Tampa Deathfest Review (Day 1)

Day 1 of Tampa Deathfest featured killer bands, rising acts, and some serious legends!

Unfortunately, I was stuck in traffic during Syndicate’s set and didn’t arrive until after they finished. Sorry about that, guys!

However, I did arrive just on time to see Eroguro Phantasmagore. I was really surprised by this band. From the name, I assumed they were going to be straight slam, or something in the vein of Defeated Sanity. While they definitely hold that style, they have an underlying anime theme. Their songs feature anime and techno sound clips, which really adds to their sound.

The musicians in this band are amazing, especially the guitar players. They unleashed some of the most insane solos for this entire fest. The singer’s growls were absolutely vicious; however, she sang cleans in this cutesy voice. While it fits the band’s style, since it sounds like an anime character is singing, I wasn’t into it.

Unfortunately, this band didn’t capture the Tampa crowd. Most people were standing around looking bored or on their phones. Plus, the band didn’t have the best stage presence. While I excuse this for technical bands, the singer could have been more charismatic. Still, this is a younger band, and they have to grow into their performance. I do wish this band the best.

In between sets, Dr. Paul Bearer introduced the bands and told jokes. If you don’t know the legacy, the original Dr. Paul Bearer hosted the “Creature Feature” series back in the 70s, where he would show movies and say death- and horror-related puns. Dr. Paul Bearer was actually Dick Bennick, who passed away in 1995. Since then, Richard Koon has taken over the role as Dr. Paul Bearer, though his series is now called Tombstone Tales. He was definitely a highlight of the festival.

Next up was Homicyde from South Carolina. This band absolutely blew me away and is one of the best death metal bands I’ve discovered in a long time. They were also one of my favorites from the whole festival. They have a solid sound and incredible stage presence.

I wasn’t the only one who loved them. Everyone gathered to the front of the stage, and it didn’t take long for the crowd to start moshing. I was talking to the venue’s staff, and they even loved them. They honestly should have played later.

Unholy Disciple was next. They’re a sick blackened death metal band from here in Florida. They have catchy songs and even did a killer cover of “Aces High.” This band always has great stage presence, even though all the members are playing an instrument. Unholy Disciple is a favorite among the Tampa scene, and the whole crowd was moshing throughout their set.

Next up was Leprosy, a death metal band from Pittsburgh with an old-school and brutal sound. They fit in perfectly with the Tampa scene—the crowd was moshing and headbanging the whole time. The band’s music was solid, but the drums were much louder than the guitars and bass (though I don’t blame the band for this). While I found their stage presence a bit lacking, they cracked jokes between songs, which was amusing. Cool fact about this band: the vocalist and guitarist, Chris “Corpse God” Pawlowski, won the guitar case auction!

Sacrilous was up next. For every band, I always take a few test shots when they’re setting up. Here’s a great one I got of the singer:

Black metal as fuck!

Anyway, Sacrilous is one of my favorite black metal bands from the area. They have killer songs, great musicians, and every member has incredible stage presence. The singer jumped into the crowd several times and moshed with everyone. I even got caught in the moshing! Jesse Jolly from Malevolent Creation and Paths of Possession was at the show for his birthday, and the band gave him a shout-out!

The only downside was the sound. The drums were louder than the vocals and guitars. Again, it wasn’t the band’s fault.

Next up was Viogression, the legendary thrash/death band from Wisconsin! At this point, many people left. Sucks for them; Viogression was killer, and they missed a badass set! Viogression totally reigned with that performance. They have a mix of OG members and newer guys, and there was plenty of headbanging and fast riffs. The people who were there were moshing and moving! \Everyone was super energetic and had amazing stage presence. By far one of the best bands of the night!

Last but not least, we have Foreverless. Unfortunately, my camera battery died, so I couldn’t take pictures of them. But this band was killer! They have a technical melodic sound, with some breakdowns and clean vocals thrown in. This is a band for pretty much every metal fan, so it’s a shame that so many people had already left by the time they were playing.

Day 1 was off to a great start! Stay tuned for the Day 2 review!