On the night of November 2 in Santa Ana, CA Observatory, one of the most interesting tour lineups came through town, each band complemented one another very well. I've seen a lot of tours this year, and this might be my favorite. It was my first time seeing most of these bands, and they didn't disappoint. Going into this, I knew there would be endless circle pits, face-melting guitar solos, mind-numbing rhythm sections, and infinite deathcore growls. Starting the night out was Judiciary. For an opening band, it was crazy seeing how many people were already inside to watch them. They started with their song 'Blood', which set the tone for their performance. Judiciary played a total of six songs and each song made you want more from them. Honestly, for a band opening the show they were incredible.
Next up was Sylosis, this is another band not to snooze on. The energy they bring to the stage keeps you hyped and wanting more. It was cool watching how much control the singer/lead guitarist Josh Middleton had with his singing/growling while giving you unlimited insane solos. Conor Marshall, their rhythm guitarist was another to watch, he windmilled the whole set. One thing Middleton brought up was how the last time they were in California was 11 years ago when the tour ended abruptly after their bus crashed. Towards the end of their performance, they got the crowd to do 'The Walls of Death', for that not being a huge venue it was very interesting to see, like everything in their performance.
Dutch deathcore quartet Distant was the half-point of this show. I have been a fan of them for a while, so it was cool to finally see them. Everything I anticipated about this band was on point. They started strong with 'Loveless Suffering', off their new album that is about to be released, 'Tsukuyomi: The Origin', and delivered a hell of a set. To name a few, they played 'Fleshweaver', 'Exofilth', and 'Born of Blood', What I can keep saying about this show is that every band was on point and got the crowd riled up for each band to come.
Bodysnatcher was second from the last to perform, I have seen them twice this year, and every time I see them they get better and better. Each member of this band has a hell of a stage presence. They started with one of their biggest songs "King of the Rats". When Kyle Medina utters the words 'What's up, bitch? Fuck you!', you know the crowd is going to turn a huge into a circle pit when the band kicks back in. Playing that first set the whole tone for their set, you knew they were ready to bring it. It was cool that they gave you a variety by playing songs off their new EP 'Vile Conduct', 'Infested'. 'Severed', and 'Murder8', but you also got bangers like 'Take Me to Hell' and 'Behind the Crowd'. What I remember when interviewing them, they mentioned how excited they were about this setlist they were doing for this tour.
Fit For An Autopsy Santa Ave Observatory Photo Credit: Emilee Capogni
Last but surely not least was Fit For An Autopsy, this was my first time seeing them live and definitely not my last time. I had the awesome experience of taking photos of them for the first three songs. The energy this band had live was insane, even when I went towards the back of the venue to watch them the energy hit the same. I believe that Joe Bad, the vocalist, is one of the best singers in this genre. He knows how to interact with the crowd and make the experience personal. They started their set off strong with "Lower Purpose", what I loved was how thought out this setlist was, you got a little bit of everything from their catalog. All in all every member of this band plays a key part in what makes this band amazing live, also the lighting was incredible. Honestly, this was one of the best bands I've seen this year.
