Justin Nuoffer
CONCERT REVIEW + PHOTOS
Hatebreed
w/ Carcass, Harms Way, Crypta
10/4/24 – Epic Event Center – Green Bay, WI
©Justin Nuoffer/NuofferMedia.com
On a cool Fall evening, the parking lot in front of the Epic Event Center fills up. Car stereos blast metal tunes. Some people were having beverages before jumping into the long line to enter. People were everywhere. The venue sits within the shadows of Lambeau Field, the home of the Green Bay Packers. If there is anything Hatebreed and the Packers have in common it is legacy and greatness. After all, this tour is a 30-year celebration.
The Epic Event Center is a corner spot on a block of department stores. A massive vertical sign hangs out front making it impossible to miss. Two sets of glass doors lead to a small foyer with guitars hanging on the walls. Once you move through security, a will-call hub is straight ahead and on the right are four black doors to enter the venue. The venue is spacious. Straight ahead are stairs to the upper deck seating and bar. Off to the right, a fully staffed bar runs the entire length of the back wall. Moving further into the room the general admission floor opens up and a huge stage is built into the wall. The wall along the right side next to the stage has an elevated ADA area with the merchandise stands right next to it. The walls are painted dark colors to focus your eyes on the stage. Everything about the building was planned out well.
The opening act is the Brazillian foursome, Crypta. These ladies are fresh faces on the metal scene but have toured the States regularly since breaking out. With two albums under their belts, they have solidified their sound and ability to produce a killer live performance. Bathed in green the brutality oozed out of them. They featured four tracks from Shades of Sorrow to start the night. Within an instant the hair flipped and stank faces filled the stage. The relentless death metal attack featured the notable tracks “Trail of Traitors” and “Under The Black Wings” and the crowd ate it up. Crypta warmed the circle pit up quite easily. The band themselves had a ton of gratitude. Their interactions with those on the security rail only proved the point.
The shift from death metal to straight-up hardcore was underway when Harms Way took the stage. Black filled the stage. There was nearly no light until strobes and occasional flashes popped. Vocalist James Pligge hits the stage. The frontman has a scowl on his face and he freely throws punches through the air. The muscle-bound frontman fits the style on appearance alone. Opening with “Sadist Guilt,” the intensity was at full force.
Crowd surfers immediately flew over the rails overwhelming the staff on hand. In tracks such as “Terrorizer” and “Devour”, the heaviness was a constant beatdown of one’s body. Closing with “Infestation” from their heavily influenced power violence type album Rust, the band’s strengths and origins are shown throughout. An uncompromising blitz of hard and fast riffs with well-timed barking-like vocals kept the fury of the circle pit spinning. Harms Way left an impact on those just looking to throw down.
The legendary Carcass were completely ready to rip the Epic Event Center apart. The stage was bathed in green. On each side of the stage stood a lighting rack with two cabinets. One on each side. Both were hollowed out and turned into video screens. On the screens, images related to the albums and songs rotated through. Behind this set up large scrims with pictures related to their 2013 album Surgical Steel. Carcass wasted no time and dove into “Buried Dreams.” The pure brutality opened up the circle quickly. Bodies started moving all around the room and crowd surfers finally started to flow over the top.
Heartwork is considered a masterpiece in the death metal world and was not a surprise that Carcass opened and closed their time with two smashes from the album. Bassist and vocalist Jeff Walker unloaded his scorching vocals and took no prisoners. He often held his bass up and out in front of the crowd. His fellow co-founder Bill Steer shreds on a multitude of guitars but is never too far from Walker’s right side. The two are the soul of Carcass and their influence on metal itself is unspeakable.
Once “Genital Grinder” the instrumental started, anyone who knew their discography knew it was about to get filthy. The instrumental led into “Exhume To Consume”. The song is arguably the most pristine form of grind and death metal combined. Walker’s deep guttural growling was an instrument of its own. Steer paired with James Blackford laid down the timeless riffs all night, however the final two songs were the most impressive. The security barrier shook as “Corporal Jigsore Quandary” and “Heartwork” the anchors of Carcass’ set tore through the crowd.
