Obituary with Unleashed, Carnifex and Black Ritual
Amos Southend
Oct. 13, 2008
The Deal: American death metal mongers Obituary played at Amos Southend with deathcore acts Black Ritual and Carnifex and the Swedish death metal group Unleashed.
The Good: The show started with a local band called Black Ritual and led on to Carnifex. Both bands put forth an ample amount of deathcore (similar to hardcore, but with more of a metal vibe). Death metal was what folks came to see and they seemed less impressed by these bands. Next came Unleashed, who delivered a fine a set of Swedish death metal. The four-piece group thrashed heavy beats and throbbing guitars, all while head banging and hair twirling. The band played tracks from its most current album Hammer Battalion along with former CD releases dating back to its debut in 1991. Highlights included tracks like Never Ending Hate, We Will Hunt You Down and Hammer Battalion. After this set Obituary finally took the stage blasting metal with blazing guitar solos and roaring vocal screams. The audience was roused and a small, but aggressive mosh pit formed towards the front of the stage.
The Bad: The first two bands really werent necessary. It just prolonged the wait for Obituary. Unleashed started around 10 p.m. and Obituary around 11 p.m. It was a long night. Also, it was hard to hear the vocals from Black Ritual, Carnifex and even Obituary at times. I could hear more of Unleashed, despite the monster-like growling. The show was pretty empty as well, but it was a Monday.
The Verdict: I was mostly impressed by Unleashed and Obituary. Both bands displayed a skill for death metal and went beyond the trashing and throbbing with heavy-duty tracks that were intricately played throughout each performance.