Concert Reviews

Pride in the Pit

Published

1 year ago

June 25, 2025

Pittsburghers Defy the Heat for a Night of Pride, Punk, and Metal at “Pride in the Pit”

Under a thick blanket of humidity and scorching 95+ degree heat, the Pittsburgh community turned out in full force to celebrate PGH Pride in the Pit—a raucous, high-energy showcase of LGBTQ+ pride fused with the raw power of punk and metal. Held at Mr. Smalls Funhouse in Millvale, PA, the event, presented by Chaotic Order Entertainment and Strike True Promotions, brought together some of the region’s most electrifying up-and-coming bands and performers for what was billed as the heaviest Pride event of the year.

More than just a night of headbanging and fierce performances, Pride in the Pit also served a greater cause. A portion of the proceeds went to Allies for Health + Wellbeing, a local organization dedicated to providing inclusive, holistic care and breaking down financial and social barriers to ensure everyone has access to the services they need. The inaugural event was a resounding success, raising over $1,300 to support Allies’ critical work in HIV, hepatitis C, and STI testing and care; gender-affirming services; and inclusive primary care.

For more information on how to support their mission, visit www.alliespgh.org.

Drag Queens in Da Burgh

The day was emceed by Miss Demeanor and Zelda Kollins (who filled in for JoeMyGosh who missed the event due to being sick). The duo kept the crowd entertained while the bands were switching out and setting up equipment. They performed several drag routines to pop-punk songs that were chalked full of sass and charisma and dabbled in comedy and crowd work.

Dysphoric Void

Dysphoric Void Kicked Off the Day with a Raucous, Positive Charge

The afternoon’s ferocious soundtrack began with Dysphoric Void, a self-described collective of easy-core metal folx crafting anthems about life, resilience, and spreading good vibes. Fronted by the powerhouse Sparky, the band erupted onto the stage with vocals swinging from subterranean growls to piercing screams, commanding all who showed up early enough to catch their set. Rumor had it this was one of Sparky’s first live performances with the band, but you’d never guess from the sheer conviction in the vocal delivery.

The group blazed through a chunky, riff-heavy set of metal-adjacent tunes. And just like that, they were gone, off to Erie, Pennsylvania, ready to tear through their second gig of the day.

Uprising

UPRISING: Pittsburgh’s Molotov Cocktail of Crossover Chaos

What can I say about this band? Only that they just dropped the most electrifying punk-metal grenade of 2025—Under Threat (April 2025)—a rabid, riff-loaded beast that crackles with the same anarchic energy that made M.O.D., S.O.D., and D.R.I. legends. This isn’t just an album; it’s a middle finger dipped in nostalgia and napalm, and it’s the best thing to happen to crossover thrash in years!

When UPRISING stormed the stage at PGH Pride in the Pit, they didn’t just play—they declared war. Frontman Bala Rise kicked things off with a smirk and a snarl: “Politics. I hate ‘em. But that’s what I’m gonna scream about all night.” And scream they did. Delivering a sweat-drenched sermon of anti-establishment fury, delivered with the kind of raw, unfiltered aggression that left teeth marks on the crowd.

The set was a masterclass in controlled demolition as the band ran through tracks such as “Rise” and “Great Distraction,” which featured bassist D.B. on lead vocals. They ripped through the title track, “Under Threat,” with shouts of “We are under threat!” making the song a thrash-metal sledgehammer that cemented their place as Pittsburgh’s new kings of crossover chaos.

They also performed “You Made Us Too,” which brought Candrika Rice to the stage to help with vocal duties.By the time they left the stage, one thing was clear: UPRISING didn’t just play a show, they are working to etch their name into the city’s punk history with a switchblade.

millie DREAD

At first glance, millie DREAD seemed a spectral anomaly among the evening’s barrage of punk and metal—a lone rose in a briar patch of distortion. That is until she opened her mouth and began to sing.

And just like that, Pittsburgh met its new sovereign of shadows, and that is when the audience became fully aware that there is a new queen of Hell, and she is millie DREAD.

Bathed in monochrome hallucinations, flickering static, and fractured Rorschach blots. millie DREAD didn’t just perform; she dissolved into the projections, a living silhouette in the storm, which was more a piece of moving art than a musical performance. Cloaked head-to-toe in black, she merged with the chaos behind her, her voice a whispering contralto threading through icy synth-pop arrangements. This wasn’t mere music; it was haunting and emotional vocals, a séance set to rhythmic percussion and simplistic piano lines. Her lyrics, gothic and agonized poetry, whispered over glacial basslines.

