May 8, 2025
Concert Review
By: Ben Lowman: Photographer/Writer
The Palladium in Times Square NYC has been hit by Chaos & Carnage. A stacked lineup of both classic death metal, brutal death metal, and even progressive metal and deathcore in the same night. With doors opening around 4 pm, the fans lined up outside before doors knew the long night that was ahead of them. With the lengthy lineup of Corpse Pile, Vomit Forth, Undeath, Ne Obliviscaris, Fleshgod Apocalypse, and the almighty Cradle of Filth and Dying Fetus, NYC was rocked on a Thursday night.
Vomit Forth
Starting off my night were Vomit Forth, a death metal band originating from Connecticut. The band formed in 2018 and have seen success because of their groovy and hateful 90s style brutality. Fresh off of the “Beg to Serve Tour” from late last year with repeat tourmates Dying Fetus, they’re back with the legends to crush it early in the night. Playing hits from their debut 2022 album “Seething Malevolence” and their latest album “Terrified of God,” the band certainly crafted a setlist to please their classic fans as well as new fans. Although the room had not filled up quite yet, the crowd brought the energy with tons of hardcore dancing as well as circle pits, proving that this night will not have any downtime.
Band Members:
Kane Gelaznik – Vocals
R. Brayall – Guitars
Theo Vlahos – Guitars
T. Bidwell – Bass
Nick Herrmann -Drums
SETLIST:
(Unknown)
(Unknown)
Sacred Apple
Rotting Wool
Negative Penance
Blood Soaked Death Dream
Pain Tolerance
Undeath
Hailing from Rochester, NY, Undeath brought the heat in their home state. Also forming in 2018, Undeath bring an old school death metal sound that fans of bands like Cannibal Corpse would likely find appealing. With themes of horror and zombies, Undeath bring a special vibe to the genre that is not overdone. With songs from their albums “It’s Time… To Rise From the Grave” and “More Insane” giving the feeling of an imminent apocalypse, the crowd in the pit were undeniably not behaving like zombies.
Band Members:
Alexander Jones – Vocals
Kyle Beam – Guitar
Jared Welch – Guitar
Tommy Wall – Bass
Matt Browning – Drums
SETLIST:
Dead From Beyond
Rise From the Grave
More Insane
Necrobionics
The Funeral Within
Lesions of a Different Kind
Brandish the Blade
Ne Obliviscaris
Up next was a different band from the previous bunch, Ne Obliviscaris. The six-piece band from Australia played a deceptive set, only being three songs long and the technical fourth one serving as an intro to their final song. However, the set was still about 35 minutes with each song averaging about 12 minutes. With impressive cleans and violin mastery from Tim Charles to the brutal vocals of James Dorton formerly from Black Crown Initiate, the lengthy songs felt like mere moments. James Dorton has been filling in for the band for the past few years, but this is his first tour with Ne Obliviscaris as their new full time and official harsh vocalist.
From enchanting instrumentals to ferocious vocals, Ne Obliviscaris had the crowd full of movement even while being arguably the most mellow band of the entire night. My personal experience with their set was extremely positive, as I was unsure how such long songs would flow live. After seeing them on this tour, I am itching to see the band again!
Band Members:
Tim Charles – Violinist/Vocals
James McClellan Dorton III – Vocals
Matt Klavins – Guitarist
𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢 – Bassist
Benji B – Guitarist
Dan Presland – Drummer
SETLIST:
Equus
Suspyre
Painters of the Tempest (Part II): Triptych Lux(Used as intro for final song)
And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope
Fleshgod Apocalypse
Following Ne Obliviscaris were the mighty Italians in Fleshgod Apocalypse, my personal favorite band on the lineup. Before the band began, I was conversing with some of the fans braving out the barricade since the beginning of the night. The fans I spoke with knew nothing about Fleshgod Apocalypse and they certainly became fans after their awe inspiring set. Opening their set with Veronica Bordacchini on stage alone delivering her astonishing opera vocals while holding the Italian flag mimicking their album cover for their 2024 release “Opera” was breathtaking.
