Review by Jason Williams, photos by Karina Diane
May 21st 2015, The Whisky-A-Go-Go, West Hollywood CA: Having Aborted as your band name, expectations would surely ask you to be heavy. Complying in spades and then some, Belgium’s brutal death metal veterans Aborted have destroyed all senses with their style of uncompromising brutality for well over 20 years now. Taking from Carcass’ older lyrical style of gore and medical splatter, Aborted has turned into a household name for all death metal fans around the world, and with them bringing along a diverse lineup for their first headlining run in quite some time, including Dark Sermon, Archspire and Fit For An Autopsy, it would seem that the Whisky-A-Go-Go in Los Angeles had prepared itself for an incredibly brutal lineup.
Due to traveling through traffic and an accident along the way, I was unable to see Dark Sermon, as I arrived about 10 minutes before Archspire’s set. Talking to the crowd shortly after I walked in, many in attendance enjoyed their blackened death metal/core playing. Hearing a number of positive responses and remarks about Dark Sermon, I’ll be sure to give them a proper listen in the very near future.
With the crowd filling up the Whisky, Archspire took over the stage at 9:30 on the dot, ready to bring their relentless style of suffocating, warp-speed technical death metal to our throats, and my oh my did they not disappoint. This felt almost like a continuation of their performance with Fallujah at the very same venue, less than 2 months ago. From sickening speeds of drumming, elusive and fantastic guitar work, crafty, unique bass playing, to shocking levels of rapid machine-gun fire vocal spews, it was absolutely exhausting to keep up, and I never wanted it any other way. Vocalist Oli Peters never slowed or was out of sync for one moment, demanding a “triangle pit” into “Fathom Infinite Depth”. I’ve never seen a pit form and rise in depth, force and numbers solely from vocal work alone. It was frightening to hear these vocals fit so tightly with Tobi Morelli and Dean Lamb’s effortless yet maniacal fretboard play. While each musician stood out greatly, including Spencer Prewett’s magical bass sounds, no one was out of place. The amount of practice and effort they have put over their 6-year career translates into a band with a vicegrip in tightness and cohesiveness. “Rapid Elemental Dissolve” destroyed the room, with this crowd unable to contain themselves through Archspire’s devastating onslaught. Cracking hilarious dark humor jokes onstage, Oli couldn’t get enough of the Los Angeles crowd, and the feeling was mutual. I already knew that Archspire would steal the show the moment this tour was announced, and in no way I was disappointed, except for the criminally short 5-song set played. Headline as soon as possible would be my only request. In my world, Archspire translates to “Unbelievably Percussive Brutal Greatness.” Sensational performance, and for me, they are building a reputation as a band that no one would want to play after.
Set List:
1. Scream Feeding
2. Fathom Infinite Depth
3. Seven Crowns and the Oblivion Chain
4. Rapid Elemental Dissolve
5. Lucid Collective Sommambulation
Fit For An Autopsy would be after, and judging from the crowd, it was fair to say a good number of people came to support them. Still recovering from the Canadian onslaught that was Archspire, I did my best to keep an open mind to the deathcore style that Fit For An Autopsy played, but unfortunately there wasn’t too much for me to enjoy from them. Their core aspects were of many I’ve heard over the years. To the band’s credit and on a positive note, the slower passages and melodies coming through the guitars were more memorable than anything else. Also, whenever Fit For An Autopsy plays at blasting speeds, the riffs really stand out and put together. Only a few bands who play a form of deathcore really stand out for me, Veil of Maya and older All Shall Perish for example, who blend in solid death metal while creating a unique and original core sound along with it. The crowd also enjoyed their set and while the pit wasn’t as violent as Archspire’s, it was more than enough to show that the band was surely appreciated by the fans. Fit For An Autopsy simply didn’t do very much for me, but any deathcore fan would enjoy their live performance.
Set List:
1. The Great Gift of the World
2. Do You See Him?
3. Thank You Budd Dwyer
4. Dead in the Dirt
5. Mask Wearer
6. The Consumer
7. The Jackal
8. The Travelers
So far, the metal scene in Los Angeles for the past several weeks has shown great attendance in the shows that have occured. Even for a Thursday night, the Whisky was at least 75 per cent full, and lets bands know and assures them to keep coming back. Aborted certainly expressed their gratitude in the way they surely know best: brutal death metal. Headlining this show, little time was wasted by Aborted as “Meticulous Invagination” got the ball rolling at 11:05 PM. Having seeing Aborted a number of times over the past several years, tonight was my first time seeing them as a headliner. They were surely long overdue for it, and the crowd couldn’t be happier. Bodies were flying around the pit, with headbanging demanded from vocalist and leader Sven de Caluwe. His vocal work has always been sensational to me, and live it somehow increases further in quality. Gutteral lows with his signature screams, Sven truly shined in “The Origin of Disease” and my personal favorite from the band, “The Holocaust Incarnate” from their 2001 classic, Engineering the Dead. Catchy breakdowns, blistering tempos, thick, meaty guitar tones, and a tight sound that incorporates the brutality to really shine, Aborted can do little to no wrong live. Their energy drains your mind and leaves you begging for more. Opening their set and closing their set with their 2003 mindblowing and earth-shattering record Goremageddon: The Saw and the Carnage Done, was a special treat that I wish the newer fans really could appreciate from that time period. Although their set was only 50 minutes, Aborted’s 15-song set really could spawn no complaints. Even as a headliner, their work was cut out for them due to Archspire’s unforgettable performance, and while Archspire still stole the show for me, Aborted absolutely owned the stage as well and raised the flag of death metal to a substantial level.
The evening was filled with death metal that even the skeptics of other genres could enjoy. From deathcore to brutal death metal, this lively crowd surely got their money’s worth, and for the rest of this tour, I knew anyone else awaiting their path would be lucky to come home alive.
Set List:
01. Meticulous Invagination
02. Parasitic Flesh Resection
03. Necrotic Manifesto
04. Hecatomb
05. Coffin Upon Coffin
06. Fecal Forgery
07. Expurgation Euphoria
08. The Holocaust Incarnate
09. The Extirpation Agenda
10. The Origin of Disease
11. Coronary Reconstruction
12. Sanguine Verses (…Of Extirpation)
13. Cenobites
14. Threading on Vermillion Deception
15. The Saw and the Carnage Done
Remaining Tour Dates:
5/25/2015 – Whisky Dicks – Lake Tahoe CA
5/26/2015 – Tonic Lounge – Portland OR
5/27/2015 – Club SUR – Seattle WA
5/28/2015 – Rickshaw Theatre – Vancouver BC
5/29/2015 – Inlander Pub – Kamloops BC
5/30/2015 – Nite Owl – Calgary AB
5/31/2015 – The Exchange – Regina SK
6/1/2015 – The Zoo Cabaret – Winnipeg MB
6/2/2015 – House Of Rock – EAU Claire WI
6/3/2015 – Reggies – Chicago IL
6/4/2015 – The Foundry – Lakewood OH
6/5/2015 – Foufounes Electriques – Montreal QC
6/6/2015 – The Palladium – Worcester MA
6/7/2015 – Montage Music Hall – Rochester NY