CONCERT REVIEW: Sepultura - Crowbar - Sacred Reich - Art of Shock Live at The Gramercy Theater

Arriving at Gramercy Theater to finally catch Sepultura on their long-awaited Quadra (Nuclear Blast) tour was a pretty surreal feeling. Not only were we about to catch the legendary Brazilian groove metal masters, but they brought with them an absolutely stellar line-up: LA’s Art Of Shock, New Orleans heavyweights Crowbar, and the recently reunited Phoenix maestros Sacred Reich.

It can be tough to stand out on a bill with some of metals biggest names but Art Of Shock did just that with their modern take on old school thrash metal mayhem. They got the packed out crowd all whipped up and ready to rock. Definitely looking to what these dudes come up with in the future.

Crowbar was up next and we all knew what was coming. Kirk Windstein and his crew brought the ultimate heaviness down upon us, treating the crowd to some new tracks off their recently released Zero and Below (MNRK Heavy) including “Chemical Godz” and “Bleeding From Every Hole.” Kirk had the audience in the palm of his hand, leading the deafening “Crowbar!” chant that fans willingly shouted back at their sludge metal overlords.

Sacred Reich is a band I never thought I’d get the opportunity to see, having taken an over 20 year hiatus on touring the United States. These dudes returned to the scene with 2019’s “Awakening” (Metal Blade Records), their first full-length since 1996, and opened their set with that albums singles “Divide And Conquer” and “Manifest Reality,” as well as fan favorite classic “The American Way.” The rest of the set was a blur of fists and bodies, but I do recall all hell breaking loose when they finished off their set with the thrash standard “Surf Nicaragua”.

(Side Note: Vocalist Phil Rind was hospitalized a few days after this show. We send him our love and wish him a quick and easy recovery.)

By this point the energy in the room was palpable. Everyone was buzzing with anticipation. When Sepultura took the stage the crowd erupted in thunderous cheering and applause. The band wasted no time as they jumped immediately into their hit track “Isolation” off their 2020 epic Quadra. Vocalist Derrick Green then went on to crush audiences with his brutally kickass take on Sepultura classics “Territory” and “Propaganda” as well as deeper cuts off “Quadra” including “Means To An End,” “Last Time,” and “Guardians Of Earth.” They closed the set with old school bangers “Refuse/Resist” and “Arise” then came back out for an encore of the groovy as hell “Ratamahatta” and tribal anthem “Roots Bloody Roots.”