LIVE: NEKROGOBLIKON – Atlanta, GA, USA – October 25, 2026
Venue: Buckhead Theatre
City: Atlanta, GA
Date: October 25, 2026
Review and Photographs by: James Zambon (https://jameszambon.com)
Sunday nights are supposed to be about preparing for the week ahead. On October 25, Atlanta instead spent the evening with Party Cannon, Signs of the Swarm, Aborted, and a goblin who eventually expressed concern about everybody’s bedtime. Nekrogoblikon’s stop at Buckhead Theatre delivered punishing metal, and ridiculous humor to a crowd with plenty of energy to burn of before Monday. The venue’s polite requests against moshing and crowdsurfing had enthusiastic competition. Pits opened, walls of death formed and the conveyor belt of fans traveling overhead to the stage ramped up, as the room embraced the happy disorder this lineup practically advertised. With Halloween approaching, surrendering a Sunday evening to goblin metal felt entirely reasonable. Party Cannon opened with their aptly named “Party Slam.” The Scottish band pairs crushing riffs and enormous gutturals with a sense of humor that made them a natural fit for the night. Their colorful logo might suggest birthday entertainment, provided your birthday plans involve slamming brutal death metal and temporarily forgetting how your neck is intended to work. Signs of the Swarm followed, bringing their punishing Pittsburgh deathcore into the mix. Dense riffs and massive breakdowns gave the restless crowd plenty to work with. Their cover of Rob Zombie’s “Dragula” was an especially fitting addition to the Halloween-season festivities, pulling the familiar favorite into their own heavier, nastier world. Apparently, even the drag racer from hell could use an upgrade. Aborted took the final slot before the headliner, adding decades of death metal experience and an affection for horror. Their combination of death-grind speed, technical detail, and vicious grooves made them an ideal bridge into the evening’s goblin infestation. The running order had the appeal of a particularly adventurous late-night monster movie marathon.
Then came the evening’s green management. Nekrogoblikon’s set began with “Pokémon Theme,” an appropriate doorway into a universe populated by goblins, mysterious doctors, secret elephants, and magical spiders. “Fiend” and “Show Me Your Goblin” followed, giving Atlanta every reason to postpone thinking about Monday. The band’s appeal lies in how completely they inhabit that universe. Their melodic death metal supplies the muscle, while bright melodies and gleeful absurdity keep the experience playful. John Goblikon ties it together, looking like something from a fantasy quest while carrying the everyday frustrations of someone who is going to have to get up tomorrow and type out “per my last email…” In the band’s lore, John sells life insurance. Even goblins have bosses. That collision between fantasy creature and ordinary working stiff becomes especially funny when he starts negotiating bedtime. There was considerable business to handle first. “The Many Faces of Dr. Hubert Malbec,” “Bones,” and “Dead-ish” led into “Darkness” and “Dressed as Goblins.” The crowd supplied its own choreography through headbanging, moshing, and crowdsurfing, keeping the room as animated as the material. “Secret Elephant” and “Full Body Xplosion” continued the adventure before “This Is It” and “Goblins Are Better Than Trolls.” The latter John led into citing his desire not to discuss politics but he had to get it off his chest, that Goblins really are better than Trolls. “The Magic Spider” and “The Boiling Sea” finished the main set, leaving Atlanta to negotiate some goblin overtime.
John returned for the encore with some objections. His complaint went something like: I’m tired. Are you not tired? I’m old, I’m tired. Then he spotted a younger fan: What about this kid? He’s got school in the morning! The goblin had become the responsible adult. His concern for Atlanta’s sleep schedule only went so far. He conceded, “Fine, we’ll play more music… not because we planned this or anything.” It was classic John Goblikon: a little mock exhaustion, some questionable concern for the children, and a knowing wink at the whole encore routine. “Goblins,” “Powercore,” and “No One Survives” rewarded the crowd’s persistence. That closing title felt particularly appropriate for an audience enthusiastically borrowing energy from Monday. Nekrogoblikon gave Atlanta heavy music, contagious silliness, and a fantasy world where even monsters worry about getting enough sleep. John had a point: being a goblin looks exhausting. Watching one have this much fun made staying out worthwhile.
Setlist: Fiend – Show Me Your Goblin – The Many Faces of Dr. Hubert Malbec – Bones – Dead-ish – Darkness – Dressed as Goblins – Secret Elephant – Full Body Xplosion – This Is It – Goblins Are Better Than Trolls – The Magic Spider – The Boiling Sea – Goblins – Powercore – No One Survives
NEKROGOBLIKON LINKS:
Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries
About the Author (Author Profile)
ToddStar - that's me... just a rocking accountant who had dreams of being a rock star. I get to do the next best thing to rocking the globe - I get to take pictures of the lucky ones that do. I love to shoot all genres of music and different types of performers. If it is related to music, I love to photograph it. I get to shoot and hang with not only some of my friends and idols, but some of the coolest people around today.Subscribe
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