Several faces of Death Metal casually strolled into the Granada Theater on Monday night. The consequences were devastating to say the least but only one Obituary was needed.
Florida’s Obituary was in town for their 2023 North American Tour with support from Immolation, Blood Incantation and Ingrown.
Obituary was nearing the tour’s end with remaining stops in Houston, St. Louis, Milwaukee and Louisville. The Milwaukee date was for the Milwaukee Metal Fest.
The band name Ingrown may sound painful but the only pain felt was for those bruising it up in the pit. It didn’t take long for the pit to form once Ingrown hit the stage for their 25-minute set. The sight of such physical activity in a theater setting was a bit odd but resulted in great people watching. The surfing would rise later.
The limited stage room for the Idaho based trio didn’t hamper the band one bit. Easily, Ingrown definitely lent a helping hand in establishing the theme for the night, Brutality.
Denver’s Blood Incantation followed after a brief set change delivering an intense set. The band is touring in support for their latest release, Timewave Zero through Century Media Records. Oddly though, no selections were played live. The album itself is not one that possesses the crushing metal Blood Incantation has become known for. It’s more analog synth music. The music follows a path the band has established while evolving over the years music wise. It’s definitely worth a listen. It’s just pure artistry.
With that said, Blood Incantation pulled two tracks each from their 2016 release Starspawn and 2019’s Hidden History of the Human Race.
Except for the final song, the set did follow a chronological order. The title track “Starspawn,” “Chaoplasm” followed by “The Giza Power Plant” and “Slave Species of the Gods,” both from the 2019 release.
“Hovering Lifeless” from 2015’s Interdimensional Extinction brought Blood Incantation’s set to a close. There was nothing fancy or extravagant from Blood Incantation. The band kept it simple yet crushing, delivering Cosmic Death Metal at its finest.
As the night progressed, so did the intensity of the music as well as the physical activity in or above the pit.
Immolation continued the path set by Blood Incantation.
The Yonkers band is considered one of the leaders of the New York Death Metal scene. Currently, they are supporting their 2022 release, An Act of God through Nuclear Blast Records.
Five songs of their 11-song set came from the release. “Abandoned,” “An Act of God,” and “Age of No Light” set the tone as the first three. “Blooded” and “Let Darkness In” came later in the set.
Immolation did reach back to 1991’s Dawn of Possession much to the approval of the crowd with “Despondent Souls.”
As their set progressed, so did the physicalities in front of the stage. Body surfing, stage diving and mosh pit craziness continued to surge from the eager and sweaty participants.
Immolation’s set amped up adrenaline and atmosphere in the confines of the Granada. It was a perfect recipe for the headliners.
Obituary was set to hit the stage at 10:00 but technical issues dealing with lightning on stage left delayed the band a few.
In true professional form, drummer Donald Tardy stepped in front of the microphone at 10:00 addressing the situation and telling everyone to hang tight. The delay was only three or four minutes.
Photo by Brian McLean
Veteran Obituary fans know once “Snortin Whiskey Drinkin Cocaine” by Pat Travers hits the PA, showtime is moments away.
With that, Obituary launched into “Redneck Stomp,” an instrumental opener. All members except vocalist John Tardy are on stage. It’s the Obituary anthem and quickly sets the tone for a night of heavy music.
Once “Redneck Stomp” came to a close, vocalist John Tardy entered the stage sporting a big Texas grin.
Obituary has been hitting the road hard supporting their early 2023 Dying of Everything release. Four tracks were pulled from the album but were towards the mid to later part of the set. Those were “The Wrong Time,” “Barely Alive,” “Weaponize the Hate” and “My Will to Live.”
Obituary are Florida death metal legends. The band has a lengthy history that dates back to the 1989 debut Slowly We Rot. Along with the history comes an impressive back catalog and Obituary utilized that.
Not only did the band pull “Find the Arise” from Slowly We Rot, the band continued deep in the catalog. Fans heard “Chopped in Half” and “Turned Inside Out,” both from the second release, Cause of Death.
Other albums represented in the set included 2017’s Obituary, 2014’s Inked in Blood and Frozen in Time from 2005.
Even though Obituary has been busy touring, there’s no fatigue when the band hits the stage. A band with an onstage work ethic like that only adds to the tag of a must see show when the band rolls through town.
Europe is next.
