Fort Wayne

Morbid Angel at Piere’s, April 4, 2023, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , , ,

Death Metal pioneers Morbid Angel made a stop at Piere’s in Fort Wayne on their United States Tour Of Terror last week.

Morbid Angel

Tampa, Florida old school death metallers Morbid Angel are one of the most respected – and most often emulated – death metal bands to ever exist. This is primarily due to not only their creativity and ingenuity but also their place in time: they were one of the first bands, if not the very first, to create death metal, transforming the conditions of thrash into a darker place by using guttural vocals, raging blast beats, and sinister themes. Their first album, Altars Of Madness (1989), is an undisputed metal classic, and this year the band is celebrating their music with the United States Tour Of Terror.

Toward the end of the first half of the tour, tragedy struck in Belvedere, Illinois at the Apollo Theater on Friday, March 31st when a severe thunderstorm with extremely high winds caused part of the roof of the venue to collapse just after the opening act had finished their set. Many people were seriously injured, and one fan died in the incident. I saw the show four days later at Piere’s Entertainment Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana – the second performance after the Apollo show – and the bands dedicated their sets to the injured and fallen from the tragic night in Belvedere.

Crypta

Crypta opened the show. They are a death metal band from Brazil. Their first full-length album, Echoes Of The Soul, came out in 2021 and it was widely celebrated, including here at FFMB. They played all the songs we mentioned in our original review a couple years back, and reached into the corners of that set to round out their performance. Crypta was the only band to have equipment damaged in the destructive weather event, so if you want to lend a hand, pick up some of their music or merch through the link at the end of the article.

Crypta

I am a big Morbid Angel fan, and I wanted to see Crypta because I liked their album and hadn’t seen them live yet. But in the end, it was Skeletal Remains I was most excited to see because I have been a fan for many years but never caught them live. The show at Piere’s was the last one they played on the tour, so I caught their set just in time. The most recent album from the Whittier, California death metallers is 2021’s The Entombment of Chaos, and it was well represented, but they also hit a couple of other cuts I was dying to hear. Their set meshed perfectly with Crytpa’s to keep the death metal rolling. They have hopped off the Morbid Angel tour but they have been doing a number of headlining shows along the way on off days, too. See them whenever you have the chance.

Skeletal Remains

Revocation shook up the line-up in the sense that they do not tread traditional death metal grounds. The band from Boston is more of a progressive thrash metal outfit, and they have a quirky sense of humor – the music they had playing before their set was by Phil Collins. Their performance was unexpected and it charged the atmosphere with an enhanced bristling energy along the edges that swept the stage clean for the headliner.

Revocation

I have seen Morbid Angel many times over the years, and it is always a great show. I last witnessed a performance of theirs in 2019 at the Webster Theater in Hartford. Sporting a slightly altered set list from the one I expected, the death metal icons played many songs from their most recent record, Kingdoms Disdained, and a few from way back, including “God Of Emptiness” from Covenant (1993). The band is rumored to be working on a new album, an outcome that would be gratefully embraced by their hordes of fans.

Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel

The US Tour Of Terror continues through most of April with Vitriol filling the Skeletal Remains slot for the second half of the tour. Check out the tour poster below to see when the show rolls into a town near you. Choosing to go out and see Morbid Angel play is always a good call.

Morbid Angel

Photos by Wayne Edwards.

Links.

Morbid Angel, http://www.morbidangel.com/

Revocation, https://www.facebook.com/Revocation

Skeletal Remains, https://www.skeletal-remains.com/

Crypta, https://www.cryptaofficial.com/

Piere’s Entertainment Center, https://pieresentertainment.com/

Photo Galleries.

More Morbid Angel photos, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2023/04/08/photo-gallery-morbid-angel-at-pieres-april-4-2023-fort-wayne-indiana/

More Revocation photos, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2023/04/08/photo-gallery-revocation-at-pieres-april-4-2023-fort-wayne-indiana/

More Skeletal Remains photos, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2023/04/08/photo-gallery-skeletal-remains-at-pieres-april-4-2023-fort-wayne-indiana/

More Crypta photos, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2023/04/08/photo-gallery-crypta-at-pieres-april-4-2023-fort-wayne-indiana/

© Wayne Edwards

Morbid Angel at Piere’s, April 4, 2023, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Gwar at Piere’s, Fort Wayne, Indiana, May 19th

Wayne Edwards, , , , ,

Gwar kicked off the Black Death Rager World Tour on Thursday at Piere’s in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The mighty Gwar. Come on, ladies and gentlemen, that’s a show to see. There is always a lot of deranged mayhem going on at a Gwar show. The Native Howl opened, and Nekrogoblikon middled. There will separate photo galleries for them going up soon at FFMB. Today let’s talk about Gwar.

Gwar started in Richmond, Virginia in 1984. They are a heavy metal band focusing on intergalactic warrior themes and expressing themselves theatrically. The band members have changed considerably over the years, and still the band continues its mission with just as much fervor as ever. They have a new album coming out in a couple weeks – their fifteenth – The New Dark Ages.

The lead-in Black Sabbath music got the crowd ramped up before the interplanetary warriors stepped on the stage. Looking around, you can’t help but notice that most of the speakers have been covered with clear plastic, and there is plastic draped over the soundboards. If you have ever been to a Gwar show, you know why – we were all about the get sprayed with theatrical blood, goo, and other fluids as part of the elaborate stage show the band has developed over the years.

Filled with political satire and tongue-in-cheek social commentary, heavily costumed actors were ravaged on stage during and in between the bands heavy metal performances. Fans were treated to decapitations, eviscerations, and depraved moments better experienced in person than described on the page. Truly, it is an experience.

