Death Metal Madness:  Vader, Abysmal Dawn, Hideous Divinity and Vitriol Captivated the Brick by Brick in San Diego

              Death Metal.  The most well-balanced, varied sub-genre, and most eclectic aspect of Metal, in my humble opinion.  From the standard old-school Death Metal sound, to eventual Technical Death Metal, knitting into Progressive Death Metal, to the abstract style of Death Metal we have now as well, there’s so much to dissect, enjoy, discuss, and appreciate.  Enter Vader, starting as early as 1983, more of a Heavy/Speed Metal band, eventually becoming more of the Death/Thrash Metal style we know them to be around 1987 or so.  Their consistency within each release, the amount of live shows they play per year, as well as the underrated aspects of their ability as songwriters and musicians, Vader have truly led the charge as one of the most important Death Metal acts to ever live.  Nearly two years since their last North American tour, Vader would embark on a grand Death Metal tour, alongside Abysmal Dawn, Hideous Divinity, and Vitriol, a most enticing and excellent Death Metal tour, to the core.  Tonight, would be the very first day of the tour, and with Los Angeles being the very last day, I had to attend both Southern California shows, and any excuse to visit San Diego, arguably my favorite city in this state, I’ll take it.

              Even in near 45 degree weather, the fans waiting in line to the Brick by Brick, were toughing out the extra breezy weather, just talking and excited for being part of the first evening of this impeccable tour, it somehow warmed the aura of those in attendance, making it easier to wait outside as doors opened slightly later than the 7 PM posted time.  The lines for astounding craft beer were already in full swing, waiting for Vitriol to perform first.  Props to the Brick by Brick for their constant promoting on the TVs they have around the bar area, the friendly staff, as well as the beer selection they present.  They have the San Diego quality around them, as well as a dedicated aspect of music in all forms, each show here is an honour to be a part of.

Fresh off their North American tour with Cattle Decapitation and Atheist in late December, Vitriol immediately blasted the stage, with much of the crowd walking in eager to witness the band up-close and personal.  One of my genuinely, favorite aspects of Metal, the marinating effect it has on the listener.  Only hearing Vitriol live for the first time roughly 6 weeks ago, the music this time around had an even greater impact.  From the chaotic chord slides, Scott Walker's relentless snare hitting power and absurd bass drum speed, to the newest aspect I've learned about Vitriol tonight:  Sheer, channeled anger.  I don't mean anger in the way that novice closed-minded music listeners assume all Metal is, not the stereotypical criticism that Metal gets, no, I mean a subtle, yet violent nature sprinkled throughout the music.  The bridge section in "I Drown Nightly" increases speed while the chords form a disarray of melody and chaos right before the breakdown into the solo, it's not just how hard the band are playing the notes, it's a grand sinister approach to what Vitriol does.  Even the slower parts played, you feel suffocated and buried underwater, with a minimal amount of breaths you're able to take as the lungs incave your chest cavity.  Guitarist Mike Ashton and bassist/vocalist Adam Roethlisberger's contributions and crowd engagement in "Hive Lungs” wowed the audience, attempting to comprehend the energy level going into the ridiculous, carnage-like technicality both band members effortlessly played.  The main man, guitarist/vocalist Kyle Rasmussen was arguably one of the highlights of the entire evening.  His vision of Vitriol on full display, as well as the twisted chaos his screaming vocals were throughout their criminally short set.  Humble and humorous between songs with the audience, and a captivating inferno of brutality while playing, Rasmussen has become one of the better front men in Metal that I've seen in quite some time.  The audience was rather new to Vitriol, but they received a huge ovation in-between each song, and at the end of their set.  A compelling and sensational performance from Vitriol, they're about to take over the extreme Metal scene, you better look out. ​

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Hailing all the way from Italy, Technical/Brutal Death Metal Act Hideous Divinity was next on the bill, to a decent portion of the audience in Hideous Divinity shirts and knowing a fair amount of the material played onstage.  Vocalist Enrico Di Lorenzo moved all around the stage, with a commendable vocal range and excellent crowd interaction.  Sometimes too often in the Metal scene, bands here in the US while appreciate their audience, but sometimes just assume since they'll be touring more, they'll hone it in until it's a larger show or such, not with Hideous Divinity.  You can tell the band loved every single minute of this show, ​with the flashy solos mainly from Riccardo Benedini, and although the volume of the guitars was a little low in the beginning of their set, the balance of the rest of the instruments were solid.  “The Embalmer” got a huge pop from the audience, with the intense intro and pummeling drumming from Giulio Galati, which I also have to say, the drumming this entire evening, was absolutely fantastic.  Although the crowd really enjoyed Hideous Divinity, I didn’t get a ton out of this performance overall.  Nothing stood out a great deal for me.  The band’s energy live was positive and the crowd loved them, but their style of Death Metal, at least for me, was somewhat redundant, admittingly my first time seeing Hideous Divinity live.  I’m still grateful that they’re on this spectacular tour, and I’ll also be going to the last show of the tour in Los Angeles on the 28th, so perhaps by then their music could grow on me further.

