Justin Nuoffer
CONCERT REVIEW + PHOTOS
The Black Dahlia Murder
w/ Dying Fetus, Spite, Angelmaker, Vomit Forth
10/5/24 – The Rave – Milwaukee, WI
©Justin Nuoffer/NuofferMedia.com
Milwaukee, Wisconsin played as the backdrop to a killer tour package this evening featuring The Black Dahlia Murder, with support from Dying Fetus, Spite, Angelmaker, and Vomit Forth. The fans began to line up next to the back parking lot, and the line stretched down the street and wrapped around the lot. Metal shirts filled the area and it was apparent before doors opened that this show was highly anticipated considering a new album is on the horizon.
Once the doors actually opened the line moved quickly through the security check on the side of the building. From there you walk up into the main foyer where the box office and will-call kiosks are located. After the tickets are situated you are moved into the open courtyard where vendors are located and tables are waiting for you to sit down and relax before the first band. Otherwise, it is a mad dash into The Rave 1 room on the main level. Before entering the main room there are bar rooms on either side that are open for business and the back hallways that wrap around the main floor have them as well. The merchandise stands are located in the bar room off to the side. They were open and packed full of fresh gear and trinkets. The lines were full virtually all night, so business was good.
The general admission floor swelled early and the mob of fans wasted no time getting their spots. Up above in the balcony, bodies hung over the edges and the reserved seating was full. The hype was felt and the first up to kick the shindig off was Vomit Forth. The Connecticut death metalers wasted no time. Their set time was only 25 minutes long. With barely any lighting flashing across the stage it was all about their music.
Terrified of God is the new album they were featuring tracks from. With a release date of October 11th, it was a good reminder that new death metal bands are starting to hit the scene. With the utter brutality and explicit lyrics, Vomith Forth warmed up The Rave easily. Then within a blink of an eye, it was over. Afterward, the band was spotted walking around the venue and watching the rest of the show.
The seven-piece Candian death metal outfit, Angelmaker, has had a recent line-up change on their second vocalist. That role was filled with Rings of Saturn‘s frontman Ian Bearer who was performing some of his first shows with the band this tour run. Joining Casey Tyson-Pearce on vocals, Angelmaker created a hysteria within the pit. Crowdkillers showed up and went nuts while others spun circles around them. Angelmaker, simply put, came and blasted through six tracks with the pure intention of being as heavy as possible. With tracks primarily from Dissenient and Sanctum, they maneuvered their assault with ease. These senses were all screaming that this was a tiny club performance, but it wasn’t. They were built for stages like these.
If insanity is what you came looking for then Spite would be the band to fill that void. Spite is known for full-on chaos during their performances and they didn’t disappoint. They exploded onto the stage with “IED”. The terrifyingly punishing riffs tore through the audience. The surge of bodies towards the stage and crowd surfers was an indication security had their work cut out for them. The ruthless assault on the senses was equally matched by the Tehrani brothers’ stage presence. Frontman Darius Tehrani knows no limits while delivering his vocal lines. He flies around the stage. His brother, on the right side, stomps and slings his guitar around. His facial expressions are as intense as his playing. The other part of Spite’s core, Ben Bamford, shook the floors with his bass lines.
Dedicated to Flesh was their last release back in 2022. Its reception was overwhelmingly positive. Knowing this made it no surprise they performed four tracks off of it, but “Made To Please” and “Dedicated to Flesh” back to back were impressive. Two tracks from deep in their catalog “Kill or Be Killed” and “Free For All” come off of their first two releases from before the pandemic. Spite as a whole gave everything they had. The sweat and spit covered the stage floor. Their impact was physically felt. It was a beating that left you asking for more. After all, pain is a pleasure.
