On Friday April 7, 40 Years of Acid came to Cincinnati at Riverfront Live lead by death metal veterans Morbid Angel supported by Revocation and Vitriol with young Brazilian blood Crypta opening the tour. The United Tour of Terror spread acid, sweat and adrenaline across the nation. The near 30-date invasion started mid-March ending late April in death metal’s cradle, sunny Florida with Skeletal Remains playing March 15- April 4.
The trek was a continued celebration of Morbid’s latest release 2017’s Kingdoms Disdained. The crowd was primed and ready for anything and everything death metal. Steve Tucker and crew didn’t disappoint delivering several songs from Kingdoms along with Gateways to Annihilation, Domination and oldschool, classic cuts from Covenant and Blessed are the Sick.
The ladies from Brazil started in 2019 and have already played Wacken Open Air and Rock in Rio among other major festivals. Storming the shores of America for the first time they brought their growl and debut album Echoes of the Soul with them. The evening brutality began with the blistering beats of “Death Arcana.” As vocalist/bassist Fernanda Lira seared the crowd with possessed predatory eyes.
“Possessed” built with a nice spell-casting necro-mantic vibe summoning dark spirits and the unknown from places best left forgotten as “Under the Black Wings” twisted necks and pumped fists.
“Starvation” was a rabid paced, violent punch to the eyes, ears and stomach demanding sustenance. The Crypt closed for the evening in epic fashion with the chosen resurrected in flames “From the Ashes.”
Portland’s Vitriol came out spewing a vicious, aggressive attack performing like they were the front line first defense against a hated enemy. Cuts from To Bathe from the Throat of Cowardice was their moshing heated tour de force of the night. Heavily inked guitarist/vocalist Kyle Rasmussen looked absolutely possessed in wicked performance firing laser hot glares at his guitar neck snarling vicious looks at Cincinnati while bassist Adam Roethlisberger attack-style playing thrashed the strings like he was trying to draw blood.
They played trying to sear their name into all attendee’s minds like a red hot brander. The blast beat, guitar onslaught of “The Rope Calls You Brother” began the night’s wrecked vertebrae statement. It was a whirlwind, tornado speed audio collision fit for the crowd to act out.
“The Parting of a Neck” continued future surgical repair and therapy needs as “I Drown Nightly’s” residual guitar scream flooded lungs and ears with crimson fluid. The set was loud and vicious carrying a vintage vibe stretching back to the earlier days of thrash and death metal when Morbid was paving the way and Slayer was in their first decade of aggression.
“Victim” and “Hive Lungs” ended things from the Northern West Coast aggressors.
Whether it was an inside joke at the sound booth or a tour prank the house music switched to the most hardcore, badass extreme musician on the planet, Phil Collins playing a handful of his greatest hits including “Sussudio.” Vocalist/guitarist Dave Davidson cracked a smile suiting up, and after playing a few tunes, quipped, they were Revocation, the greatest Phil Collins tribute band in the world.
With a dark, twisted library to choose from they opened with tunes from their latest Netherheaven “Godforsaken” shook the walls of the (un)holy congregation and the southern Ohio venue following with a dark eyed view of the mystery of the Holy Trinity via “Diabolical Majesty.”
“The Outer Ones” spoke of blasphemous interactions of mortals attempting an audience with ancient cosmic entities from astro-demonic dominions.
If you’re gonna sin, sin big and a dark “Communion” amped the crowd up for a trip south to the eternal fire and abyss of the netherworld “Re-Crucified.” They dug back a little on “Madness Opus” tripping sanity’s ear into violent live motion.
Tucker and crew wasted no time blasting open an unholy threesome of Kingdoms Disdained with “Pile of Little Arms,” “D.E.A.D” and “Garden of Disdain.”
Reaching back “God of Emptiness” opened blasphemous scriptures of the unholy Covenant as “Architect and Iconoclast” continued spreading the Kingdoms new blood
The burning heretics were revisited on “Curse the Flesh” and “Praise the Strength.”
Old school death metal blessed days of the sick were summoned on “Day of Suffering” and “Unholy Blasphemies,” while unholy ones were confronted on “Rapture.”
Gateways opened on “Ageless, Still I am” bringing immediate annihilation with “Summoning Redemption.”
“Paradigms Warped” continued the end of new material. With “To the Victor the Spoils” ended the madness.
It was a loud brutal evening experiencing death metals continuing history from Florida veterans to up and coming South American new blood and the heretical rebels in between.
Images by Mike Ritchie
