Tampa Deathfest 2023 Review

With Tampa’s legendary death metal scene, I think we can all agree that there should be a fest in this city. There have been a few, but they have come and gone.

This includes the three-day Tampa Deathfest that just happened in October 2023. What I like about this Tampa Deathfest is it not only hailed legends, such as Hellwitch and Venom, Inc., but it also represented the local talent we still have here.

Thursday

I had to work that day, so I didn’t arrive at the venue until late. The band playing was a two-piece black metal band called Othalan. I arrived during the last part of their set, but from what I saw, I was seriously impressed. They had solid songs, and both members had great stage presence. The crowd was small, but they still got a decent reception.

Precipice was next, and I can’t believe I hadn’t heard of them before. Think of Atheist mixed with Obliveon—a really unique band for the Tampa scene. They have an old-school technical death metal style but with more thrashy influences. Every musician was incredible, but especially their bass player. He had this six-string bass and was going crazy the entire set. I hope to see this band live again soon because they were killer!

Next was a band I’m very familiar with—Corrupted Saint. They’re becoming a local favorite of mine. This is a promising younger band from the Lakeland area, and I see them play often. What impresses me about Corrupted Saint is how they always attract a big crowd at every show. At this one, you can tell people came out just to see Corrupted Saint. Plus, everyone had a ton of energy; there were moshing and circle pits, which was impressive since that night was a smaller and largely local show.

Corrupted Saint’s sound is hard to pinpoint. They’re very thrashy, but you can tell they’re inspired by Florida death metal. Because they have such a unique sound, they stand out more than other bands in the area.

Every musician is killer, especially their guitar player Chase Moody. He always plays crazy solos and is one of the best guitar players in the area. Overall, this is a band I can see going somewhere, and it’s awesome seeing them grow so much.

Next up was Soaked Corpses Leaking Rectal Discharge. For the ridiculously long name, there are only two guys in the band and a drum machine. They’re typical goregrind but with rap sounds and sound clips in between each gut-punching track. While I’m not a fan of drum machines, I did enjoy this band. I also found it interesting that the singer had two microphones. I guess that’s the secret to making good goregrind.

The last up was Killing Addiction. This is one of the most solid and longest-lasting bands in the area. After all these years, Killing Addiction still sounds killer. And with the eclectic mix of metal we heard all night, Killing Addiction’s brutal sound was the best way to end the night. Their sound was great, and every member played flawlessly. Even way into the night, there was still a decent crowd there, and were annihilating the Brass Mug.

Friday

I got to the venue early this time and caught Fetal Embalment. This was a one-man band that played two separate sets. I have to hand it to solo acts—I have no idea how they can go on stage and play alone. Props to Fetal Embalment for this reason! Plus, he had a great stage presence for being alone. He ran around the stage and did plenty of headbanging. He even ran into the crowd with his guitar at one point.

Voidrium was next. I’m really digging the Greek style of black metal, so I appreciate finding a band with the Mediterranean black metal sound in my area. My friend plays guitar for them, and I’m always down to support my friends. I ended up finding their Bandcamp and checked out their material. Some songs are better than others, but this band is overall really cool, and I hope to check out more of their performances.

This band has one of the coolest set-ups, specifically their drummer. He had demons and dragonheads spitting fog out of his kit, giving the stage an eerie presence. The only thing is, I didn’t understand the Halloween zombie baby prop. It wasn’t scary and didn’t add to the atmosphere. The bass player also didn’t appear on stage until after the first song, which was really strange.

I missed the next band, but I was able to catch Burned at the Stake. They’re another black metal band—I honestly think our black metal scene doesn’t get the attention it deserves. This band is solid; they have good songs and played a killer set. They all looked awesome on stage, wearing masks, wristbands, and lots of spikes. They announced that one member had only been with them for two weeks, and they still sounded solid. This band played a good cover of Bloodbath’s “Eaten,” but played a cover of “Raining Blood” that sounded like it was performed in a different key.

Piss on Christ was next, and I really dug them! Every song they played was solid, and some of their song titles are hilarious, such as “Take a Shit on the Pope’s Little Bitch Face.” I actually looked up the lineup for their newest album, Hang the Bitch on the Cross, and saw they had Kelly Conlon (Death) and Eric Morotti (Suffocation) as guest musicians.

The band had a great stage presence. The guitarist and bassist were headbanging the entire time, and the guitarist/vocalist would make crazy facial expressions. I had to interview Hellwitch, so I wasn’t able to catch their whole set, unfortunately. But they were solid from what I saw.

Everyone told me to check out Chemicaust, and I’m glad I did. They’re absolutely killer and were one of the best bands of the night. I also didn’t catch their whole set because of my Hellwitch interview, but I loved what I saw, and I hope they come back to Florida again. They’re from Texas and have an awesome thrash sound, very similar to Exodus.

