Napalm Death Live Show Review (Tampa, FL)

My jaw dropped when I saw the latest Napalm Death tour line-up. Napalm Death and Brujeria? Plus, I had been wanting to check out Frozen Soul for a long time. Don’t get me wrong, I was expecting a good show. But still, this package exceeded my expectations.

I got to the show just as the first band, Collapsor, started playing. I never heard of them; I knew one more band aside from the three main acts were playing, but I wasn’t sure if they were a local opener or if they were on the tour.

I honestly thought they were on the tour. First, they drew a crazy pit from the crowd the minute they started playing. I was standing to the side of the pit taking pictures, and someone nearly ran into me! Second, so many fans knew their music. Dozens of people lined the front row, chanting the lyrics and singing along to the singer, Zach Farr. Third, I was extremely impressed! Their songs are killer and they had incredible stage presence. I hadn’t discovered a band that good in a very long time. I had to find out who they were.

I ran into a friend after their performance and asked him about the opening band. He did indeed say they were the local opener and they’re already drawing a massive crowd in the Tampa area. I shouldn’t have been surprised; I remember Farr mentioning certain crowd members by name and joking around with them. I can really see this band going somewhere, getting popular outside of Tampa.

I knew which band was next up before anyone could tell me anything. The whole stage was covered in blue light, so I knew it was Frozen Soul. For some reason, this band always fell under the radar for me. I didn’t know much about them, even though I saw them promoted, so I was curious to check out their show. And I can honestly say I’m now a Frozen Soul fan.

First, the band is just killer. They have an old-school sound, but they’re not one of those bands that copies classics like Morbid Angel and Obituary. They have their signature sound; the riffs are heavy and the drums are fast yet groovy. Overall, Frozen Soul is picking up where Bolt Thrower left off but are approaching extreme metal in their own way.

Their live performance was equally killer. The crowd was moving the entire time for this band, and it’s been a long time since I saw that much enthusiasm for a relatively new band (they only formed in 2018). The band themselves had a ton of energy. Singer Chad Green was moving around the entire time and the rest of the band was constantly headbanging.

I have a feeling we’ll be hearing a lot more from Frozen Soul. Or at least I hope we do.

The next day, I go on Facebook and all of my friends were talking about the show and debating who was the best of the night. Most of my friends were saying Brujeria. With the impressive performance that Collapsor put on, my incredible discover of Frozen Soul, and the legendary Napalm Death, it’s difficult to pick one best band of the night. But I can understand why so many people gave that title to Brujeria.

First and foremost, Brujeria had the most devoted fans of the night. So many people were fighting to get up front, chanting along to the lyrics. Even with three singers, a guitarist, bass player, and drummer on the relatively small stage, everyone in the band was still moving and had a ton of energy.

For me, very few bands can say they’re truly raw and extreme, but Brujeria can. All of their songs are killer and they put on one of the best performances of the night. Even though this band is legendary, they’re one of the only bands that can say they stuck to the underground. And with the political climate in the world, we need Brujeria now more than ever.

You also can’t deny their song “Marijuana,” their rendition of the “Macarena,” is hilarious. I was laughing the whole time.

According to Napalm Death singer Barney Greenway’s Wikipedia page, he’s 53 years old. I have to say, I felt pathetic watching him run around like a maniac on stage. I’m 30 years old and my lazy butt was tired at 10 PM.

But seriously, I lost count how many times I saw Napalm Death and I would never get tired of seeing this band live. I do have to say, this is the best time I’ve seen themh live. They had more energy than I’ve ever seen before. Even bassist Shane Embury, who I should remind you was also on double-duty with Brujeria that night, was headbanging and going ballistic. I’m not sure how Napalm Death gets better every time I see them.

What was the crowd like? Destructive. Chaotic. Lots of moshing. I was scared for my life in the best way possible. I don’t think I need to elaborate any further.

Napalm Death will be on tour for about another week. If this tour is coming anywhere near you, I definitely suggest checking out this killer show.