Well, well, well. It’s been a while since I’ve posted, which means it’s been a while since I’ve shot a show. If I’m being honest, I was a little worried I’d forgotten how. What better way to dust off the cobwebs than the baptism by fire of Behemoth’s “Godless IV” tour, featuring a supporting lineup that is a behemoth in its own right: Deicide, Rotting Christ, and Immolation.
Kicking off just over two weeks ago, Behemoth and company stopped in New York City this past Saturday, adding some corpse paint flair to Times Square as fans navigated the tourist trap to the sold-out Palladium a half a block over.
IMMOLATION
Packing out a venue always feels great, but nothing beats doing it in your own backyard. NYC’s own Immolation kicked off the evening in front of an energetic hometown crowd packed with friends and family, showcasing their new album Descent alongside a handful of tried and true classics.
ROTTING CHRIST
They say don’t judge a book by its cover — or in this case, a band by its name. Cattle Decapitation was once a personal blind spot for the same reason, only to become one of my favorites once I finally gave them a listen. Rotting Christ can now be added to that list.
Transfixed from the first song to the last, I was blown away by @rottingchristofficial. Their riffs were as soaring and epic as they were relentlessly ruthless. A standout set of the evening — I became a fan of Rotting Christ in real time. Better late than never.
DEICIDE
Deicide brought us into the home stretch with their legendary bellowing brutality. Favoring the classics, the band treated fans to a career-spanning setlist with particular focus on their self-titled debut, as well as follow-ups Legion and Once Upon the Cross. The pit had been active all night, but Deicide turned it up a few notches as crowd surfers rode the tide in increasing numbers.
BEHEMOTH
Approaching the one-year anniversary of Behemoth’s latest album, The Shit Ov God, the band opened their set just as the album does with “The Shadow Elite.” The force with which they swept the stage set the bar for the evening at a height only Behemoth could reach, and at times exceed.
The album’s title track featured some particularly striking lighting production, a highlight of what was a very well produced show from top to bottom. A big fan of I Loved You at Your Darkest, I was excited to hear a few tracks from that album, with “Bartzabel” standing out as one of the evening’s best.
After closing with “Chant for Eschaton 2000,” Behemoth returned to the stage to treat fans to “O Father O Satan O Sun!” from their 2013 release The Satanist, which is the song that first turned me on to the band when I saw them open for Slayer years ago. Fitting, then, that the same song responsible for making me a fan was the one to close out the night.
Behemoth’s “Godless IV” tour continues for a few more weeks before wrapping with a performance at The Van Buren in Phoenix, AZ. Check out all the dates and get your tickets here.
