There’s something almost comical about describing a band as ‘brutal’ death metal, as if your average DM crew are putting you to sleep— still, those in the know will tell you that Canadian four-piece Cryptopsy have well-and-truly earned the label. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of landmark record ‘None So Vile,’ the band managed to sell out Nottingham’s Rescue Rooms, packing the place to the absolute brim with devout fans and rabid crowd-killers. If there was one take away from their latest show, let it be this: Cryptopsy, together with support from 200 Stab Wounds, Inferi and Corpse Pile, sowed nought but absolute carnage.

Corpse Pile

The queue to get into Rescue Rooms was bigger than we’ve ever seen it, filling the venue almost to capacity before a single band took to the stage— those fans wouldn’t have to wait long, as Corpse Pile brought out the groaning guitars and roaring vocals just twenty minutes after the doors opened. The group brought more of a hardcore energy to the gig than a straight-up death metal sound, opening each track with ominous down-tuned chugs that inevitably bled into ferocious drumming and sheer auditory chaos. If aggression and volume were what you were looking for, this opening act had both in spades, whipping the mosh pit into a frenzy right from the start of the night: cuts including ‘Where the Sidewalk Ends’ and set closer ‘F*ck Your Life’ were nothing if not arresting, even if the sheer number of bodies in the room could muffle the sound somewhat.

The show was permeated by a number of passionate speeches from vocalist Jason Frazier, decrying the current state of American politics— they certainly didn’t seem to be unpopular opinions in the room, only inspiring the crowd to grow even rowdier and more frenzied every time. The contrast between the singer’s ordinary speaking voice and his deep, bellowing growls wasn’t lost on us: indeed, the entire band could unleash deep-rooted musical fury, even if Corpse Pile wound up putting on a far less technical show than the acts that would follow them. If there were any complaints to be voiced, it would simply be that the show felt incredibly brief. When the band’s tracks continually cut off around the two-minute mark, you could feel like you were hearing more speeches than actual songs. Still, it’s more of a backhanded compliment than anything to admit that we simply wanted more music from Corpse Pile— the group absolutely brought the energy to Rescue Rooms, kicking the night off the right way.

Inferi

In many ways, Inferi’s show was a sharp 180 from the previous assault on the senses, even if both bands shared that pummelling sound you’d expect from your death metal. Where Corpse Pile beat you down with breakdowns and lumbering growls, this Tennessee-based four-piece came out swinging with some of the most technical and staggeringly complex playing of the night. More than anything, it was simply a joy to watch guitarists Malcolm Pugh and Sanjay Kumar pull of such death-defying feats, ripping their way through the intense solos that define a cut like ‘The Promethean Kings.’ Much the same could be said for the rest of the band, as neither drummer Nathan Bigelow nor vocalist Stevie Boiser missed a trick all night— the group really just seemed to be having fun, executing on so many impressive flourishes and wicked time signature changes without visible effort. It was certainly  a sight to behold.

Of course, music so fast and intricate as ‘Eyes of Boundless Black’ doesn’t quite have the same infectiousness to it as a hardcore stomp, and Inferi took some time to whip up their first circle pit: that might be due to the show’s mix, admittedly, which had a tendency to smother some of the band’s remarkable lead work. Still, once the pit started to spin, the carnage never ended. The as-yet-unreleased ‘Heaven Wept’ brought a more ominous energy to Rescue Rooms, packing itself full of towering lead melodies and doom-esque breaks that gave you just enough time to catch your breath (before Boiser hit another shrill scream, plunging us all back into the dizzying chaos). As for the likes of ‘The Rapture of Dead Light’ and show closer ‘Heirs of the Descent,’ the two were chock-full of nothing but endless blast beats and wild guitar shredding, exactly as you’d want from your tech death. Inferi may not have brought the most digestible sound of the night, but their playing was among the most spellbinding— new record ‘Heaven Wept’ certainly looks like one to keep an eye on.

