- LAMB OF GOD w/ Kublai Khan TX + Fit For An Autopsy + Sanguisugabogg
- The Armory - 3/24/26 - Minneapolis, MN
- ©Justin Nuoffer / NuofferMedia.com
The city of Minneapolis was full of life. The bustling street was full of people enjoying the unseasonably warm temperatures and rays of sunlight beaming down. The riverwalk and walking bridges were packed full of Minnesotans taking it all in, but as you walked past the skyscrapers and US Bank Stadium, The Armory stood out proudly. The massive golden-bricked structure is hard to miss. The vintage appearance of the facility is an oddity in a downtown of modern structures.
Being on the National Registry of Historic Places, The Armory maintains its feel on the outside. The stone with ornate eagles and “armory” embedded above both entryways is a unique touch and memory of the 1930s. Entering through the doors, once you walk up the stairs, you are greeted with an incredible view. The venue is quite literally a stunning site. The stage looms straight ahead towards the back of the room. The metal roof is high and completely curved, with multiple levels of suites and seating all around. Those levels filled up quickly, leaving standing room left along the back. Walking into the room, bars run the entire length of the floor on each side. Downstairs on the main floor, the merchandise stand is packed full of people, and nearby there is a small placard commemorating the spot where Prince filmed his 1999 music video.
The massive stage illuminated in blood red seemed fitting for the gory lyrics of Sanguisugabogg. Devin Swank grabbed his microphone and started into “Rotted Entanglement.” The brutality of their heaviness created a massive amount of chaos on the massive general admission floor. And just like the previous night at their one-off show in Madison, they were primed to kick in some teeth.
Guitarists Drew Arnold and Cody Davidson stomped and slayed through riff after riff. Davidson made the move to guitar this tour, and replacing him on drums was Suffocation’s Eric Morotti. The move was seamless as they pumped out “Face Ripped Off,” “Felony Abuse of A Corpse,” and “Abhorrent Contraception” consecutively. Sanguisugabogg owned the stage with visions of horror movies and stank faces. Their heaviness is pure all-out fun.
Check out the Sanguisugabogg concert photos below:
Closing with “Dead As Shit,” their most popular track, the steam started to rise over the crowd as the pit started to get in their workout. The Bogg are nothing but disgustingly good fun, and their quick rise is no surprise.
Following a beatdown, Fit For An Autopsy strolled out onto the stage nonchalantly, but once that first note was strummed, it turned into an all-out assault of the senses. The screen behind them flashed their logo, and the green coloring leaked through as they blasted through “Lower Purpose” while Pat Sheridan and Tim Howley laid down the riffs that kicked up the circle pit just past the front of the security barricades. The newest tracks, “It Comes For You” and “The Wretch,” connected in an instant. The material felt like a sledgehammer to the chest while vocalist Joe Badolato dug down deep for his screams and surprise moments of singing. Not exactly a deathcore staple, but he made it intertwine nicely with the brutality that is Fit For An Autopsy.
The back half of their set brought out chest thumpers like “Hostage” and “Warfare.” This is where the synergy between bassist Blue Spinazola and drummer Josean Orta took hold. Their groove is what makes their style of deathcore insanely fun and worth the abuse. Closing the night were two tracks from Oh What The Future Holds.
Check out the Fit For An Autopsy concert photos below:
Bodies flew across the top of the crowd as “Pandora” and “Far From Heaven” leveled the eager crowd. All things said, Fit For An Autopsy are clearly at the forefront of modern deathcore, and they have never sounded better.
With bootstraps pulled up and tightened, the crowd slowly chanted “Kub-Lai-Khan” over and over. They knew what was coming and couldn’t wait for it. With their name illuminated on the screen behind them, the band took to the stage, ready to dish out some pain.
Opening with “Darwinism,” the concrete flooring rattled from the stampede in the massive circle pit. On stage, vocalist Matt Honeycutt marched across the stage, back and forth, dishing out instructions to get things moving. His demeanor was one of full control. Adjusting a baseball cap and his cutoff t-shirt, he delivered raspy and harsh vocals with relative ease.
Check out the Kublai Khan TX concert photos below:
Churning through “Supreme Leader” and “Low Tech,” the booming 808 bass blasts rattled the massive venue. Each one was triggered by bassist Eric English, whose lively performance was a key cog in this machine known as Kublai Khan TX. They pulled out several tracks like “Boomslang,” “The Hammer,” and “The Mountain of Corsicana” that fans love to let loose to. Newcomer Nicholas Adams shredded through guitar riffs with ease. He headbanged with every slow-pounding breakdown, and his down-tuned guitars add their own layer of fury to every song heading down the home stretch. “Antpile 2” rang out as the introduction to “Self-Destruct,” and it couldn’t have been more perfect for the ferociously heart-pounding anthem. Judging by the flow of crowd surfers, the fans agreed.
With Isaac Lamb tapping his high hats, Kublai Khan TX started into “Swan Song,” a track about the evils of domestic violence, and that is one of the things that is often missed throughout their music: the societal issues discussed with the lyrical content. Honeycutt’s words are very precisely chosen for maximum impact. The song itself also blends well into the final track of the night, “Theory of Mind,” and if there ever was a slow, prodding, and meaty-sounding song, this was it. This was quintessential Kublai Khan TX.
After a much-needed break from the pounding, the Minnesotans realized that the trailblazers and legends themselves were about to take the stage. A massive kabuki curtain featuring Lamb of God‘s new insignia was draped over the front of the stage as fog slowly filtered around it. The video screen behind the stage flashed through the black curtain. As the intro slowly played, Art Cruz counted in on his hi-hats, and the band jettisoned The Armory into the opening track “Ruin.”