The effect was one of hypnotic alchemy. The room’s temperature dropped. Mosh-pit warriors stood transfixed. Even bystanders snapped to attention, lured by the gravity of her vibrato and the visuals’ mesmeric unease.

By set’s end, one truth was inescapable: millie DREAD hadn’t just played a show—she’d cast a spell.

Cult Ov Crowley

Hailing from the industrial shadows of Akron, Ohio, The Cult Ov Crowley stood as the sole out-of-town provocateurs at PGH Pride in the Pit—and they arrived like a ritual dagger to the chest of convention. Their sound? A vortex of stoner-rock riffage, sludge-metal, and Thelemic mysticism, delivered with the kind of countercultural fury that would make Aleister Crowley himself crack a grin.

This wasn’t just a band; it was a sacrilegious séance. Their live show radiated occult psychedelia, a visceral experience where esoteric lore collided with amplifier worship. And the crowd devoured every second of the set.

The band, led by vocalist Deon Thompson, closed their set with a solid cover of the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s classic “Ohio.” The searing anti-war anthem written about the Kent State massacre. For a band rooted just miles from where the National Guard opened fire on student protesters in 1970, the choice wasn’t just poignant and a full-circle rebellion.

Disease Of The Mind

Disease of the Mind Delivers a Sonic Assault

If you’ve ever experienced true noisecore, you’ll understand the beautiful carnage Disease of the Mind unleashed that day. This two-man audio wrecking crew short-circuited expectations, holding the audience in a chokehold of sonic chaos. Imagine a horrific car crash set to the soundtrack of malfunctioning industrial machinery, shrieking feedback, and the grotesque, warped ghost of Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville”—then cranked to eleven.

Their set began with the torture of guitar pedals and sequencers, twisting knobs until the air itself seemed to vibrate in agony. The sounds they conjured weren’t just heard—they crawled under your skin, forcing involuntary reactions: a shudder down the spine, a head cocked sideways like a confused dog, shoulders hunching as if shielding yourself from nails on a chalkboard. This wasn’t music—it was a physical experience, a controlled detonation of noise that left the crowd equal parts thrilled and traumatized.

As the chaos and audio warfare permeated the walls of the Funhouse, Mike Fisher stumbled to the stage, with his pants falling down, his shirt half on, and a full-length mirror in hand. He grabbed the mic and mumbled an apology for his unpreparedness as the sensory receptors of the audience waned in pain. He grumbled and gruffed as his dreadlocks hid his face. He fumbled along with the “Margaritaville” lyrics as he grabbed a pair of hair clippers and began to shave his beard. The metallic screech of the blades of the clippers echoed through the PA system, adding one more layer to the chaos and auditory discomfort. Each pass at his beard sent coarse black tufts of his hair fluttering onto the stage like snow in a nuclear winter. Once the haphazard shave was complete, he cowered behind the mirror like a goblin king, shoving fistfuls of freshly shaven hair into his mouth as if testing the universe’s patience, all while still singing along with Jimmy Buffett with the vigor of a South Side drunk at 3am or a Neanderthal expressing both love and rage simultaneously.

And before you knew it, the turmoil and turbulence stopped. The world began to calm. No explanation. No, thank you. No, good night. Just silence as the two men exited the stage.

Had the entire 6-minute set been a joke, a ruse, or did it have deeper reach and meaning? Was it an ode to Banksy-style art or destructive and noise artists like Merzbow or The Rita? Either way, it was enthralling, disturbing, and electrifying.

Terminal Intensity

From Unassuming to Unstoppable: Terminal Intensity Ignites the Stage

At first, the band members milled around the stage like roadies during the MCs’ banter. They looked a bit nervous and somewhat tired. It had been a long day (hell, a long week) for vocalist JJ Ulizio, who’d been pulling double duty as both frontman and founder of PGH Pride in the Pit. They looked unremarkable, almost ordinary—until the first searing note erupted from the PA.

Then, the switch flipped.

What followed was a bombastic, vein-popping assault—Dillinger Escape Plan’s chaos meets Car Bomb’s precision, with Code Orange’s raw menace snarling at the edges. The band’s self-proclaimed “dork-grind meets calculus-core” wasn’t just a clever tagline; it was a blood pact they delivered on, note for note.