Their recent album Torn Arteries was released back in 2021 and featured “Kelly’s Meat Emporium” and “Dance of Ixtab (Psychopomp & Circumstance March No. 1 in B)”. Both tracks were the only entries to the setlist from the said album. This set was purely old school. Everything was from before the turn of the century. Truly a back-to-the-roots type of performance. They were at their peak once again and receiving the gratitude they rightfully deserve. Hatebreed themselves made sure to mention this multiple times.
The band people came to see was up next. Hatebreed is on the road celebrating thirty years of existence. The giant curtain covering the stage projected a short compilation of metal’s most well-known names praising Hatebreed for their thirty years and time spent together. Then the curtain splits and Hatebreed run out onto the stage and the guitar lead to “Tear It Down” fills the ears. Jamey Jasta the famed frontman screams, “Green Bay, we’ll tear it down! Let’s go. Count of three. What the fuck is up? Right side. One, Two, Three “.
From that moment on all hell broke loose. The security rail was shaking and the people on the rail head banged and screamed lyrics back at the top of their lungs. Jasta ran the entire length of the stage. He bounced, jumped, and raised his fists with a fury. Moving through the set the feelings were amazing. Hatebreed felt like a brotherhood up on stage and they were having fun. That notion was even more noticeable during “Destroy Everything” as the floor bounced. The circle pit became massive and spun endlessly. Hands were raised and waved around. It was an immersive experience.
Jasta asked, “Anybody thinking of coming out of mosh pit retirement? Let’s go!”. All of a sudden the floor swelled with people and became wild. Guitarist Frank Novinec stood at the front of the stage encouraging the chaos. As crowd surfers started flying over at a fevered pitch Jasta made sure to high-five every single one of them.
As the show moved deeper into the night Hatebreed truly was celebrating their entire catalog with pleasant surprises of “Empty Promises” and “Last Breath” from their 1997 release Satisfaction Is the Death of Desire, the very first recording by the band. Chris Beattie, bassist and fellow band co-founder with Jasta, exploded. His basslines were drowning out the guitars as he head banged and stomped across the stage.
The old-school hardcore was alive and well. At one point drummer Matt Byrne started to hit his kick drum and the announcement of the “Ball of Death” was made. A huge inflatable rubber ball with the Hatebreed logo and “Ball of Death” written across it was rolled off the stage and into the crowd. Every possible corner of the room had the ball bounce over to it while “Looking Down the Barrel of Today” was ripped on stage. The party atmosphere only amplified and at one point they even threw a cover of Slayer’s “Ghosts of War” out there. The guitar solo was absolutely smashed by Wayne Lozinak. Anything Slayer sets metalhead and hardcore fans off without a second’s notice.
As the closing of the show loomed, Hatebreed went old school once again with their final three tracks coming from their first two albums. However, Perseverance was the primary album of choice. With the unleashing of “Perseverance” and the world-beating “I Will be Heard” along with a ton of C02 from a multitude of cannons, the crowd lit up and sang the chorus with a fury. It wasn’t missed by the band. The reciprocation appeared to be more than appreciated judging from the amount of smiles and delight on Hatebreed’s faces. Hardcore bands can be happy too right? if anything it was affirmation of their years together as a band paying off.
Once the lights went up the line for band merch became long once again. There was a lot of chatter and happy faces. After nineteen songs from eight albums, there was no reason not to be happy. Hatebreed is about fun and throwing down. A true sense of togetherness that is often spoken about by the metal community. The popularity of Hatebreed isn’t a joke. They continue to help push the culture toward the mainstream while keeping that independent spirit alive. After thirty years as a band, there wasn’t any doubt they had accomplished that. This was easily one of the best tour bills going and to miss it would be a massive mistake.
Comments