Up next was MRSA, and that band is so freaking cool! They have a horror movie theme, which I love because I’m also a horror writer. The singer was wearing a Leatherface-inspired mask, and one of the guitar players had a pig mask on. One of their guitar players and the bassist weren’t wearing costumes, and it would have been way more awesome if they were.

All their songs are inspired by horror films, and they feature many sound clips, such as the Phantasm theme. They even had characters come on stage, such as Chucky and Herbert West, and they had a Leatherface blow-up. I really dug this band, and I hope to see them live again soon!

Next was Cereviscera. They were more technical than the other bands that played—my favorite style of death metal. To me, they’re a good mix of Suffocation and Cryptopsy, which also means the musicianship is amazing. While they played a good set, they didn’t have much stage presence. But with the technicality of their musicianship, I can also understand why. The band was nice enough to give me their self-titled EP, and it rules. Every song is killer, and the guys I met are all really nice. I hope they make it back to Tampa.

Next up was the headliner of the night—the almighty Hellwitch! They have always played well when I’ve seen them, but they especially crushed it that night! They played classics like “Nosferatu,” but they also played material from the new album.

It should be no surprise that this band features the best musicians in the state. There’s the legendary Pat Ranieri, but J.P. Brown is also killer. Drummer Brian Wilson plays in a ton of bands and kills it every time I see him. My friend Julian Guillen played with Hellwitch that night, and I will always say he’s one of the best bassists I’ve ever met.

Even though they played at midnight, Hellwitch still got a good crowd. Every member was solid, and they all played well. Hellwitch was the perfect way to end the night!

Saturday

At this point, I’m exhausted. I’m getting too old for these multi-day festivals! But I couldn’t miss one of my favorite local bands—Virulence. I’ve seen them numerous times, and they always play a killer set. While I wish there was more movement from bassist Kevin Gibbons and guitarist Steven Harger, vocalist/guitarist Chris Defaut and drummer Mike Petrak always have a ton of energy on stage.

But the one thing you can’t deny is these guys are killer musicians. The riffing and drumming are out of this world, and this band proves that there’s still tremendous talent in the Tampa scene.

But well-written songs are what makes a great death metal band. As much as I love the Tampa scene, my main complaint about the bands here is most of them sound like carbon copies of Deicide or Obituary. While you can tell Virulence was inspired by all these bands, they take a more individualistic approach to death metal without producing overly technical and progressive material. Every song is brutal and well-played, with solos and chord changes placed strategically throughout each song. Plus, the guys in the band are also super cool.

I left to get food and missed Faethom’s set. But I made it in time to see Sadistic Vision, and was I impressed! They’re a killer band with a classic death metal sound. Every member was super tight, and their songs were great. I looked these guys up when I got home, and I’ve been jamming the Rebirth album ever since.

Not going to lie, at this point, I was really tired, but I still made it a point to watch 72 Legions. This is a band that traveled from Cleveland to play Tampa Deathfest. I always appreciate bands that travel and tour to play, since it’s a major expense and commitment.

I never heard of 72 Legions before this show, but they were solid. They have more of a melodic sound, but their songs were good, and all the members played well. Honestly, they didn’t “wow” me or become my new favorite band, but they were good for what they were.

Ringworm was up next. When they took the stage, I had no idea what to expect, but wow! The crowd went nuts! I had to stand up on the platforms next to the stage to get pictures; there was a massive pit, and I was scared I was going to get attacked. Once I got my pictures, I snuck to the back of the venue to watch the rest of Ringworm’s set in safety.

But seriously, Ringworm annihilated the Brass Mug. I don’t think I’ve seen a crazier reaction at the Mug since the times that Obituary played there. Ringworm compelled pure energy, and they were by far the most destructive band at the festival.

As a hardcore band, they stood out from the largely death and black metal that played at the festival. But if there’s one thing I know about Tampa is that metal fans will still show up and cause a riot at hardcore shows, which is what happened here.

Even though Ringworm was the most crushing force at the festival, the best band was next—Satan! I never expected to see this band in the US, so I was beyond excited.

When Satan got on stage, they opened with “Trial by Fire.” The crowd immediately went nuts, and there was even a pit. I’m amazed that, after all these years, Satan still sounds amazing. Brian Ross’ voice is still as captivating as it was on the records from the 80s, and Russ Tippins and Steve Ramsey still shred.

Satan kept up this quality throughout the entire set. They played a mix of new songs and classics, such as “Ascendancy” and “Break Free.” Their sound was also super clean, so I heard everything in perfect detail. Overall, Satan was the best band that played during the festival and exceeded my expectations.

I have to be honest, I only caught a small bit of Venom, Inc.’s set. My interview with Brian Ross happened during Venom’s performance, so I had to miss most of it. But from what I saw, they were totally killer.

Tampa Deathfest was amazing this year, and I hope the fest will continue next year!