Frontman Randy Blythe paced himself onto the stage, picked up his microphone, and screamed, “What the fuck is up, Minneapolis?” Then, he unleashed the famed screaming intro to the track. The stage was bathed in red, and the background flames were spiraling. Lamb of God was here, and their presence was known.
One of the coolest things Lamb of God does is offer VIP packages to literally stand in front of the stage. The fans lined the middle of the stage and jammed out with their phones, capturing every moment of glory, especially with Randy commanding the pit to move and the next track “Laid To Rest” coming in hot. Blythe jumped up on the small riser center stage and unloaded screams and growls. He marched around the stage and touched every single edge. Telling the crowd to “Fuck this place up” between lyrics multiple times. The high energy and chaos of the Minnesota crowd proudly accepted his demands. The circle pit grew and expanded to half of the main floor.
His commentary also extended to current events. “Well, Minnesota, it looks like it’s been twenty-something years of the As The Palaces Burn record. This is a song I could’ve written yesterday. No more war for oil. This song is called ‘Blood Junkie.’” A massive eruption came from the eager audience. The songs are pure, raw power. Every riff Willie Adler and Mark Morton sling is a layer on top of each other. The pair are next-level players in the genre, and with new material like “Into Oblivion,” it allowed them to groove and pick their way through an infectious sound.
The new album by the same title is also a fresh interpretation of where they’ve guided the band over the years. Morton, who is the leading songwriter, maneuvered through the song like he had been playing it for twenty years. The duo of Morton and Adler pair up on the left-hand side of the stage to rip through “Resurrection Man” and its standalone sound. Once it builds into the unforgiving breakdown, Adler breaks away and stomps around as crowd surfers float across the top of the hands below one after another, until the stage goes dark and silent.
Then out came Morton front and center. He played an impromptu solo that kept building as the rest of Lamb of God emerged to break out into “Grace,” a track rarely played live with their deep catalog. This was a special treat, but it wasn’t the only thing they had up their sleeves. Art Cruz had his moment high up on his drum riser. With all spotlights on him, he smashed his way through a solo that led into the direct launch of “Desolation” from 2012’s Resolution, followed by “512” off VII: Sturm und Drang from 2015. Every song is a new amplification of the next. The strength of Lamb of God was in peak form, and it was only halfway through at this point.
With a quick break to refuel, The Armory was filled with chanting. “Lamb of God” rang out over and over. Center stage, Randy Blythe waved his arms and placed a hand by his ear. He then took a moment to share his appreciation for the city and the touring bands on the bill and dedicated “Walk With Me In Hell” to them. The song is a favorite of anyone who has listened to the band. It’s a unique sound and oppressive feeling that makes the lyrical content that much more relatable, and the low end laid down by John Campbell rattled the historic building’s walls.
Campbell roamed the entire stage, headbanging with his flowing white hair and beard changing every color with the stage lighting. His merciless performance never slowed down. He bounced around with every song performed, and that energy continued through “Parasocial Christ,” one of the newest additions to their setlist. The fresh cut resonated and kicked up all sorts of dust and debris from the general admission flooring. The stomping of the crowd lightly shook the concrete, and with the guitars ringing out in between songs, Blythe once again gave his social commentary, dedicating “Omerta” to Renee Good and Alex Pretti and screaming, “There is no justice. There is just us motherfuckers.” Minneapolis has seen a lot over the past year, and the crowd cheered as they dropped the heavy track from Ashes of The Wake.
This is where the final push of the heart-pumping Lamb of God set started kicking in. The most popular singles followed, starting with “11th Hour” and “Memento Mori,” the grooves charged their way into your veins. The sharp differences between both tracks perfectly depict where they began as a band versus where they are now. Their style was always there, but the overall artistry has expanded, and the Lamb of God’s faithful ate it up. The security barricade was nothing but headbanging and the circle pit looked like a war zone. The people in the suites were all standing with their hands in the air and fists pounding with every breakdown.
Introducing “Sepsis” from the eleven-day-old release, Into Oblivion, the band took it all in before they went into the slow-building song that is quickly becoming a standout. The back half is something that shouldn’t work, but it does, and it blends together into one gigantic breakdown backed up with a darkened stage and purple laser beams blasting in unison with the song. The lasers fired across the top of each band member and into the rafters above. It was a visual that stood out as something not seen the entire evening.
With a quick break, Blythe took to the microphone to say a few words, but first asked, “Are you tired yet, motherfuckers?” The return scream of “No” was louder than loud. He thanked everyone and the entire city of Minneapolis, stating that they’ve always treated him very well. “This is your last chance to dance, motherfucker. If you didn’t come to dance, get the fuck out of the way. I want to see a huge circle pit down there. No one stands still. No one stays safe. Move this whole place in a fucking circle, Minnesota. This song is called ‘Redneck!’” An eruption of cheering, the loudest of the night, blasted from the crowd. Blythe took his aggression out on the microphone and held it out so the fans could sing the opening lyrics, which they did. The tempo kept pushing harder and harder. “Redneck” off Sacrament is a career-altering single that blasted them into the mainstream of rock.
Check out the Lamb of God concert photos below:
Lamb of God remains at the upper tier of performances, and they know it. Despite the massive stage and venue, they packed them in yet still delivered like they were back in a club of a few hundred. That’s admirable because it means they know their roots and keep them as part of themselves. This was everything a metalhead could’ve wanted: four genres of metal all kicking ass.
Fans made sure to stop at the merchandise booth before leaving, which kept the floor busy for quite a while afterward. This tour is by far the top tour running, and as the fans started to exit, The Armory couldn’t wait for Lamb of God to return. Walking out the double doors, fans stopped to take pics in front of the tour poster illuminating the sidewalk. It was extremely hard to leave knowing how great of a night it was, but that is why the band is as loved as they are.
Catch LAMB of GOD on the Road…
