Review: Cannibal Corpse w/ Hate Eternal & Harm’s Way at White Eagle Hall
At this point, does Cannibal Corpse even need an introduction? For exactly 30 years, the savage headbangers have been eviscerating your eardrums with some extremely heavy songs and they’ve been assaulting concert goers with some of the craziest mosh pits you’ll ever see. They were the first death metal band to sell over one million records and also a band that shook controversy with its extremely sadistic artwork, which features an extreme amount of gore and other messed up features that I shouldn’t be listing. While the death metal legends didn’t return to New York City just yet, New Jersey’s White Eagle Hall is still pretty close enough for a small travel session. Along for the ride are Florida’s Hate Eternal and Chicago’s Harm’s Way, with local support featuring NYC’s Metalfier. If waiting a long time to see Cannibal Corpse isn’t your thing, this is a package you should not miss, especially since this tour is coming to smaller towns and cities across the United States. So you may have a chance to see Cannibal Corpse in a more intimate setting.
Every Cannibal Corpse show is more than just a mosh pit or concert. It is literally a fight for survival. Frontman George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher said it himself, “If you want to live you have to kill or become.” These pits are legit the most psychotic and terrifying things I’ve ever laid my eyes on. However, with a band like Cannibal Corpse, it’s honestly expected. People were throwing themselves into each other in such an anarchic way. It sometimes almost looks like a scene straight out of The Walking Dead. Opening up with “Code of the Slashers” is guaranteed to fire people up in the best way possible. Bassist Alex Webster creates a deep feeling of anger while ripping away on the bass. Lead guitarist Pat O’ Brien’s shreds are always at full frenzy. Then, vocalist Corpsegrinder unleashed incredibly terrifying scowls and horrifying grunts to the audience. The chemistry that Cannibal Corpse have on stage is absolute insanity in the best way possible. Hearing tracks like “Scourge of Iron”, “Hammer Smashed Face”, “Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead”, “Devoured by Vermin”, “Make Them Suffer”, “The Wretched Spawn” and many more songs on the setlist are incredibly satisfying songs. A truly perfect mix of old and new songs to get the carnage flowing. There’s a reason why Cannibal Corpse is the most celebrated death metal band in history. It is undeniably due to the intense destruction caused by dedicated musicianship through song and lyrics they are able to create with no remorse in studio and live.
Hate Eternal has been on my list of death metal bands to see for a very long time now. To finally catch them on a bill like this is satisfying to say the least. Frontman and guitarist Erik Rutan was at one point in Morbid Angel, so you can expect some high quality death metal when seeing Hate Eternal live. Erik Rutan’s voice live is so dangerously vulgar, that’s for sure. It’s a voice that literally sounds like a portal to hell being unleashed upon the crowd. The band opened up with “Bringer Of Storms”, which is definitely a great example of how heavy this band can get live. Hate Eternal is a true sonic assault on your senses. Incredibly fast paced and no hold bards death metal are what you’re gonna be in for when you see this band live. There’s also plenty of extremely proficient guitar work that features call backs to bands like Origin & Obscura. Additionally, the bass lines are masterful and super groovy to no end. Their latest album Upon Desolate Sands just came out on October 26th! Hearing some of these new tracks on the tour is a very satisfying experience for those who are looking to get into Hate Eternal’s newer material. These guys were a solid opener for this tour, that’s for sure!
Harm’s Way is the odd one out on this tour, but do not let that stop you from enjoying them. For some fans, this will be some great exposure to check out a new band. Harm’s Way is a pure hardcore sound that’s a mix of bands like Earth Crisis, Nails and Hatebreed. They were also on two extremely huge tours this year. One being the 2018 Vans Warped Tour and the other was supporting the hardcore group Terror. This band has some extremely tight grooves that make them fit for this tour. Songs like “Call my Name”, “Human Carrying Capacity” & “Become a Machine” are modern day hardcore anthems. But I believe that this is a band that could appeal to death metal fans as well. Extremely tight riff passages, heavy blast beats and the occasional breakdown all add up to a ferocious live band. The pit had a small amount of hardcore dancing and two stepping. But those who got to mosh during Harm’s Way got their fix. Definitely be sure to check this band out, you won’t regret it.
Local group Metalfier from the New York City area truly worked hard to make it this far. They’ve headlined Gramercy Theatre and toured with Venom Inc in September this year. Plus they’ve opened up for acts like Accept and Anvil here in NYC. Metalfier feels like a throwback to the 80s. The goals that these dudes have in mind are just to make you have a good time. They will totally remind you of the golden days of Metallica and Judas Priest. Definitely a band I wasn’t expecting to open a show like this. But one all fans of heavy metal can truly appreciate overall.
Cannibal Corpse truly hit the nail on the head when it came to this tour package. You get two extremely heavy bands as openers and the most important death metal band of all time. Cannibal Corpse’s influence on current death metal is just as important as Slayer’s influence on thrash. Controversial or not, you cannot deny what the band has done for the death metal genre in the last 30 years. Cannibal Corpse’s appeal still burns brighter than ever. After all, having a cameo in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is one way to get your name out if the local radio station refuses to play your songs.
Check out the remaining tour dates below…
Nov. 9 – Jersey City, NJ – White Eagle Hall
Nov. 10 – Rochester, NY – Anthology
Nov. 11 – Columbus, OH – Skully’s
Nov. 13 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Intersection
Nov. 14 – Toledo, OH – Civic Music Hall
Nov. 15 – Bloomington, IL – The Castle Theater
Nov. 16 – Palatine, IL – Durty Nelly’s
Nov. 17 – Madison, WI – The Majestic Theater
Nov. 18 – Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s
Nov. 20 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room
Nov. 21 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
Nov. 23 – Corpus Christi, TX – House of Rock
Nov. 24 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
Nov. 25 – Baton Rouge, LA – The Varsity Theater
Nov. 27 – Lexington, KY – Cosmic Charlies
Nov. 28 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls
Nov. 29 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue
Nov. 30 – St. Louis, MO – Delmar Hall
Dec. 1 – Columbia, MO – The Blue Note
Dec. 3 – Memphis, TN – Growlers
Dec. 4 – Athens, GA – Georgia Theater
Dec. 5 – Orlando, FL – The Abbey
Dec. 6 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – The Culture Room
