The DFW metal scene came together to help longtime supporter Aaron Clowers after the carelessness of a fan at last November’s Goatwhore/Casualties gig landed him in the hospital. With another event going on across the street, a police barricade made it difficult to get to the venue and kept a lot of the crowd from showing up, but those who made it were not disappointed. This was a stacked lineup, which made 30-minute set times relatively concise, but neither this nor the not-so-congested crowd kept any of tonight’s acts from rocking the house.
Melodic 5-piece, Weapon of Regret (out of Corsicana) kicked things off at 7:00 with tracks like “Drown” and “Blood Lust Parade.” Weapon of Regret was followed by Iron Jaw and Reviled – two groups that are steadily becoming some of my favorites to catch around DFW. The veterans in Iron Jaw are always highly anticipated, vocalist Rich Stafford is one of the best at his trade. Each performance has me more ready for a full length. The hype around Reviled is unreal and well-deserved. I can’t log onto social media anymore without seeing their name on my feed a couple times. With vocalist Skylar Taylor pleading, “If you’re not already hurting each other, it’s not going to happen tonight,” no one stood still throughout their set. Also working on a new full-length, we were even treated to a cover to tide us over, a flawless performance of Inveracity’s “Savagely Beaten.” They closed their set with “Adololescent Flagellation.” I look forward to catching them again in March for Deep Ellum Metal Fest and once more in April at Tomcats West for Necrosis’s CD Release.
About halfway through the night, my friends in silvertonguedevil shook the walls, followed by a great set from Cesspool of Corruption. Every time I see these bands, I wish their sets lasted longer. STD is one of the most unique gems in DFW and Cesspool of Corruption’s guitarist Matt Leach’s riffs are invigorating. Its unfortunate there weren’t more people around to witness them on such a wonderful stage.
Our buddies in Demonseed were up next. They gave us a chaotic new track we had all been waiting for and played the favorites, as always. The Pit Bulls helped keep the building vibrating up until the end of the show when Not My Master (from El Paso) closed out the night. Hearing “Disobey” live was the icing on the cake. This new tune is super-sludgy, just how I like it. You can also catch these guys in March at the Deep Ellum Metal Fest. Not My Master dedicated their set to our late legend Bruce Corbitt. We love you, Bruce. No words are worthy enough to honor you or your family.
– DeLisa McMurray
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