Morbid Angel have hit the road for the United States Tour of Terror, a tour that began in March and runs until the 22nd of April. The tour covers quite a bit of the U.S. territory and also doubles as a commemoration of the band’s 40th anniversary.

I caught the show at The Forge in Joliet, Illinois on April 5th. With a line going down the block, it was a packed house and a had wide range of ages in attendance. People are clamoring to get out and see live shows (many of this tour’s dates are sold out) and this tour features heavy hitters.

Crypta

Opening the show was Crypta, a fairly new band from Brazil. Their brand of high-energy death metal and stage presence got the crowd amped up very quickly. This is the first U.S. tour for Crypta, who are supporting their 2021 debut full-length Echoes of the Soul. I expect they’ll be on even more big tours soon as they gain recognition and word of mouth support. Get to the shows early; Crypta is not a band to be missed!

Skeletal Remains

Following Crypta was California’s Skeletal Remains, whose sound is rooted in old school death metal, but with added speed. These guys have riffs for days and play a very intense set. I’d seen Skeletal Remains on another tour some years ago and was impressed with them back then. Anybody into high-tempo classic death metal like Asphyx, Malevolent Creation, Monstrosity, etc. will want to check these guys out. Their latest album is The Entombment of Chaos on Century Media (2020).

Revocation

Next up we had Boston’s thrash/death/prog metal powerhouse Revocation. These guys brought the energy and proved they are a jack of all trades — they’ve got melody, speed, aggression, hooks, you name it. Of course they played several tracks from their latest release, Netherheaven (2022). Frontman David Davidson gave us some insight into that album, mentioning that the songs were inspired by his early memories of Catholic school and its imagery. Tracks like Re-crucified definitely got the crowd moving. Revocation’s powerful delivery and dynamic style illustrate why their music resonates so well with the audience.

Morbid Angel

Headlining this tour is a name that any metal head worth their salt will recognize: Morbid Angel, one of the pioneers of death metal and part of the original Florida scene. These days, Morbid Angel consists of Steve Tucker on vocals and bass, Trey Azagthoth on guitar, Dan Vadim Von on guitar, and drumming for this tour is Charlie Koryn. This was a great show and the band was firing on all cylinders. I was really impressed with Charlie’s drumming. Most of the songs in the set list are known for having the legendary Pete Sandoval on drums and Charlie was nailing them. Another high point for me was the inclusion of several songs from Gateways to Annihilation, which I would argue is one of their best albums. We also heard plenty of material from their latest full-length, 2017’s Kingdoms Disdained, as well as songs off of Blessed Are The Sick, Covenant, and Heretic. This is a band celebrating its 40th anniversary and is still dominating the field.