Watching each member have their own spotlight is something you do not experience too often within this genre. Even Eugene will run away from the drum kit and hop onto the rails and party with the crowd! Francesco will also stray away from the piano and do some quick vocals to hype the fans up, I don’t know many other bands where every piece of the band has something to bring to the table in terms of interaction and it’s a sight to behold. Now that Fleshgod Apocalypse and all the previous bands have wrapped up, the crowd was now officially warmed up for the co-headlining main events…
Band Members:
Francesco Paoli – Vocals / Bass
Veronica Bordacchini – Vocals
Francesco Ferrini – Piano / String Arrangements / Orchestral Effects
Fabio Bartoletti – Guitar / Backing Vocals
Eugene Ryabchenko – Drums
SETLIST:
Ode to Art (de’ Sepolcri)
I Can Never Die
Minotaur (The Wrath of Poseidon)
The Fool
Pendulum
Bloodclock
Sugar
The Violation
Blue (Da Ba Dee)(Eiffel 65 cover)
Cradle Of Filth
Serving as the first co-headliner of the “Chaos & Carnage 2025 Tour” were none other than the legendary Cradle of Filth. Terrifying audiences since 1991, the band led by Dani Filth are still going strong, bringing his iconic vocals paired with the phenomenal instrumentals Cradle of Filth are loved for. Opening with “To Live Deliciously” from their brand new album “The Screaming Of The Valkyries,” I knew the fans ate the song up when it was accompanied by shrieks of excitement on the barricade and plenty of fans singing along!
The famed 6-piece band played songs from all over their catalogue, including “Death Magick for Adepts” from their critically acclaimed 2000 album “Midian” which up until this tour has never been performed live! A true treat for the die hard fans that still support them all these years later. The anticipation built up from the previous acts throughout the night was certainly released during Cradle of Filth’s set, but fans still had to save their energy for the diabolical band to follow them and close out this night of terror in NYC.
Band Members:
Dani Filth – Vocal
Donny Burbage – Guitar
Marek Ashok Smerda – Guitar
Daniel Firth – Bass
Martin Skaroupka – Drums
Zoe Marie Federoff – Live Female Vocals & Keyboard
SETLIST:
To Live Deliciously
The Forest Whispers My Name
She Is a Fire
Heartbreak and Seance
Malignant Perfection
Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids
Death Magick for Adepts
Her Ghost in the Fog
Dying Fetus
Closing out the “Chaos & Carnage 2025 Tour” with a bang came in the form of Dying Fetus bringing fierce intensity into the room. Starting at a wickedly late 10:30 pm, the seemingly exhausted room of metalheads were given a second wind the very moment that the Maryland 3-piece laid a finger on their instruments. The rowdy horde of fans brought the biggest pit of the night and gave security work to do with an onslaught of crowdsurfers.
For the first time in my photography career, I could feel my camera shaking from the ferocious power of their sound engineering. The breakdown of “In the Trenches” felt like it was reverberating through my soul and it nearly made me want to drop my camera and jump into the fray. The intense riff writing of Dying Fetus’ death metal style mixed with breakdowns you would find in hardcore bands blends together flawlessly in their music. It is quite the feat when the band with the fewest members in it can bring out the highest frequency of moshers, crowdsurfers, and hardcore dancers nearly 6 hours after the show had initially begun.
Band Members:
John Gallagher – vocals, guitar
Sean Beasley – vocals, bass
Trey Williams – drums
SETLIST:
Praise the Lord (Opium of the Masses)
Unbridled Fury
In the Trenches
Wrong One to Fuck With
Compulsion for Cruelty
One Shot, One Kill
Your Treachery Will Die With You
Grotesque Impalement
Subjected to a Beating
Into the Cesspool
Killing on Adrenaline
Overall, the “Chaos & Carnage Tour” brought yet another stacked lineup comprised of 2 legacy co-headliners supported by up and comers of the genre. With bands incepted from all over the country and overseas, the mix of cultures all culminated into one epic night of metal. Driving home from this lengthy show was exhausting, but yet the satisfaction I felt from every band on the lineup was evident that death metal is thriving and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for “Chaos and Carnage!”
Dying Fetus:
Cradle Of Filth:
Fleshgod Apocalypse:
Ne Obliviscaris:
Undeath:
Vomit Forth:
Corpse Pile:
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