To my surprise, when I found out that the Twelfth Edition of the Bloodletting Tour was coming to Brooklyn on Friday October 26, 2018 I got super excited. While it’s sad that Decrepit Birth had to drop due to Bill Robinson’s stage diving injury, the other five bands on the bill are absolute heavy hitters in the extreme metal genre. Melodic Death Metal masters Arsis is now currently headlining the tour. Plus, you have the Slam masters in Internal Bleeding and Pyrexia. As well as the Deathcore titans in Angelmaker and Within Destruction. There is legit something for everyone on the Bloodletting Tour and I absolutely adore that.
Arsis Photo by: Phl Ryabkin
Arsis is a band I haven’t seen since 2015. They have always been on my radar here and there ever since I saw them with Sepultura and Destruction, but the last major tour they did was in 2016 with Scar Symmetry. With their new album Visitant coming out on November 2nd, it’s great that the band is hyping up some new material right now. But man, even though it’s been three years since I’ve last seen this band, these guys have never missed a beat. The best way I can describe these guys are as technically proficient melodic Death Metal. Very reminiscent of bands like Soilwork and In Flames, but with a much harder edge. Vocalist and guitarist James Malone’s voice shatters windows. His shrieks are on point live and I absolutely love it. Arsis is by far, one of the most underrated melo death bands from today’s scene, and in my opinion the most fun to see live.
In the midst of Internal Bleeding nearing the end of their set, the venue cut their music due to time constraints. The band continued playing, even if it was for only one song and even though the venue wasn’t having it, they still had their way. Despite the venue requesting to shut them down, they still managed to play the last song on their set. But man, what a chaotic set. The pit was full of chaos Friday night, filled with hits like “Anointed in Servitude” and “Languish in Despair”. Old school fans got to witness Frank Rini do vocals. The tributes to fallen firefighter William “Bill” Tolley were absolutely heart warming. Internal Bleeding has gone through a lot in the past year since that situation and it’s good to see those guys are still stronger than ever.
Pyrexia, another native New York band was also on “Bloodletting”. Though I’m not too familiar with their material, this was a band I’m glad I got to see live. The lower guttural vocals seriously amazed me. Much like Suffocation, they are part of the Slam movement that started in the early 90s. Definitely a band I’m glad I got to see tonight. Plus, the vocalist from Artificial Brain got to scream for most of the set Friday night. Definitely one of the biggest surprises I expected.
Angelmaker was definitely the most intense band of the night for me, the pit was complete madness. The dual vocal assault from Mike Greenwood and Casey Pearce really increase the power that this band has, especially live. It will legit make you say “whoa”. The breakdowns are super intense and the riffs are top notch. Tons of shreds that will truly keep your ears and mind busy. This band is definitely poised to take the ranks as one of the best modern Deathcore bands. Along with A Night in Texas, Lorna Shore, Aversions Crown and Enterprise Earth, Angelmaker is truly poised to be the next step for Deathcore.
Within Destruction Photo by: Phil Ryabkin.
Within Destruction’s first NYC show was interesting to say the least. As this was also Within Destruction’s first United States Tour ever. This was a moment I did not want to miss, that’s for sure. The heavy titans from Slovenia really gave it their all on Friday. All I have to say is it was definitely worth the wait to finally see them live. If you’re a fan of early Whitechapel and Ingested, Within Destruction is not a band you want to miss. Tons of crazy shreds and wild breakdowns will seriously make you really enjoy this band. They truly bring out the heavy and I absolutely love that. I greatly hope that this band’s next tour will be even more massive than what it already is turning out to be.
Overall, the Bloodletting Tour at The Kingsland was a good time. Despite the set time issues Internal Bleeding had, it was seriously great to see some bands I’ve never seen and to see some familiar bands again as well!
Extreme music fans truly got the best of both worlds at this show.
Be sure to catch the remaining tour stops if you’re around!
10/27 Manchester, NH – Bungalow
10/28 Quebec, QC – Salle Multi
10/30 Montreal, QC – Les Foufounes Électriques
10/31 Ottawa, ON – Mavericks
11/01 Detroit, MI – Harpos
11/03 Chicago, IL – Reggies
11/04 Merriam, KS – Aftershock
11/06 Denver, CO – The Roxy Theater
11/07 Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall
11/09 Seattle, WA – Club Sur Rocks
11/11 Watsonville, CA – Appleton Bar and Grill
Phil Ryabkin is no newcomer to the NYC Heavy Metal scene. As a NYC native, avid concert goer and devoted fan of Heavy Metal, Ryabkin connects with many fans and friends who constructively share similar and opposing points of view on Heavy Metal music and live concerts. As one of many fans who are knowledgeable in Heavy Metal old and new, Phil Ryabkin offers enthusiastic reviews on concerts he attends. Stay tuned for upcoming reviews by Phil here on...BLOODLINES.
