February 12, 2022
With dusk falling over Manhattan, the unseasonable warmth of the day was quickly returning to the frigid New York February weather. "I kind of wish I brought a hoodie," lamented one concertgoer, "but I'll be sweating heavy after throwing down in the pit all night!" A resounding "Hell yeah!" came from several others in line.
Indeed, winter in the city would prove no match for the heat of the evening's stacked lineup, headlined by Fit For An Autopsy with support from Enterprise Earth, Ingested, Signs of the Swarm, and Great American Ghost.
Like an anvil dropped from a second story window, Great American Ghost came down unforgivingly heavy. Charging through a setlist, including "Kingmaker" and "Womb" off their latest EP, Torture World (check out our review here), the dancefloor quickly became a warzone. The quartet might call Massachusetts their home, but it was clear that New York welcomes them like an old friend.
The dust had barely settled when Pennsylvania natives Signs of the Swarm took the stage. Releasing their fourth album, Absolvere, in September 2021, the set was a long awaited performance of "Revelations Ov a Silent King", "Nameless", and "Death Whistle". For those who have never heard the sound of an Aztec Death Whistle the latter song is named for, it is one of most chilling sounds in existence. Accordingly, Signs of the Swarm left the crowd crawling from the pit, shaken to the bone from the intensity of their performance.
Coming all the way from the U.K., Ingested pushed the brutality meter to its extreme with their blend of savage deathcore riffs over slamming breakdowns. Performing mostly songs from Where Only Gods May Tread, the set also included "Better Off Dead" and "Invidious', both off 2018's The Level Above Human, as well "Rebirth", a single released this January. Having gone several years since their last U.S. tour, fans were more than ready to make up for lost time with hopes for another Ingested show stateside in the near future.
Following the release of The Chosen in early January (check out our review here), Enterprise Earth is on track to reach the next level of their career. With Travis Worland (also of Aethere and The Willow) at the mic, filling in for Dan Watson, the California quartet commanded the crowd with ease. Between the punishing beats of "I Have to Escape" and the crowd surfers that came flying over the barricades for "Where Dreams Are Broken", the energy in the room was still fierce four bands into the night.
With one last stage to conquer to end the tour, Thin Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back In Town" signaled the start of Fit For An Autopsy's set. Coming out of the gates with the title track to The Sea Of Tragic Beasts, the pit became a battleground once again in mere seconds.
As was predicted in our review of Oh What the Future Holds (link here), "Far From Heaven" had heads banging at neck breaking speeds and fists pumping to the driving beat. Other brand new songs included "Pandora" and "In Shadows". Adding in several songs from The Great Collapse and Hellbound, long time fans had plenty of classic material to enjoy alongside the latest and greatest.
While a number of shows are set to take place in New York in the coming months, the number of moshers that limped out of the pit with a grin clearly showed that the bar has been set sky high for 2022. Among those exiting the show was the fan who had underdressed for the night's weather. Having picked up up a hoodie from one of the bands, it was wrapped around his waist as he emerged from the venue shirtless. "I told you I would be sweating by the end!" he said with a laugh.
Photo pass courtesy of Earsplit PR/Earsplit Compound