Opening with “Let Us Slay” and then “Sick Of You,” Gwar rolled through the hits and made room for new songs from the The New Dark Ages, notably the new single “Mother Fuckin Liar” and “Berserker Mode.” This was the first show on the tour and Gwar was already slinging metal in top form. Get out there and see them – check out the tour poster below for dates.

Photos by Wayne Edwards.

Links.

Gwar, https://gwar.net/

Nekrogoblikon, https://nekrogoblikon.bandcamp.com/

The Native Howl, https://www.thenativehowl.com/

Piere’s Entertainment Center, https://pieresentertainment.com/

© Wayne Edwards

Gwar at Piere’s, Fort Wayne, Indiana, May 19th

Overkill, Prong, and Cultus Black at Piere’s, March 9, 2022

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , , , , , ,

It was a night of thrash in northern Indiana when Overkill stopped by for a little rampage on The Wings Of War tour.

I like the extremes of heavy music – I love doom and I love thrash. New Jersey’s Overkill has always been one of my favorite thrash bands. Starting back in the early 1980s, they have released nineteen (!) studio albums, the most recent being The Wings Of War (Nuclear Blast), which they are supporting with the current tour. My favorite Overkill album is probably The Electric Age, and I have been told many times that it’s a controversial choice. I stand by it, and at the same time, I will listen to any of their albums all the way through any time. The music always cranks the adrenaline up. I was most excited to see Overkill, but two other impressive acts went on ahead of them.

A band that I was seeing for the first time, Cultus Black (or Cvltvs Black), opened the show at Piere’s Entertainment Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. On their Facebook page, they describe themselves as “a dramatic deathcore/Nu-metal crossover.” The photos will give you some idea of what went on. These musicians were fully committed and you have to see them live if you really want to understand the experience.

Like Overkill, Prong, too, have a history that stretches back to the 1980s. They released five albums during their first run, then took a break for a few years. For the past twenty years, they’ve been hitting it hard and putting out new music regularly. The band’s latest full-length album is Zero Days (Steamhammer). The style of heavy metal they play has been described in many ways, ranging from hardcore to punk to industrial to thrash to groove. I am satisfied to call it high energy heavy metal, and they stalked the stage like they owned the place. Great set.

Overkill took the stage and took no prisoners. They opened with “Wrecking Crew” and played one monstrous metal anthem after another, wrapping things up on an tidy encore. Founding members Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth and D. D. Verni led the way and Overkill tore the roof off the place to the delight of screaming fans. I was expecting to see a raucous performance but what the band delivered went above and beyond. Many famous and impressive bands play at Piere’s, and Overkill making the journey there was something extra special; another step up.

The Wings Of War tour continues, with many more dates this month and later in the year. Get out there and see these bands to satisfy your need for speed.

All photos by Wayne Edwards.

Links.

Overkill, http://wreckingcrew.com/Ironbound/

Prong, https://prongmusic.com/

Cultus Black, https://www.cultusblack.com/

Piere’s Entertainment Center, https://pieresentertainment.com/

Nuclear Blast Records, https://label.nuclearblast.com/en/music/band/about/71097.overkill.html

Steamhammer, https://shop.steamhammer.de/artists/prong

© Wayne Edwards. All rights reserved.

Overkill, Prong, and Cultus Black at Piere’s, March 9, 2022

Nile ~ Incantation ~ Sanguisugabogg ~ I Am at Piere’s, March 1, 2022

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , , , , , ,

It was a night of death metal devastation at Piere’s in Fort Wayne, Indiana when Nile, Incantation, Sanguisugabogg, and I Am rattled the rigging of reality for fans from far and wide.

It was my first time at Piere’s Entertainment Center. I think I am going to be there a lot during my residency in the Midwest because so many heavy music acts make this stop in Northern Indiana. It is an excellent venue with plenty of room for fans and it offers an intimate proximity to the stage.

First up was I Am, a band from Texas. They have an EP and a couple albums out, the latest being Hard 2 Kill. They hit several songs from that recent record and it sounded like there were a couple of new ones in there, too. They got the night off to a great start with some heavy-hitting death metal.

Sanguisugabogg comes from Columbus, Ohio. They are currently touring in support of their latest album, Tortured Whole. I had never seen them live before, and I still don’t think I am pronouncing their name right. I can tell you this: they are formidable. Their songs are filled with savagery and the delivery is razor-sharp. Take the chance to see them whenever you get it, even if you don’t know how to say their name.

I have followed Incantation for many years. I can’t even remember the number of times I have seen them play, and I always come back for more. Their newest album is Sect Of Vile Divinities, which we reviewed very positively here at FFMB (link below). Thirty years in and their music and performance is stronger than ever – my favorite set of the evening.

I think we can all agree that Nile has forged an unforgettable place for themselves in the annals of heavy music. There is not a ton of music out there themed around Egyptian mythology at the jump – it might just be Nile. They have honed their presentation to an unswervingly precise delivery, and the music seeps into you like an ancient curse. The band’s most recent album is Vile Nilotic Rites, and in the live show at Piere’s they didn’t miss a beat.

At first pass you might not have thought to put these four bands together on the same ticket, but their music, in fact, worked exceptionally well together. The tour continues through for a few more stops so if you are in their path make sure you catch this show.

All photos by Wayne Edwards.

Links.

Nile, https://www.nile-official.com/

Incantation, https://www.incantation.com/

Review of Sect of Vile Divinities, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2020/08/18/incantation-sect-of-vile-divinities-review-relapse-records-2020/

Sanguisugabogg, https://sanguisugabogg.com/

I Am, https://iamtxmusic.bandcamp.com/

© Wayne Edwards. All rights reserved.

Nile ~ Incantation ~ Sanguisugabogg ~ I Am at Piere’s, March 1, 2022