Long overdue, and main support for this tour, Abysmal Dawn was met with a gracious and warm welcome from these long time Death Metal fans.  The group looked fired up right as they went on stage, and their 45-minute set completely flew by.  “My Own Savior” enraged the mosh pit with that signature triplet octave section, to the delight of the leader and soul of the band Charles Elliott, who looked he was having such a blast onstage.  I spoke to him the other day for a phone interview, and when he told me that he trusts his band members at this level, I completely believe it, now seeing the band perform.  Vito Petroni joined the band last year as the lead guitarist, and seeing the sophistication within the leads that he performs, that flavor of shred, exquisite bends in between the notes and pauses, it definitely adds a portion to the sound of Abysmal Dawn, even seeing longtime bassist Eliseo Garcia having a lot more vocal parts live than I can remember too, the overall balance of the band was significant, and just presented confidence in a way that was worn on their sleeves.  “The Inevitable Return to Darkness” was my highlight of their set, one of the best songs in their entire catalog for sure, that melody trade-off between Elliott and Petroni at the end was sublime to witness, their chemistry was in full-force tonight.  As solid of a live band as Abysmal Dawn always is, this was one of the best performances I’ve seen from them.  The entire band gelled, the new songs they played from the upcoming record in April, Phylogenesis, sounding superb, Abysmal Dawn’s back with a vengeance, and I cannot wait to see the rest of 2020 for them.

I’ve always felt one of the easiest band names to chant, “Vader! Vader! Vader!” reigned throughout the halls of the Brick by Brick venue during the setup onstage.  Vader doesn’t tour in North America as much as they used to in the mid 2000’s, so any time we can see the band perform, is a most quality treat.  Showing my cards at the table, this were to be my 15th time seeing Vader, and little to my knowledge at the time, I was about to witness one of their greatest live performances.

To maybe only a few in the audience as extreme Vader fans as I am, the “Macbeth” intro played into the PA, as this was from their very first live album in 1993, The Darkest Age.  This haunting, memorable and emotional intro completely paved the way for their set, as the vision and creator of Vader, Peter Wiwczarek, knew how energized and hungry this band was for Vader’s set, confidently and effortlessly went into “Silent Empire”, from their 1995 legendary record, De Profundis.  One of the most underrated aspects of Vader, are the transitions within their riffs.  There is a vast amount of melody changes varied around the bridges of the songs, as well as the different endings of riff structures that you just wouldn’t imagine first that Vader have.  Because they’re not a completely flashy Metal band, it’s just a detail I feel many out there don’t have the opinion to reach and learn from.  Listening to the band for so long, able to hear the mid area of their material, which I consider to be their greatest quality, almost felt like a dream.  Imagine the band you love making a setlist that fits closest to what you would have made, come to life, it’s surreal as a long-time fan.  “Black to the Blind” a prime example.  Their 3rd album, and the hardcore fans of Death Metal absolutely appreciated it, with the first violent mosh pit of the evening, bodies flying everywhere and even no one at the front of the stage (where I was), were safe.  “Triumph of Death” is a guaranteed mosh-pit extravaganza, and I knew right away that would be the case, and Vader wouldn’t have it any other way.

Peter announced later on this particular year coincided with 3 different anniversaries, De Profundis, Black to the Blind, and Litany, to which delighted the crowd and this avid Vader fan (Yours truly…), just creating this profound atmosphere that connected with each and every Vader fan in attendance.  It’s difficult to see bands play a portion of their era that’s not considered either popular, fun, or a proper recollection of their greatest work.  Vader pulled no punches on that, and also showering the fans with The Art of War EP, one of the greatest Metal EPs ever made, playing “This is the War!!” and “What Colour is Your Blood?”  These aren’t just considered the “Greatest Hits” generally, but an era or two of their most consistent work.

Spider embraced the lead guitar in terms of melody and what’s considered guitar wise, proper sophistication.  The dynamic between Spider, and Peter, who performs the chaotic, whammy bar tapping solos, shows the underrated aspects of their technicality and skill.  Look between the lines, and you’ll see, I’m certain.  And certainly not to be outdone, but as with Vader has always been through Doc (RIP), Daray, and now James Stewart, the drumming has either been astonishingly swift, powerful, and probably one of the most important aspects of Vader.  Stewart’s blasting through “Carnal” and “The One Made of Dreams”, left the audience unable to headbang properly, as his outstanding synchronization and vast ability, would outlast the audience who had already known the parts and transitions as hardcore fans.  But for myself, finally seeing Vader play 4 songs from Litany, as well as actually playing the title track “Litany”, in which it’s a part of my email name for the past 15 years or so.  The level of dynamic sophistication that doesn’t get noticed within the different variations of Vader’s riffing patterns, needs to be studied a whole lot more, as even bands of this generation would learn a whole lot.

Vader’s 80-minute set was by far the longest I’ve ever seen the band perform ever.  It was a tremendously welcoming surprise, and had this San Diego crowd cheering profusely, and with such a passion of appreciation and adoration.

Death Metal continues to ascend and soar through the rankings of Metal, some of the most captivating and dazzling music anyone on Earth could ever appreciate and hear.  Vader are one of the prime examples of how far you can take Death Metal, and create such a legend of ability, catchiness, brutality, and sophisticated sound.  Technically 37 or 33 years old, depending on which era of Vader you consider to be first, it was a sight for sore eyes to see such a legendary band continue to perform several years later and put on one hell of a show.  Powerful, creative, joyous, and free:  the Vader motto to follow.

Vader setlist

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(Intro) Macbeth

1.    Silent Empire

2.    Despair

3.    Black to the Blind

4.    Grand Deceiver

5.    Triumph of Death

6.    Reborn in Flames

7.    The One Made of Dreams

8.    Incarnation

9.    Sothis

10.  Vicious Circle

 Intro (Banners in the Wind)

11.  What Colour is Your Blood?

12.  Litany

13.  Shock and Awe

14.  Send Me Back to Hell

15.  Carnal

 Intro (Para Bellum)

16.  This is the War!!

17.  Cold Demons

18.  Sword of The Witcher

19.  Dark Age

20.  Wings

21.  Steeler (Judas Priest cover)