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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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. 

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George Archibald

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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. 

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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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