June 1st, 2024 @ London Music Hall
London, ON
Photos By: Kim Baarda
Words By: Jason Deaville
London, Ontario, Canada has seen some fantastic tours come through town over the last few months. First it was Municipal Waste… then it was GWAR… then it was Dying Fetus… and most recently it was Death To All and the mighty Cryptopsy. The one thing these tours all had in common is that each and every one saw the venue, the London Music Hall, filled to the bloody brim (and this is a large, state-of-the-art music venue). Let’s hope this string of awesome tours continues, as it’s apparent folks want their metal in little old London!
CRYPTOPSY
I first saw Cryptopsy in London back in ’94 at a legendary venue called The Embassy (which no longer exists after fire tore through its hallowed halls several years back). At that time, they blew my unexpecting head clean off with their brand of unbridled musical extremity and technicality. Apart from a few lineup changes, not much has changed in thirty years… the boys are as brutal as ever, and certainly blew the heads off many tonight with a mix of songs from their latest Nuclear Blast-released album, As Gomorrah Burns, all the way back to their ’94 debut album, Blasphemy Made Flesh.
Tonight was a special night, as this tour marks the first time in five years that long-time bassist, Oli Pinard (who also slaps for Cattle Decapitation), has performed live with the band. Having Oli back up on the stage surely has reinvigorated the band, and it could certainly be heard, and felt, tonight. The guys were absolutely on fire, spewing extremity with a precision and brutality that is unrivaled in death metal. In fact, things got so amped that a pit of epic proportions was spawned almost immediately into the first song of the night, ‘Defenestration’ (from what is easily up there as one of the best death metal albums of all-time, Blasphemy Made Flesh). From here on out, the pit remained active and truly insane right up to the last song.
Judging by the average age of the crowd (which I’d venture to be in their early-to-mid twenties), it’s my guess that many had never seen Cryptopsy live (the last time they played London was back in 2013). In fact, during their performance, a group of teens who were huddled behind me, remarked how they had never heard of the band and were absolutely blown away! It’s very heart-warming to see Cryptopsy appealing to a whole new generation of fans thirty years on. I truly hope the guys can get on more tour packages such as this one. It goes without saying that once exposed to the mighty Cryptopsy, you are hooked for life!
Setlist
Defenestration, Crown Of Horns, Slit Your Guts, Graves Of The Fathers, Lascivious Undivine, In Abeyance, Flayed The Swine, Phobophile
DEATH TO ALL
The unfortunate passing of Death‘s legendary front man, Chuck Schuldiner, way back in 2001 left a gaping hole in the world of death metal. Along with putting a sad, untimely end to the band, it left fans to contemplate what might have become of Death had Chuck not been ripped from the band and his fans. We can imagine that Death would have continued to cultivate and shape the landscape of death metal over the last twenty five years since his passing.
There are some things in this world that are just too good to come to an end, and Death is one of those things. Sure, we no longer have Chuck, but we have four incredibly talented and devoted individuals that ensure the legacy of Chuck never dies on the live front. Death To All is that band, and within its ranks are former Death members, Bobby Koelble (guitars) and Steve Digorgio (bass). Joining the guys on this latest tour are drummer Gene Hoglan (Dark Angel, Testament) and guitarist/front man, Max Phelps (Obscura, ex-Cynic).
This latest Death To All tour is a special one that sees the tribute band paying homage to Death with a different setlist every night. Tonight, we were graced with a slew of classic songs across their whole catalog. So, no matter which era of Death is your favorite, the band had you covered! The guys started the night off with ‘Open Casket’ from the classic album, Leprosy. This quickly got the packed house amped and moving. This was immediately followed-up with ‘The Philosopher’ from 93’s Individual Thought Patterns. I mean, by this point, if you hadn’t looked at the stage once, you might think that Chuck had reanimated for tonight’s show, as Max Phelps is a dead-ringer in the vocal and musicality department. They couldn’t have picked a better front man for this tribute.
The guys tore through a whopping thirteen songs before coming out for three additional encores (at the insistence of the roaring/chanting crowd who wouldn’t let the band end things). An absolutely incredible night that will surely hold a sacred place in the memory banks of the many in attendance.
Setlist
Open Casket, The Philosopher, Suicide Machine, Living Monstrosity, Symbolic, Infernal Death, Scavenger Of Human Sorrow, Overactive Imagination, Within The Mind, Baptized In Blood, Flesh And The Power It Holds, Lack Of Comprehension, Crystal Mountain, Zombie Ritual, Spirit Crusher, Pull The Plug
Remaining dates on the Scream Of Perseverance Tour are as follows:
June
05 – St. Paul, MN @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall
07 – Lawrence, KS @ The Granada
08 – Denver, CO @ Oriental Theater
09 – Denver, CO @ Oriental Theater
11 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall
13 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
14 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
15 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
16 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
18 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
19 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
21 – Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone
22 – Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone
23 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
25 – San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick
26 – San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick
27 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater
28 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater
29 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Nile Theater