The Black Dahlia Murder at Bogart’s, Cincinnati, April 26, 2023

The Verminous Remnant Tour 2023 is on the road and cracking heads from town to town in the US and Canada. Headliner The Black Dahlia Murder has brought along a formidable force to wreak havoc with them: Terror, Frozen Soul, Fuming Mouth, and Phobophilic.

I caught the show at Bogart’s in Cincinnati, which is a Live Nation, Inc. venue these days. Originally, in the 1890s, it was a vaudeville theater called the Nordland Plaza Nickelodeon, according to their Facebook page, and I can believe it, looking at the buildings outside. It is on Vine Steet near the universities, and anyway, everybody knows about Bogart’s if they are from any of the contiguous tri-states. It is a celebrated venue because it is a good place to see a metal show, and they get a lot of tours coming through. With a capacity of around 1,500, it suits the needs of most heavy music bands.

The only band of the bunch I didn’t know anything about was the opener, Phobophilic. From Fargo, North Dakota, they are a four-piece death metal act whose debut full-length album, Enveloping Absurdity, came out last year from Prosthetic Records. What I noticed about them was the heavy and free use of big riffs to set and hold place, and their eagerness to engage the crowd. Their music is intense, and their performance sent me scrolling through Spotify to find their album for the ride home after the show.

I was very excited to see Fuming Mouth because I liked their 2020 EP so much, Beyond The Tomb. Fuming Mouth is a crust / death metal band from the northeast, and on the night of the show they appeared with a guest musician because of some illness in the band. The powered through and their performance, while it was a bit shortened, was fantastic. I heard the tracks I was thinking most about, and the ferocity of the lead vocals was undeniable. Great set.

I have listened to Texas death metal band Frozen Soul’s albums many times. I especially appreciate the heavy grinding way they have, and their relentless pursuit of suffering and themes of isolation. It might seem odd for a band from Texas to be focused on the cold and aloneness of it all, but they are doing like no one else. The snow gun came out early and the metal lasted for a great long while, creating spontaneous circle pits like small arctic vortexes.

To this point, we have been hearing death metal takes of one shade or another all night. Then Terror came on stage and showed the crowd what LA hardcore sounded like. Terror is a very different band compared to the others on the bill, much more filled with thoughts of active violence and uncontrolled adrenaline. Lead singer Scott Vogel did his best to antagonize the crowd and try to get them to climb over the barricade, which many of them did. One fan made it to the stage, in fact, but he was caught by the heels by security and dragged off before he could get all the way up. Their set was a feast for the ears and eyes.

The headliner hit the stage a little after ten: The Black Dahlia Murder. I have been waiting to see this band again for a long time. I remember that my first live sighting of them was during the Summer Slaughter Tour, in 2017 (if I remember that right). I have seen them a couple of times since then, but not since the tragic passing of Trevor Strnad. On the road again now, Brian Eschbach is singing lead and the band is a force to be reckoned with.

The Vermonous Remnant Tour is the 2023 push for the band’s most recent album, 2020’s Verminous, which is a great record, and one of my favorites from The Black Dahlia Murder. Their music has a hook to it that is irresistible and seeing them live is something you don’t forget right away. With such a long list of music to choose from, the band took fans on a ride of the very best, opening with “Verminous” and rolling through one well-known hit after another. All the while Eschbach stalked the stage and worked the crowd into a roar. This was one of the best nights I have had so far this year at a concert.

Check out the tour poster for upcoming dates. The metal continues through the end of May and goes all over. Grab a ticket before they sell out in your city. If you would like to peruse some more pictures from the show, tap the links below for photo galleries of each band.

Photos by Wayne Edwards.

Links.

The Black Dahlia Murder, https://www.tbdmofficial.com/

Terror, http://totalretaliation.com/

Frozen Soul, https://frozensoultx.bandcamp.com/album/encased-in-ice

Fuming Mouth, https://www.fumingmouth.com/

Phobophilic, https://phobophilic.bandcamp.com/album/enveloping-absurdity

Bogart’s, https://www.facebook.com/bogartsshows/

Photo Galleries.

More The Black Dahlia Murder photos, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2023/04/29/photo-gallery-the-black-dahlia-murder-at-bogarts-cincinnati-april-26-2023/

More Terror photos, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2023/04/29/photo-gallery-terror-at-bogarts-cincinnati-april-26-2023/

More Frozen Soul photos, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2023/04/29/photo-gallery-frozen-soul-at-bogarts-cincinnati-april-26-2023/