Few tours this year have embodied the raw, pummeling essence of extreme music like the night Obituary brought their decaying brand of death metal to The Concert Hall. With hardcore heavyweights Terror, the nihilistic assault of Nails, the desert-warped Helldorados of SpiritWorld, and rising UK thrash act Pest Control on deck, the night promised nothing short of total annihilation โ and it delivered.
Pest Control kicked off the night with a no-frills, high-octane barrage that fused UK hardcore attitude with crossover thrash precision. Their energy was undeniable, and while the room was still filling up, those present were already circling in the pit โ an impressive feat for an opener.
Next came SpiritWorld, who brought their unique blend of cowboy aesthetics and heavy riff sounds. Their stage presence was as commanding, as their western bedazzled fits, they had the crowd going wild.
Their sound felt like a post-apocalyptic Western drenched in blood and distortion โ a refreshing twist that stood out in a packed lineup.
Nails stormed the stage like a bomb going off. Their set was nothing short kf vicious โ exactly what fans expect. Tracks like โGodโs Cold Handsโ and โWide Open Woundโ left the crowd reeling.
Few bands can match Nailsโ level of intensity, and they proved again why they remain one of the most ferocious live acts in extreme music.
Terror followed with a set that bridged the nightโs mayhem with pure hardcore fury. Frontman Scott Vogel had the crowd eating out of his hand, demanding energy and receiving it tenfold.
Circle pits erupted on command, while blasting through a bunch of fan favourite tracks, had every hardcore kid screaming along with conviction.
The bandโs performance and positive aggression were a highlight of the night. Fans were going berserk. Like something Iโve never seen before. It wasnโt even crowds surfing. People were climbing all over each otherโs shoulders and heads.
Finally, Obituary took the stage like ancient, undead titans. The Florida death metal legends delivered a crushing headlining set that spanned their decades-long career.
From the swampy chug of โSlowly We Rotโ to newer cuts like โThe Wrong Time,โ the band was as fucking sick as ever.
John Tardyโs unmistakable vocal delivery sounded as guttural and raw as it did in the โ90s, and the crowd responded with waves of headbanging and primal roars.
With one of the most brutal and well-curated extreme lineups of the year, this tour proved that whether youโre in the pit for hardcore, death metal, or something in between, the underground is still very much alive โ and thriving.
