The monsoons were hitting Mesa, Arizona hard that night. The rain drops were as big as crocodile tears and the winds were blowing with the force that was knocking smaller trees down. This weather didn’t stop Arizona locals from attending the concert of the night. They were waiting outside in the rain to enter the venue, ready to get their moshing and head banging on. Tonight, was also special because not only were there three bands touring but they asked two local bands to open up for them.
The first band of the night was KTHULHU, a local death metal band from Prescott, Arizona. They formed in 2020, and have been going strong ever since. Their lineup is made up by Josh Rosson-bass, Zach Dougy-drums, Dustin Lewis-guitar, and Noah Rylee-vocals. Their stage presence is string and energetic. Their sound is captivating. Small pockets of mosh pits were forming, you know how it is, people are a little shy with the opening band and tend to mostly stand their bobbing their heads. It could be clearly seen that everyone was enjoying KTHULHU. This is a band that is young and is going to go get bigger, keep your eyes on them!
The next band came onto the stage, setting up their instruments and getting ready to put on an amazing performance. Once on stage, the immediately commanded the stage! Carpet Bomb, a heavy metal band, is made up by Nolan Geetermon-vocals/guitar, Elijah Krueger-backing vocals/bass and Mikey Maier-drums. This band brings some fun to the heavy metal scene. Geetermon brings a fun and unique sound to the heavy metal scene. His higher pitched vocals are a nice contrast to the usual deep guttural screams of most heavy metal bands. Their energy helped to pick up the audience and get a few more of them on their feet, moving around more. This is a band that is definitely one you will want to check out when they tour in a city near you! As Carpet bomb left the stage, the house crew came on and began to set up the stage for the next band. The house lights dimmed and it was time for the first of 3 heavy hitters to take to the stage. The audience started to get anxious and then all of a sudden, the band came to the stage. Hailing all the way from Portland, Oregon, Bewitcher began to play. Their energy hit the ground running. The bassist would headbang and move all around the stage, their drummer made intense movements while giving the audience the best facial expressions of the night. Their songs were not only energetic but extremely fun with a wide array of tempos, beats and classic 80s styled guitar solos that are unfortunately becoming extinct in the metal world. At one point towards the end of their set the drummer jumped onto his drum set to tell the audience to get moving. They were able to engage and interact with the audience right away, creating a fun set list. This band combines the best of the 80s and the heaviness of todays metal to create a very fun and unique take on metal. The second to last band was gearing up to command the stage. The next band to take the stage is one of the top dogs in New York City’s metal scene, forming in 1989, that is none other than Incantation. Incantation is currently based in Pennsylvania but that doesn’t stop them from taking over. John McEntee- guitar/vocals is the only original member; the band has been through many lineup changes over the 33 years of being active. The rest of the current lineup is Kyle Severn-drums, Chuck Sherwood-bass and Luke Shivley- lead guitar. Once on stage you can see the dedication and heart this band has for their music. Their passion is easily seen and taken in by the audience. Everyone was seen bobbing their heads and throwing fists into the air as the music played. After their set ended, they were seen on the floor interacting with fans and taking pictures. A truly magical thing! It was that time of the night, time for the headliner to hit the stage. It was time for the extreme metal band from New Orleans Louisiana to take over the stage; Goatwhore. Forming in 1997, this hard-hitting metal band has kept things consistent and exciting for their fans. The current line us is made up by Sammy Duet-guitar/backing vocals, L. Ben Falgoust II-vocals, Zack Simmons-drums and Robert “Trans Am” Coleman-bass. Their music usually consists of themes of witchcraft, satanism, anti-Christianity and the occult; what else would you expect from a metal band that is formed in a city that has a long history intertwined in voodoo and a darker history. The minute they got on stage, the audience squeezed together, trying to get as close to the stage as possible. This band is one of the best metal bands you will ever see, Falgoust puts on a performance of a lifetime. He is energetic, moving all over the stage, engages with the crowd and his vocals are always on point. The rest of the band keeps up and matches Falgoust’s energy. They were able to get the crowd really going; most were headbanging and throwing up their horns, while a small group was really getting their mosh pit going. At the end of the night the audience left happy, experiencing an amazing night filled with different genres and generations of metal. Goatwhore was roaming around taking photos with their fans at the end of the nigh, making everyone’s night a little better. GoatwhoreWebsite Facebook Twitter Instagram
Incantation
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Bewitcher
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Carpet Bomb
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