200 Stab Wounds

200 Stab Wounds were the band that finally struck fear into the hearts of Rescue Rooms’ security team: the response they earned themselves was nothing short of overwhelming, and it was absolutely deserved. The four-piece’s style sat in a healthy middle ground between the slamming brutality of Corpse Pile and the technical mastery of Inferi, balancing infectious drum patterns and memorable riffs against wall-to-wall aggression and sheer velocity. Owen Pooley’s drums had a satisfying crunch to them that rang out across the venue, soundtracking all the most violent mosh pits and crowd-surfing of the set— the way 200 Stab Wounds were able to pack in fantastic groove after fantastic groove, switching between time signatures and contrasting sections effortlessly, was what made their show so utterly overwhelming. As far as the audience response is concerned, there was little distinction made between the murderous force of ‘Hands of Eternity’ and the groovy percussion of ‘Skin Milk:’ every song was received with adoring cheers from a pit that only seemed to grow as the set went on.

You honestly couldn’t fault the group on enthusiasm (save guitarist Raymond Macdonald, who didn’t quite match the energy of his bandmates). All eyes were on bassist Todd Thompson and frontman Steve Buhl, who could practically give you neck ache just from watching them— the duo seemed to take some kind of twisted glee in creating as much anarchy as they could, grinning maniacally whenever another crowd-surfer would come over the rail. They certainly had the tools to sow dissent among the audience, what with Thompson’s monstrous bass tone and Buhl’s rumbling growls fighting one another for space in the mix: though songs like ‘Itty Bitty Pieces’ and ‘Tow Rope Around the Throat’ were already greatly enjoyable when put to tape, these cuts took on an entirely new life in the live setting. If 200 Stab Wounds’ show became monotonous by its conclusion, that’s only because the band had come out with so much intensity, and done such a thoroughly good job exhausting us— for many, this crew may have been the band of the night.

Cryptopsy

Hearing Metallica’s ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’ playing over the speakers before the event’s headlining set began, you could feel the anticipation in the room: the place was near-silent, looking on at the ominous imagery and gigantic drum kit dominating the stage. When Cryptopsy finally broke the calm with the savage anthem that is ‘Slit Your Guts,’ all hell broke loose. The Canadian four-piece had a tough act to follow after 200 Stab Wounds managed to create circle pits so large and ferocious, but McGachy and company seemed entirely unconcerned, bringing some of the most brutal and frankly absurd performances of the night to the table. Legendary drummer Flo Mounier was 100% in his element behind the kit, executing the relentless double kick and mind-bending drumming required of a song like ‘Crown Of Horns’ without breaking much of a sweat— indeed, the entire band were ripping and tearing their way through this demanding setlist, all with smiles and laughs. There was something about seeing guitarist Christian Donaldson and bassist Olivier Pinard enjoying themselves that made your blood run cold: it was in those moments that Cryptopsy made their presence as death metal legends known.

As for McGathy himself, the vocalist proved himself not just to be a staggering performer, but an incredibly entertaining frontman: he delighted in fist-bumping with crowd-surfers and interacting with the audience, all while channelling Lovecraft’s worst nightmares in his frightening screams and harrowing growls. The singer will always be compared to former Cryptopsy vocalist Lord Worm, but at this point, McGathy has well-and-truly proven himself worthy of his seat— few performers could destroy songs like ‘Phobophile’ and ‘Godless Deceiver’ like he did. Admittedly, it was odd to see the band failing to play 1996’s ‘None So Vile’ in full, given the branding of this latest tour. Still, it hardly mattered when the setlist we were delivered was so unrelenting. The bridge of ‘Graves of the Fathers,’ in particular, was so unimaginably heavy as to be almost comical (and that’s not even mentioning the tracks Cryptopsy played from their newest record ‘An Insatiable Violence,’ all of which were nothing if not disgusting). Their hour-long set flew by in a haze of blast beats and hideous snarls, leaving us with our jaws on the floor and our necks in severe pain. As far as both brutality and technicality are concerned, this was the holy grail.