John Gallagher and Sean Beasley sharing the duties proves just how legendary this band truly is. The band are a spectacle to watch because they play their (to quote a friend on the night) “face-melting” brand of music with such ease. John Gallagher is constantly playing his fast and technical riffs as he watches the pit crowd while Sean Beasley headbangs furiously before taking over his vocal parts. Trey’s drumming is forceful and like clockwork. The entire band is clicking and grooving with style that reeks of close to thirty years worth of stage experience. The setlist included Fixated on Devastation, From Womb to Waste, Justifiable Homicide, and my favorite on the night, One Shot, One Kill.
Overall, this was one hell of a night of metal for me – the lineup was fantastic and the bands all had something unique to offer. Without exaggerating, I could honestly see all of the bands on the bill headlining their own tour. In addition, the lineup offered a great opportunity for the metal historians out there to experience the evolution of the death metal sound from one of its pioneers all the way to today’s practitioners.
9/10
