I am not fooling when I say last Wednesday I got to attend the Slaughter To Prevail's Spring Tour on April 1st at Channel 24 in Sacramento, California. It was a night of pure deathcore metal with STP, Whitechapel, and Attila filling our earholes with a face-melting experience we will not forget any time soon.

Channel 24, a 2,150 capacity venue in Sacramento, was sold out. People of all ages were standing shoulder-to-shoulder on the floor and others preparing to enjoy the show in the standing tiers/gallery above. Seriously, there doesn't seem to be a bad spot to watch a show in the house. When the lights dimmed indicating the show was about to begin, growls and cheers echoed throughout the venue.

First up was Georgia's brutal rap/nu metal/metalcore band ATTILA. Last March, ATTILA released their tenth album, "Concrete Throne" and their setlist showcased songs from the album as well as a smattering of songs that spanned their nine other albums. Lead vocal Chris Fronzak delivered an impressive range from clean vocals to utterly chaotic screams during their set. Fans on the floor obliged the band's urges for a mosh pit and the tone for the night was set.

After a brief stage change, Knoxville's iconic deathcore band WHITECHAPEL prowled onto the stage. Several rows of flashing LED lights sporadically flooded the venue in hues of blue. Phil Bozeman appeared, surveying the crowd as if looking for prey. He screamed and growled, "I bear the number 666!" and there wasn't a head not banging nor a hand not showing horns! Always accompanied by a trio of guitars, and blistering drums, fans were whipped into a frenzy as they screamed the words back to him. Bozeman's utterly raw and commanding vocals drew fans into a trance and there was no escape. Bodies began crowd surfing and I was happy to have only been kicked in the head once (shout out to my fellow photographer who made sure I was ok)! Hymns in Dissonance, the band's recent album, brings fans back to deathcore's roots, a welcomed sound for some who attended the show. One fan said, "Hymns reminds us of how raw and dirty deathcore should be. Long live Bozeman! Long live WHITECHAPEL!" Yeah, that sums it up for me too. WHITECHAPEL has been one of my favorite bands for years. Their set is worth the price of entrance to this tour alone, in my humble opinion.

*Phil Bozeman, White Chapel. Photo by Chel Evah*

*Alex Terrible, Slaughter to Prevail. Photo by Chel Evah*

Finally, it was time to bring out Yekaterinburg's finest, SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL. Grizzly heads adorned each side of the stage, frozen in an open-mouthed warning to all who watched: eat or be eaten. The band took to the stage, donning silver masks twisted and grotesque, shielding their faces from the hungry eyes of their fans. Alex Terrible slinked onto the stage and launched a verbal lashing from behind his mask consisting of guttural subterranean lows to high-pitched shrieks. No mic needed, fans felt the belted power of the grizzly Terrible. Fans wore their masks and many crowd surfed through the majority of the set while righteous riffs and incessantly raw drums encouraged the carnage. The band ushered in their latest album "Grizzly" last July, so check it out if you haven't yet. The tour continues throughout April, ending mid-May. Dates below.

April 4 - Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl

April 6 - Tulsa, OK @ Tulsa Theater

April 8 - Atlanta, GA @ The Coca Cola Roxy

April 10 - Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall

April 11 - Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore

April 12 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theatre

April 14 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom

April 15 - Worcester, MA @ The Palladium

April 17 - Montreal, QC @ L'Olympia

April 18 - Toronto, ON @ HISTORY

April 20 - Chicago, IL @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom

April 21 - Des Moines, IA @ Vibrant Music Hall

April 22 - Minneapolis, MN @ MYTH LIVE

May 10 - Daytona Beach, FL @ Welcome To Rockville **

May 14 - Columbus, OH @ Sonic Temple **

#whitechapel #deathcore #heavymetal #hymnsofdissonance #chelevah

Slaughter to Prevail, Whitechapel & Attila Blister Channel 24

Opeth and Katatonia Sent Sac on a Sensory Trip!