JJ’s vocals were a force of nature, powerful and profound, guttural yet articulate, like a preacher screaming into a hurricane. Guitarist and primary songwriter Albert Ignasky was a live wire, shredding riffs with whip-crack precision before hurling himself into the crowd, igniting mosh pits mid-solo without missing a beat. The rhythm section? Dave Bruschi on bass and Ryan Palastro on drums are subterranean bulldozers, driving each song down your throat with or without your consent.

This band’s still fresh out the womb, just a handful of shows deep, but they’re already writing an album that’ll probably require a physics degree to comprehend. If this set was any indication, it’s that Pittsburgh’s scene just got a new apex predator; they’re poised to detonate on a national scale. You’ve been warned.

Desolence

Desolence took over the stage with what was the most polished and tight set of the evening. Led by the intense, gravelly screams of vocalist Brian Hindman and a twin guitar attack of Fen Marshall and Aaron Pepe, the band threw down a set of classic progressive thrash metal. Hindman’s stage presence increased the passion of the set tenfold as he powerfully crouched at the edge of the stage, unloading his vocals from the depths of his soul and lungs.

Polished? Absolutely. Ferocious? Unquestionably. Desolence didn’t just play; they proved why they’re a force to be reckoned with.

Crisis In America

HEY! Crisis In America (C.I.A.) stormed the stage to close out the night, they didn’t just play—they detonated a Molotov cocktail of pissed-off, working-class punk fury. Channeling the blue-collar grit of bands like Social Distortion and the intensity of Sick of It All, the band ripped through their set with the kind of unapologetic energy that reminded everyone why punk isn’t dead—it’s just pissed and waiting for its moment unleash its fury on America.

Front and center, the band looked like they were having genuinely great time on stage Feeding off the sweat-drenched crowd. And that name? Crisis In America (C.I.A.) a brilliant, ironic middle finger to the machine, made all the more cutting as the U.S. was literally dropping bombs on Iran moments before their set. Talk about punk rock timing.

This wasn’t just a performance, it was a rallying cry, a middle finger wrapped in distortion, and proof that the best punk bands don’t just sing about rebellion—they embody it. HEY! indeed.

Final Thoughts

Overall, an outstanding night of music and Pride. Big props go out to JJ Ulizio and Mike Fisher for inviting Empire Extreme to come help them celebrate Pride Month. They assure me that this is just the first of many of these events, and the success of this one is an indication that it is only upwards from here.

Please check out all the bands and sponsors and see you next year!

About Author

Josh Drespling

Josh is the Publisher and creator of Empire Extreme and it’s sister publication Kingdom Extreme Magazine. He is an accomplished writer, photographer and graphic designer. He is always conjuring up new ideas and has a amazing passion for the music industry and all the things that surround it.

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Concert Reviews

Revocation Brings “20 Years of Torment” to Preserving Underground

Published

4 hours ago

October 6, 2026

J. Scott Holland

A Twenty-Year Assault in the Basement

There’s something almost cruel about scheduling a show this heavy on a Sunday night. But when Boston’s Revocation rolled into New Kensington for their “20 Years of Torment” tour, the Preserving Underground faithful didn’t seem to care about Monday morning. They came to worship at the altar of technical death metal, and the four-band bill delivered a sermon in pure brutality.

Preserving Underground is a record shop and venue housed in a former church which has become a vital hub for Pittsburgh’s heavy music scene. With its intimate main stage, a record store on the first floor, and the basement venue there’s an undeniable charm in seeing a band as technically demanding as Revocation in a room this size. The lack of distance between band and crowd makes the musicianship hit differently. You’re not watching from the nosebleeds; you’re standing close enough to see every fretboard contortion, every stick hit, every bead of sweat.

Weeping: A Suffocating Start
New Jersey’s Weeping opened the night with a set that lived up to their name, suffocatingly heavy sludge and death-doom that felt like standing in a tar pit. The band’s crushing tempos and sudden bursts of chaotic blast beats set the tone for what was to come: no filler, no crowd-pleasing banter, just pure sonic weight. For a band tasked with warming up a room on a Sunday, they did the opposite. They made it feel like the walls were closing in.

