LIVE: DYING FETUS – March 29, 2018

Venue: The Concourse at the International

City: Knoxville, TN

Date: April 5, 2018

Review and Photographs by: Rachel Craig (http://www.rachelcraigphotos.net/)

It’s been a while since a metal show like this has graced the scene in Knoxville. Dying Fetus, Thy Art Is Murder, and other deathcore bands took over the intimate Concourse stage in front of a nearly-sold out crowd. This show sent a loud message to Knoxville about the popularity of this venue after the recent announcement that The International is shutting down this summer. Metal like this is best heard live and this venue is one of the best places to have that experience in East Tennessee. The show kicked off 30 minutes early, which did draw some complaints from fans who memorized the set times in order to see their favorite band. Sanction was already playing when most of the crowd was filling the venue and already forming a mosh pit. However, the night wasn’t completely filled with face-melting deathcore and metal — Sanction included smooth jazz interludes between songs and the venue played pop and classic rock hits between sets. Rivers of Nihil and Enterprise Earth both brought short sets full of guttural, brutal vocals, thunderous riffs, and circle pits to prepare the crowd for the headliners. Thy Art Is Murder was a huge favorite of the night, inspiring the crowd surfers to try to jump on stage (unsuccessfully). The crowd could be heard over the music shouting along with frontman CJ McMahon to songs like “Puppet Master,” “The Purest Strain of Hate,” and “The Son of Misery.” Thy Art Is Murder concluded with “Reign of Darkness” where the crowd shouted along together “You will see the true face of panic.”

Finally, it was time for Dying Fetus and I’m not sure how the crowd still had any energy left to crowd surf, headbang, and form circle pits. But they persisted throughout the band’s long set, which included their death metal/grindcore hits like “Fixated on Devastation,” “From Womb to Waste,” “Induce Terror,” and ending with “Wrong One to Fuck With.” Dying Fetus’ brutal variety of vocals stood out in contrast to the opening bands, showing a level of experience and seniority that has continued for two decades. This was a great metal show to start the unofficial last era of The International. Luckily, the Concourse may have a future as a separate venue and I hope it will continue being the home to all kinds of music. This was the most people I’ve seen in the Concourse in a long time, and I hope the support will continue until the end.

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Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries