It was a bash of the titans as death metal champs Cannibal Corpse and Napalm Death steamrolled through Philadelphia’s Union Transfer venue for a packed house as the Decibel Magazine Tour 2013 brought special guests Immolation, Magrudergrind, and Drugs Of Faith to round out the bill.
UK’s grindcore godfathers and death metal mainstays in Napalm Death brought the thunder as they continue to support a 15th studio album Utilitarian (Century Media). With a hearty set that saw tracks sprinkled in from across the band’s vast spectrum of releases including the classic Dead Kennedys cover, “Nazi Punks Fuck Off,” Napalm Death lit the town on fire. Nothing short of inspiring, bodies made their way through the flailing sea of limbs for a constant stream of stage divers and crowd surfers. Clearly the band to see this evening, Napalm Death continue to exceed expectation and enforce their status as one the greatest bands in the history of extreme music. Decibel editor-in-chief Albert Mudrian even made his way on stage for rare guest appearance with the UK legends. If you missed this set, you missed one of the best of the year.
Per usual, Cannibal Corpse put in a technically flawless set that also saw a vast range of track selections. There was even an Ace Ventura look alike that crowd surfed his way on stage before doing the classic Ventura shuffle before tossing himself back into the crowd. One could hear the gales of laughter through raging inferno of sound and even frontman George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher cracked a smile mid-scream. The band hit a top 40 release with its latest and twelfth studio album to date, Torture which was released by longtime label, Metal Blade in 2012.
No weak cogs to be found this evening as heavyweights in Immolation, Magrudergrind, and Drugs Of Faith got the crowd’s head in the game early for what proved to be one great ride.
Pictures by BTS’s Joshua T. Cohen.
Napalm Death
Cannibal Corpse
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