Fuming Mouth: Buzzsaw Death Metal
Massachusetts’ Fuming Mouth followed with an entirely different kind of assault. Their HM-2 fueled nasty, grinding, buzzsaw guitar tone is the kind of thing that makes the hairs on your arm stand up, and live, those riffs hit like a freight train. The band’s blend of death metal and metallic hardcore brought a brought the energy, but the band’s frontman was all punk attitude. The pit was off and running (or two-stepping), from the first song and frontman Mark Whelan, threatened the crowd to keep it up all set. Fuming Mouth is one of those bands that sounds massive on record but somehow even bigger live. A testament to the sheer force of their delivery.

Defeated Sanity: Technical Devastation
Germany’s Defeated Sanity were the night’s wild card for anyone unfamiliar with their catalog, but by the end of their set, it was clear why they were on this bill. Technical brutal death metal is a niche within a niche, and Defeated Sanity occupies a space in that niche all their own. Mind-bending time signatures? Yes. Slam riffs that land with the impact of a demolition ball? Absolutely. The band’s precision was staggering—the kind of performance that makes you wonder how four humans can lock into patterns this complex without derailing entirely. For fans of extreme technicality, this was a masterclass.

Revocation: Twenty Years of Torment, Zero Signs of Fatigue
And then came the main event.

Revocation has been at this for two decades now. Empire of the Obscene dropped in 2008, and since then, Dave Davidson and company have released seven more albums of increasingly intricate, aggressive, and gloriously heavy music . The “20 Years of Torment” tour is a celebration of that legacy, and the band treated the Preserving crowd to a set that spanned their entire discography.

From the moment the band took the stage, the energy in the room was relentless. Davidson’s guitar work remains a thing of wonder. The way he shifts between technical precision, thrash riffing, death metal groove, and wild, almost jazzy solos without ever losing the thread is why he’s one of the most respected guitarists in modern extreme metal . His signature red guitar, with matching Nikes cut through the mix with razor clarity.

But if there’s one member of Revocation who deserves more recognition coming out of this show, it’s Ash Pearson. The drummer is criminally underrated. Watching him live makes it obvious how much he contributes to the band’s sound. His speed and precision are impressive, sure, but it’s the control and feel that stand out even with a photographer hassling him at the kit (not me)… He can unleash absolute hell when the song demands it, yet everything stays locked in and musical. The double-kick work was ridiculous. The transitions were razor sharp. Pearson has been behind the kit for years, and he deserves to be mentioned alongside the more celebrated drummers in modern extreme metal.

The newer additions to the lineup: rhythm guitarist Harry Lannon and bassist Alex Weber have clearly gelled with Davidson and Pearson. Lannon’s rhythm work provides a rock-solid foundation that allows Davidson to soar, while Weber’s bass lines were thick and propulsive throughout the set. The current iteration of Revocation is firing on all cylinders.

The set-list drew from across the band’s catalog, with a healthy dose of material from the new album, New Gods, New Masters. That record that was released in 2025 and finds the band exploring themes of AI and its detrimental effect on us, along with the technological dystopia, and the human tendency to worship new gods of our own creation. This came with the exception of bassist Alex Weber’s use of it. Which got called out on stage by singer Dave Davidson. Songs like “Confines of Infinity” and “Dystopian Vermin” translated live with crushing intensity, their lyrical paranoia matched by the music’s unrelenting aggression.

Revocation’s music is extreme for extreme times, as Davidson has said. Tonight, in a converted church basement in New Kensington, that mission statement felt more relevant than ever.

The Verdict
Four bands. Four distinct approaches to heaviness. One unforgettable Sunday night.

Revocation’s “20 Years of Torment” tour is a victory lap for a band that has spent two decades refining their craft without ever compromising their intensity. If you have the chance to catch this tour, don’t hesitate. And if you haven’t been to Preserving Underground yet, you’re missing out on one of the most vital venues Pittsburgh has to offer.