Staples of the death metal scene, Dying Fetus are nine full-length albums and a couple of EPs into their career and there is no stopping them. They managed to hit all three stages inside this famed venue within the last 2 years. With the crowd already warmed up, Dying Fetus hit the ground running. Their stage setup was very simple. Everything was pushed to the back and the lighting racks stood next to the guitar tabs. Founder and guitarist John Gallagher walked directly to the microphone and kicked into “From Womb to Waste”. A detonation of screams from the floor blasted into the eardrums. Extra security was called down from the show upstairs. It was all hands on deck as crowd surfers were literally launched forward.
Having toured relentlessly the last few years, the Make Them Beg For Death album have a few songs that have become staples of their set “Unbridled Fury”, “Compulsion for Cruelty”, and “Raised in Victory / Razed in Defeat”. The beauty of it all is they know that these are instant classics and unique for the deep catalog.
Upping the ante, Dying Fetus busted out “Wrong One To Fuck With”. With dual guttural vocals and moments of finger tapping along the frets by Gallagher and bassist Sean Beasley. the song is unquestionably a fan favorite and a surprise considering it isn’t the opener or actual closer. However, the same way they opened they closed the show. With a track off of Reign Supreme, “Subjected to a Beating”. There is nothing flashy about Dying Fetus for a stage show. They are there to fill your ears with technical perfection and sonic happiness. They don’t need an elaborate stage show. The music speaks for itself.
The Black Dahlia Murder arrives in The Rave once again. The last time they tore apart the venue was at Milwaukee Metal Fest in support of Verminous, their 2020 pandemic release, and the last one with famed frontman Trevor Strnad. Strnad’s unfortunate story is well known and forced the band to reposition and regroup.
Upstairs in The Rave’s VIP bar room, Strnad is immortalized by a large image of on the wall with the dates he performed inside the venue. Today the band is celebrating their two-week-old release Servitude and the first with the band guitarist Brian Eschbach now on vocals full time. The Black Dahlia Murder took the stage and after giving some waves to the crowd they launched right into “Evening Ephemeral” from their new album. Surprisingly the people on the front rail were screaming the lyrics toward the stage. The fanbase is already well acquainted with the brand-new stuff.
Chaos was unleashed on the hardwood floors of The Rave. A massive circle pit spun fiercely. Then as Brandon Ellis put a foot up on the monitor they went right into “Kings of the Nightworld” from his first album with the band. Ellis is talent on top of talent. The man shreds with ease. Guitarist Ryan Knight who is no slouch himself, patrolled the right side of the stage. He head banged away while ripping the only other two tracks from Servitude, “Panic Hysteric” and “Aftermath”. “Aftermath” was the lead single and it was even more punishing live than it was recorded.
The back half of the show was a real old-school deathcore face punch of a setlist. Fan favorite “Everything Went Black” had the whole room moving. Body parts were flying around. Bassist Max Lavelle owned the very front of the stage. He perched himself up there with one foot on a monitor and lay the low end down while hair his flipped and he screamed the lyrics to the crowd.
Perhaps Eschbach’s best performances of the night came during “Nightbringers” and “Unhallowed”. His arms pumped up and down as he relayed the vicious lyrics with a tenacious pleasure. The lights strobed and rotated all around from behind the band. The final two songs of the night came – “A Shrine to Madness” from Ritual and “Deathmask Divine” from Nocturnal. After everything was said and done, The Black Dahlia Murder performed thirteen songs from seven different albums. Long-time fans received what they wanted and the newer ones got a lesson. The performance was impeccable. Very simply put the band is at their peak right now.
The Rave was hot and sweaty. It shouldn’t be a surprise for how packed and active the room was. The pop kids from the show upstairs would walk into The Rave room and watch for a few minutes then become shocked and leave. The Black Dahlia Murder isn’t for everyone, but there are a whole lot of us who wouldn’t miss a show no matter what. Tonight couldn’t have been any better. Every artist on the bill killed it.
As the room emptied into the courtyard people continued to enjoy their night just hanging out in the cool Milwaukee air. After everything was said and done, it was a perfect night with amazing performances. Fans know when they witness just another performance in a string of these performances, but tonight simply felt different. This billing is primed and fantastic. Don’t miss it.
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