Devastation on the Nation

Getting my death metal fix

On September 19, 2015, I decided to go see another show.  With Epica dropping off on their tour, it seemed unlikely for me to have another concert to see in September.  I may still go and see Eluveitie and The Agonist anyway, but I haven’t decided just yet.  The Devastation on the Nation Tour is a large one, featuring 7 death metal bands that play for a total of six hours.  My main reason for going was to see Krisiun, but I was curious about the other bands as well.

I was busy in the afternoon, going to two different birthday parties and unable to make it to the concert until about 8pm.  By this time, I had missed Vomit God, Ingested, and Soreption but I arrived just in time for Alterbeast.  Alterbeast was a completely unknown band to me.  Their set started off okay but gradually got better and more energetic as it went on.  Aeon I was a little more familiar with, having heard them before and also seeing them previously in the year with Behemoth.  Aeon is a technical death metal band from Sweden and their live performance is pretty sweet.

I think Origin and Krisiun were co-headliners so they were probably trading off who played the last set of the show.  In this case, Origin played prior to Krisiun, which I was thankful for.  I dig Origin, but Krisiun is my jam.  This was my third time seeing Origin (in the same year, no doubt) with the first time being on the 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise in January.

While I enjoy Origin’s studio albums a good deal, their live show is miles beyond.  Jason Keysar is probably the most charismatic front man I have ever seen.  He engages with the crowd, pumps them up and gets them going.  Origin is not afraid to allow people to come up onto the stage, to crowdsurf off, and will even hand the microphone to fans to improvise or “cover” if they so desire.  They live by the adage of “our stage is your stage” and it makes for a very interactive experience.

Krisiun was a real treat to see live but their set was really short.  They did say that they love Cephalic Carnage (who is from Denver), which I thought was pretty cool.  I also learned that one of the old bassists for Origin used to play for Cephalic Carnage.  The Brazilian trio was very appreciative of those who stuck around to see them (many had left after Origin) and played a lot of older tracks from their catalog.   I was really hoping to see them play Refusal like they did when I saw them in 2011, but they did not.  They did, however, play Combustion Inferno, which is a badass song in its own right.

Overall, I’d say the show was a good one, especially for being under $20 (essentially, you’re seeing each band for less than three bucks a pop.  If death metal is your thing and you like it heavy, Devastation on the Nation is for you.  There will be plenty of other shows for me to tell you about and new pieces coming.  See you next week!