Concert Reviews

The Black Dahlia Murder: Pittsburgh Show Review

Published

2 years ago

April 18, 2023

Spectators packed into the Roxian this evening to witness the return of The Black Dahlia Murder to Pittsburgh. It’s been a few years since the band has visited the three rivers area. This is the first outing the band has planned since the unfortunate passing of former beloved front man Trevor Strnad. Also joining TBDMthis night is Terror, Frozen Soul, and Phobophilic.

North Dakota’s Phobophilic took the stage first. This band really reminded me of old school Carcass with the buzz saw guitar tones and growl styled vocals. During their set a small circle pit broke out, which was a great warm up to get the crowd into the action.

Dallas TX death metal band Frozen Soul was up next. This band had me reminiscing of Dying Fetus, and Morbid Angel. Slow churning metal with half tempo breakdowns that just hit you like a sonic sledgehammer. A pushup pit formed early in their set as the crowd was really matching the energy of the bands stage performance. A stand out moment during their set was Arsenal of War, vocalist Chad Green announced this was the 2^nd time live this song has been performed, and the song was in honor of his brother who had passed recently.

Terror took the stage with a fury, high energy from start to finish. This Los Angeles hard-core troupe announce security was falling asleep at the show and needed a waking up, so everyone needs to get moving. Vocalist Scott Vogel would frantically pace the stage while ripping through song after song. During the set Vogel could be seen throwing his microphone to audience members to even ramp up the crowd.

The Black Dahlia Murder closed out this night, under a shade of green the band kicked off with Verminous. This was the first time for me seeing Ryan Knight with the band, he was apart of BDM during the Ritual and Deflorate albums. Ryan has returned to guitar duties so that long term guitarist Brian Eschbach could pick up the microphone. Pittsburgh also got to see the return of The Ape. As Statatory Ape began dressed in a tank top and shorts the BDM Ape came out throwing bananas to the crowd. It was nonstop chaos from this point on as the crowd ramped up, to Nightbringers and Miasma.

This was a great show to take in. Some may take this as a toe in the water approach to see what lies next for The Black Dahlia Murder. I for one would love to see the band continue to March forward and am excited to see where they go from here. Supporting acts Terror, Frozen Soul and Phobophilic were interesting and entertaining to watch. If you are looking for a death metal show with high energy, count this show in for a good time.

About Author

George Archibald

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Concert Reviews

NEVER EARLY FESTIVAL BALTIMORE MD SHOW REVIEW

Published

6 days ago

June 6, 2025

Ron

Never Early Fest in downtown Baltimore at Power Plant Live was a great experience and fun event that was held on May 31st. Having 5 stages, the main stage in power plant live , one stage at the old tin roof, one stage at angels rock bar, another stage at PBF and one at the Beer Garden.

Never Early Fest had a good mix of all types of genres. If you’re into punk rock, ska, metal core, rock, acoustic sets and everything in between, this was the place to be in Baltimore.

Some of the highlights were the headliners Deep Blue Something and Sumo Cyco( both of which I got to interview. Check out Below)

Sponge was great, along with Bikini Trill and The PieTasters on the main stage.

At Nutter Stage (Tin Roof) I really enjoyed The Upside, Skitzo Calypso, Tristan Tritt and Emily Wolfe.

Empire Tattoo Stage (PBR) highlights were When the Sun Sets, Act109 and Keep Flying. Punk Rock Saves Lives stage (Beer Garden) I enjoyed Distance to Dawn with an acoustic set, and LoveBoxx.

Dark Stage (Angels rock back) was probably my favorite stage only because it had the most metal/rock bands that I enjoyed. With Allswell, Lives Lost, Devil in Disguise, Awake at Last , A skylit drive and Sumo Cyco all killing it on that stage.

Overall I thought the fest was fun. We had a little rain that went by quick then some nice sunny weather with occasional crazy winds. The band were all great, the food and food trucks were great. The fans from all walks of life were enjoying the diversity of the music.

Huge shout to Nic Rappolla and His Team for putting on a great event.

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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Concert Reviews

JET 930Club DC Show Review

Published

7 days ago

June 5, 2025

Marley Hein

Last night, the 9:30 Club got a full-force blast of rock ‘n’ roll straight from the Gold Coast — JET touched down in D.C., and they did not come to play. They came to remind us why they dominated the early 2000s and why rock will never die as long as they’re around.

You know the hits: “Are You Gonna Be My Girl,” “Cold Hard Bitch,” and “Look What You’ve Done.” But hearing them live? It’s a whole different beast. JET brought every ounce of raw power and swagger they’re known for, and the crowd was right there with them — screaming every lyric, fists in the air, living for that gritty garage-rock goodness.

Opening the night was U.K. trio Band of Skulls, and they didn’t hold back either. With tracks like “Death by Diamonds and Pearls,” they delivered a moody, grungy set that set the tone perfectly — dark, loud, and ready to erupt.

And let’s be real: JET flying all the way from Australia to give us this show? That’s commitment. These guys don’t tour the States often, so when they do, it’s a big deal — and they made sure this night was unforgettable. The guitar riffs were sharp, the vocals hit just right, and the energy? Off the charts.

If you weren’t there, you seriously missed out. And if you were there… you might’ve spotted me in full glitter mode, rocking my mermaid sequin pants and repping Empire Extreme loud and proud. Not to flex too hard, but I even got a shout-out from JET’s lead singer mid-show. Iconic behavior all around

About Author

Marley Hein

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Concert Reviews

Ministry brings the squirrelly years to Baltimore Soundstage

Published

4 weeks ago

May 16, 2025

Ron

Ministry on tour now with Die Krupps and Nitzer EBB stopped into Baltimore to bring us the early years of Ministry.

German industrial band Die Krupps opened up the show and got the crowd pumped and ready. With a good mix of synth , guitars and booming bass, Die Krupps was a great opener. With songs like Metal Machine Music, Robo Sapien, and Bloodsuckers.

Nitzer EBB was up next. Armed with just vocalist Bon Harris and his keyboardist , Nitzer EBB set was full of energy and life, Bon was all over the stage dancing and just living his best life. With songs like Blood Money, Hearts and Minds, and Join in the Chant, Nitzer got the goth crowd up and moving.

Ministry was up next and it was gonna be a fun and weird night. I’ve seen Ministry many times but this would be the first time I’ve seen them without them playing either Thieves or NWO. That’s because we got blasted back into the in 1983 and 1986 with albums “With Sympathy” and “Twitch”.

The band sounded and looked amazing with AL supporting a disco fever fuzzy hat and glasses. Now like I’ve said I’ve seen Ministry many times and they have been heavy as all hell, but apparently the old school set with much bass in it was too much for Soundstages speakers as the band blew them out many times during the set.

The fans didn’t care they stuck in full force and watched one of the most fun Ministry shows. It was great to hear all the old songs with a little bit of a modern twist to them. If you get to go and see this tour I encourage you to do so.