The Campaign for Death Metal Purity Tour

Two different death metal tours collided at The Blvd. in east Los Angeles on July 4th. Ibex Moon Records’ Campaign for Death Metal Purity Tour collided with Insidious Decrepancy and support bands for a monstrous, eight band bill. The Campaign for Death Metal Purity Tour is anchored by Ibex Moon Records recording artists Gravehill, Cardiac Arrest, Hod, and Fatalist (jumping on the bill for a couple of dates). In short, a varied evening of serious death metal was in store.

After arriving, I sat in on the Invisible Oranges’ round table interview (watch for Cosmo’s posting soon) with members of Fatalist, Hod, and Cardiac Arrest. We missed the first act, Imminent Death, during the interview (although they sounded pretty good from our vantage point outside on the patio).

Afterwards, we went inside to catch Fatalist, an up and coming part of the OSDM resurgence, from Ventura, California. Anchored by a very thick guitar sound, Fatalist immediately crushed the small crowd with a highly energetic set. I must admit that I wasn’t blown away by the band’s recent, debut album on Ibex Moon (The Depths of Inhumanity), but, it turns out, the album was little more than a demo. The material went over very well in a live setting, anyway, and I expect great things from this band on subsequent releases.

Next up were Mutation, a trio of two guitarists and a drummer playing in support of Insidious Decrepancy. A young band, Mutation didn’t have much to offer and were actually better when the front man had guitar problems and was forced to concentrate on his vocal delivery. Also in support of Insidious Decrepancy, Disfigured, up next, delivered a good set of goofy gore metal. The front man’s delivery was good, and the absolutely hilarious song titles made me laugh out loud.

Rounding out one half of this double tour bill was Insidious Decrepancy, the well regarded one man band consisting of Shawn Whitaker. This type of performance is more akin to performance art than a concert and, although Whitaker has his act down pat, this will only hold my interest for so long. However, it is obvious that Whitaker is a very talented songwriter and musician; so much so that, frankly, it’s a waste that he’s not fronting some major death metal act.

At this point, something rather disconcerting occurred. The crowd, never large to begin with (OK, this was July 4th), decreased by about half. For the remainder of the show, besides various band members, there were only about 15 of us in the audience. Shameful, and disappointing, to say the least (L.A., sometimes you just really suck), as, by far, the meat and potatoes of the Death Metal Purity Tour, Hod, Cardiac Arrest, and Gravehill, just destroyed the place.

Hod were up first, decked out in full death metal regalia, and delivered an awesome set filled with darkness and menace. The material from Serpent was huge in a live setting, and Hod have an undeniable stage presence. Dark, death metal at its finest, Hod are a “must see.”

Equally good, and slightly more technical, scene veterans Cardiac Arrest delivered an awesome set. Obviously having a good time despite the sparse crowd, Cardiac Arrest were simply monstrous throughout their set, the longest of the evening at about 40 minutes or so.

Locals Gravehill were the headlining act for the evening, and were well supported by the small crowd. A great live band, Gravehill lay down the shtick really well with bullet belts and spikes galore (the bassist’s helmet is just incredible to behold). A huge, thick sound is particularly effective in the small space of The Blvd., and Gravehill brought the house down with their finishing back to back covers of “In League with Satan” and “Conqueror.”

The Death Metal Purity Tour is still in its early stages. I highly encourage everyone with the means to go see this tour. The bands on this tour are the real deal when it comes to death metal with soul, and they deserve your support and admiration. Also, check out Invisible Oranges’ post of this show.

Pictures...

Fatalist




Disfigured



Insidious Decrepancy



Hod







Cardiac Arrest







Gravehill











Video...

Fatalist



Disfigured



Insidious Decrepancy



Hod



Cardiac Arrest





Gravehill





Next? Hmmm....