SETLIST
– Nihilistic Violence
– Scorched Earth Policy
– Fracked
– Confines of Infinity
– The All Seeing
– Data Corpse
– Of Unworldly Origin
– Dismantle the Dictator
– Chaos of Forms
– Summon the Spawn
– Only the Spineless Survive
– Bound by Desire

About Author

J. Scott Holland

Scott is one of the newest additions to the Empire Extreme team of misfits. He is a printer by trade, who moves to the beat of his very own drum. He is also an avid cyclist and seeker of new music and bands,

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Concert Reviews

IGORRR NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2026

Published

7 days ago

September 29, 2026

George Archibald

It’s another crowd-packed night at the Roxian as Igorrr takes over the Burgh with The North AMENican Tour. This experimental music act has been making waves across the world as they have been expanding into more areas, and they are here to tackle North America. Igorrr, the brainchild of Gautier Serre, takes elements from black metal, EDM, and baroque music and melds these genres in experimental soundscapes. Also taking the stage in support of Igorr are Secret Chiefs 3 and VOM – Violent Magic Orchestra.

The first act was Violent Magic Orchestra (VOM). Violent Magic Orchestra members hail from France and Japan. VOM’s music is a blend of EDM, techno, noise metal and black metal. From the moment things kicked off, I knew tonight was going to be interesting. VOM turned the Roxian Theatre into a black metal rave; members of the band would jump the barricade into the crowd and encourage crowd members to dance and clap. Strobe lights and heavy trip-hop beats kept the bodies moving as the vocalists growled and screamed. The band was high energy and a lot of fun to watch, along with the video screen in the background.

The next act was Secret Chiefs 3, an experimental rock band founded by Faith No More guitarist Trey Spruance. The band incorporates Middle Eastern, rock, and fusion to create music that is intertwined in mysticism and the occult. Odd time signatures paired with exotic scales and microtonal guitars; this is the thinking musician’s band. The set felt like a big jam session amongst friends, riffs drifting off and coming in. The rock instrumentals kept the crowd bobbing as the band played on.

Igorrr was up next with the stage barely lit; Gautier started the track to “Daemoni”. Hidden in the darkness, dressed in black and adorned in gold accents, vocalist JB began the almost tribal vocals to kick in the track. Onstage joining on vocals was Gerda Iguchi, a German-Japanese opera singer who joined the band in April, after vocalist Marthe Alexandre stepped away from the band. The crowd came to life as soon as the guitars kicked in, jumping and bouncing in the pit to the music. Igorrr audibly had everyone in the venue moving while visually entertaining with lights and their onstage performances. The band played through familiar singles such as “Headbutt”, “ieuD”, and “Viande”, among many others, before wrapping with “Opus Brain”.

If you are looking for a fun tour that veers from what is traditional music, The Igorr North American Tour should be considered. From a rave party to a zone-out session to a full-out audio assault, there is also a lot of fun involved with this tour. If you are looking to experience music that breaks social norms, this is the place to be.

About Author

George Archibald

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Concert Reviews

EIHWAR: NORDIC RITUAL NIGHTS TOUR; BALTIMORE

Published

1 month ago

September 2, 2026

Ron

EIHWAR MADE THEIR WAY INTO BALTIMORE BRINGING WITH THEM FRAYLE

Frayle opened up and I’ve heard of the band before but this was my first time getting to see them live. The stage was set up with a creepy gothic vibe as the band made its way on stage. The sound of Frayle is called Heavy Witch Doom which was exactly how they did sound, very doomy and gloomy and very theatrical. Singer Gwyn Strang brings an element of scary/seductive/sadness to her vocals and performance. She also has a wears a really killer chain face mask. Frayle played songs like Heretic, Demons and did a killer cover of Lana Del Rey of Summertime Sadness.

The stage was now set up for EIHWAR to make there Maryland debut. With just 2 members Asrunn and Mark, EIHWAR brings the chaos and fun of Viking War Trance. Armed with her traditional Nordic and neo pagan outfit , war paint and barefoot, she also had her shamanic frame drum. The whole set and vibe was great energy and the fans from beginning to end had so much fun, you could see them dancing and howling and having a blast.

I really enjoyed watching the band perform it was high energy and chaotic at times and then very tender and spiritual at times too. Asrunn vocals were just amazing and I loved Mark (mortal combat) style when he talked and sung as well. I’ve seen a few bands before that were similar styles before but there’s something about the sound of EIHWAR that brings you in differently. Asrunn also came out after to show to meet the fans and that was a very long line. Such a great experience and I was happy to see them on their US tour debut, when I met Asrunn at the merch table we talked about the interview I recently did with them and she really enjoyed the questions I had and was very sweet.

About Author

Ron

Ron has keen eye for new talent, a love for the underground, and a tremendous passion for music of any genera. You’ll probably bump into him at a horror convention or some seedy club checking out the next need-to-know band.

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