Legions of fans gathered under the scorching sun to witness a concert only fit for the gates of hell. On June 1st, the Overtures of Blasphemy tour made its stop in New York City as fans descended to a sold out Gramercy Theatre to witness the brutality of Death Metal legends, Deicide. Supporting the bill were the Disciples of Destruction – Origin, Jungle Rot, and The Absence. They gave a performance that was both unforgiving and unforgettable.
As the first major Metal concert of the New York 2019 summer, Metalheads across the tri-state came to represent. Inside, the venue was packed! There were so many people inside that the venue became hot and sticky. However, I believe that there wasn’t a single person in the room who did not enjoy the show in good company. The energy of the room was high and the intensity of the crowd enhanced the experience for concertgoers.
The show kicked off with Melodic Death Metallers, The Absence. I must say that in the age of Metal elitism, it was amazing that legends like Deicide were willing to share their stage and platform with artists who represent the musical styles of this generation. One concertgoer in particular, Ravell Robinson, had reserved his spot front and center to witness the band of whom he has longed to see live for years. He states that “The Absence did an incredible job as an opening act and had a strong stage presence. They genuinely looked as if they enjoyed themselves and frequently engaged with the audience while performing.” He also noted how they stood out apart from the other bands being the only Melodic Death Metal band on the bill.
Next up were Wisconsin Death Metal legends, Jungle Rot, who really helped intensify the crowd with their incredible stage presence. What I really appreciate about them is that they play the Old School Death Metal we all know and love. They had a real command over the audience. Their sound was not only great, but electrifying. They also established a rapport with the audience through chanting. During ‘Psychotic Cremation’ the circle pit intensified. Metalheads head banged in unison to ‘A Burning Cinder’ and the room exploded when the band played ‘Eat Fuck Kill.’ Their overall set was amazing, especially because of the sound quality. They were followed by Origin who puts on an extreme set every time they come to visit New York City. Their sound was so amazing it had the entire room captivated. I literally could not navigate in the room because everyone aside from the moshers stood there awestruck. According to Ravell, “The entire audience raved at Origin. Everyone was either headbanging, crowd surfing, or screaming along with Jason or in awe of the band’s mind-boggling technical prowess!”
Finally, Deicide took the stage and immediately went in for the kill when they opened with ‘Dead By Dawn.’ Glenn Benton’s vocal range was very impressive considering he has been performing Death Metal for over thirty years. The overall sound quality was excellent. The audience went into a frenzy when they played ‘Scars Of The Crucifix’ and the crowd surfing became non-stop during ‘Once Upon A Cross.’ The energy was DIVINE during ‘Sacrificial Suicide’ and during ‘In The Minds Of Evil,’ the circle pit turned into a maelstrom. One thing I noticed was how the band played right through the set. They didn’t announce the songs they were playing. It made their set a little hard to keep up with at times. But that was forgiven when the band played their classic ‘Homage to Satan.’ They ended their set with ‘Lunatic Of God’s Creation’ where members of Origin and Jungle Rot joined them on stage to sing.
Overall, the Overtures of Blasphemy tour was the hottest ticket in town that night. It was literally an invitation to hell. And like hell, that show was scorching! And in a concert that hot, your only saving grace is a nice, icy, cold one.
WORDS BY KIM GILL
PHOTOS BY OMAR CORDY/OJC PHOTOGRAPHY