United States Tour of Terror 2023: Morbid Angel's 40th Anniversary (The Masquerade-Atlanta)
Before this review begins, I want to share the GoFundMe Page link for Fred Livingston, Jr., who died on March 31st, 2023, when a tornado came through Belvidere, Illinois, and collapsed the roof at the Apollo Theatre right before Morbid Angel took the stage. Fred leaves behind three sons, Alex, Fred III, and Shane, plus a family that loved him very much. 48 people were also harmed that night at the Apollo Theatre, including Michelle Meyers who was seriously injured with a broken spine and 10 ribs, and a huge laceration on the back of her head. You can also go to Michelle’s GoFundMe Page and help. I am proud to be part of the metal community as we come together to help our fellow metal heads when tragedy strikes. We also want to wish a speedy recovery to founding member of Morbid Angel Trey Azagthoth who recently had an incident at the Tampa Bay show at the Orpheum (04/21/2023) due to dehydration and had to be helped off the stage.
While celebrating their 40th anniversary with the United States Tour of Terror 2023, Morbid Angel stopped by The Masquerade (Atlanta) with opening support from Revocation, CRYPTA, and Vitriol. Morbid Angel is a death metal band that started as a band in 1983 in Tampa, Florida. The band consists of Trey Azagthoth (guitars/keyboards) followed by Steven Tucker (vocals/bass), Dan Vadim Von (guitars), and Scott Fuller (drums). They have released nine (9) LPs, two (2) Live albums, two (2) EPs, and various singles/demos.
Growing up as a teenager in the 90s, I was front and center for the rise of death metal bands (domestic and international) throughout metal music. Morbid Angel was a pioneer in the art of death metal and can be associated with influencing numerous death metal bands past and current. After first hearing their second album, Blessed Are the Sick, I was completely blown away by their musical style and production. Morbid Angel carved a niche in the death metal genre and never let go of that hold. Morbid Angel can still draw a major crowd in venues across the metal landscape and have fans leaving happy but wanting more. This evening at The Masquerade was just like that, Morbid Angel took the stage and started their onslaught of songs. By the time it was over, the crowd was so enamored with this set you could tell the crowd wanted Morbid Angel to play on!
You can see Morbid Angel’s career-spanning set list from The Masquerade below:
· “Piles of Little Arms”
· “D.E.A.D.”
· “God of Emptiness”
· “Architect and Iconoclast”
· “Curse the Flesh”
· “Praise the Strength”
· “Day of Suffering”
· “Unholy Blasphemies”
· “Rapture”
· “Ageless, Still I Am”
· “Summoning Redemption”
· “Paradigms Warped”
· “To the Victor the Spoils”
You can check out my first review of Morbid Angel from The USA Sickness Tour (2019) featuring Watain and Incantation live from Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta exclusively on Concerthopper.com by following this link. Follow this link to Morbid Angel’s Official Bandcamp and listen for yourself.
Revocation (also known as Cryptic Warning 2000-2006) is a thrash/technical death metal band from Boston, Massachusetts, and has been together since 2000. Revocation consists of Dave Davidson (vocals/guitars), Brett Bamberger (bass), and Ash Pearson (drums). The band is currently signed to Metal Blade Records. As Revocation, they have released eight (8) LPs, two (2) EPs, and several music videos. During the time they were known as Cryptic Warning, they released one (1) LP and two (2) Demos. During the Cincinnati tour stop, Dave tripped on a cable and broke his wrist while breaking his fall. For the remainder of the tour, Dave will only be able to sing. As the band coined, Dave is ‘pulling a Hetfield’ about James Hetfield from Metallica breaking his wrist in 1986 before a show in Evansville, Indiana.
This would be my first time seeing Revocation, but I knew injury or not they were bringing their A-game for this entire tour. From start to finish, Revocation did not let off the gas pedal with a barrage of fan favorites like “Diabolical Majesty” and “Of Unworldly Origin”. I was pleased that they played “The Outer Ones” and “Re-Crucified” during this tour stop at The Masquerade.
Here is Revocation’s set list from this tour stop:
· “Godforsaken”
· “Diabolical Majesty”
· “The Outer Ones”
· “Communion”
· “Re-Crucified”
· “Madness Opus”
· “Of Unworldly Origin”
You can hear Revocation by following this link to their Official Bandcamp page today!
Vitriol is a death metal band from Portland, Oregon that started playing in 2013 but was originally named Those Who Lie Beneath between 2005-2013. The band is currently signed to Century Media Records and has released one (1) LP, two (2) EPs, and one (1) Single. The band’s lineup consists of Adam Roethlisberger (vocals/bass), Kyle Rasmussen (vocals/guitars), Stephen Ellis (guitars), and Matt Kilner (drums). This would also be my first time seeing Vitriol live. As expected, Vitriol was prepared to give the eager fans in the crowd exactly what they wanted. And that was a powerful and energetic performance fueled by Vitriol firing on all metal cylinders.
Follow this link to Vitriol’s Official Bandcamp page and show them some support today!
CRYPTA is a Brazilian death metal band that became active in 2019 and is signed to Napalm Records. The band features Fernanda Lira (vocals/bass), Taina Bergamaschi (guitars), Luana Dametto (drums), and Jessica di Falchi (guitars). They have released one (1) LP and four (4) Singles. Finally, CRYPTA was the band my partner and I were most excited to see live this evening. From listening to their album, Echoes of the Soul, I hear some vocal influences from Chuck Schuldiner (R.I.P. to the late and great frontperson from the iconic band Death) plus CRYPTA is a band that plays exceptionally together as noted in some live videos circulating the web such as “Shadow Within”. Masters of their craft, CRYPTA, have taken a proverbial seat at the table and they are hungry for more. Keep this band in your purview because this is not the last time you will hear of them in the metal community. I for one, cannot wait for their next performance in Atlanta, and, fingers crossed, I get the opportunity to capture that moment again.
Check out CRYPTA’s set list from The Masquerade below:
· “Death Arcana”
· “Possessed”
· “Under the Black Wings”
· “Starvation”
· “Dark Night of the Soul”
· “From the Ashes”
Want to check out CRYPTA? Follow this link to CRYPTA’s Official Bandcamp page today!
Unfortunately, the last two dates for the United States Tour of Terror 2023: April 21st (Tampa – Orpheum) & April 22nd (Ft. Lauderdale – Culture Room) have passed by the time of this publication. You can keep an eye on Morbid Angel by following their Facebook and/or Instagram pages to be updated on any future tours and updates on the band.
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