After what feels like forever for bands it has to feel great to kick off a tour to a sold out crazy crowd, which is exactly what The Black Dahlia Murder and company did in Chicago. There were circle pits, crowd surfers, people screaming the words but also a measure of safety and care to make sure events like this can keep happening.
Kicking off the night was Undead, giving the crowd a good kick in the ass with some death metal goodness. The band was on top form and mentioned this was their first time playing in Chicago, so fans made sure to give them a warm welcome they soon won’t forget. Next up was technical death metal heavyweights Rivers Of Nihil. Sadly due to gear issues their set had a major delay to it which resulted in the band only getting to play 3 songs. They made the best of it and ripped through the 3 songs giving the crowd a great taste of what they’d of gotten with a full set. We did though get to see the live debut of their single “Clean” however.
Carnifex was up next celebrating the release of their latest album”Graveside Confessions” which came out the same day as the show. Fans were treated to a few singles off that album including the live debut of the title track itself. Due to some time restraints though the band had the crowd pick which song they’d like to hear last “Lie To My Face” or “Hell Chose Me”, LTMF won and had the crowd going crazy and screaming along. Carnifex as a band have outlasted many who came along with them and have ended up as a super tight sound death metal band that continues to evolve but also give the older fans what they love.
For what some could say would the odd band on the bill, After The Burial came out and destroyed to a new degree. With bass that was so loud you could feel it in your teeth, the band performed a masterclass with their brand of progressive deathcore. As frontman Anthony Notarmaso stated, the band had only practiced maybe 3 times during quarantine and this was their return show back in something like 16 months. The entire band seemed to be thrilled to be back on a stage with a crowd and the crowd felt the same way. ATB were just fantastic and gave the fans a set that will set the bar high for bands returning.
Closing out the night were death metal fan favorites The Black Dahlia Murder. From the second they walked on the crowd gave it all they had left with pits galore and bodies flying over the barricade. The band themselves were happy to be back with a crowd as well with front man Trevor Strnad being all smiles at time in between delivering brutal vocals. With a set spanning sounds from their entire career as well as the live debut of two songs from their latest record “Verminous” fans were given a taste of everything they’ve done.
I was curious myself as well with COVID restrictions in place in IL with mask mandates how a sold out packed show would work and I was pleasantly surprised. Even in the pit most people kept a mask on unless drinking and the crowd, for the most part, was respectful of everything going on. In times like these its nice to see people band together to do whats best so that shows and the industry can continue on without being shut down again.
