July 21st the club and floor of Legends Bar in Cincinnati was rattled, shook and nearly decimated by the blunt force trauma of the five bands that blessed the stage that evening. The Reborn Dead Tour slammed into Southern Ohio smashing bones together and rattling retinas with a near continuous evening pit whether classic or circular.
Singer, guitarist Matt Harvey Exhumed, Gruesome, Rick Rozz (ex-Death), Terry Butler (Death, Obituary) and drummer Gus Rios, of Gruesome spent most of July on the road scorching the memory of Death founder and genre original Chuck Schuldiner back into fans minds nationwide. Reborn Dead brought Leprosy-era musicians back to the stage playing all tracks from Death’s second opus and half of debut Scream Bloody Gore. From July 7th to the 31st they trekked over 20 stops across the country giving metal heads a new Leprosy’d rebirth splicing in chosen songs that screamed bloody gore back in the day.
Regardless how you were introduced to Mr. Schuldiner and crew, whether by Combat Tour footage from the Ultimate Revenge VHS, HeadBangers Ball, a live show, local cable metal shows or a friend’s cassette or vinyl, the night was a loud, brutal but friendly showcase, reminder and celebration of early extreme music.
The tour package included Mortuous, Skeletal Remains and Left to Die with support from Bonginator and Scab Hag.
While touring seems to be back in full force, fans, especially the majority of headbanging, moshing metal heads in the house had some serious pent up energy, stress and frustration to get out. One could easily let their eyes be glued to the floor, watching people go hog wild, ape-shit for five bands almost non-stop.
The crowd didn’t waste any time showing passion for the extreme evening, starting a pit roughly 10 seconds into the first song, turning the front floor into an instant sweaty hardcore version of Saturday Night Fever. Though, judging by the force and speed of the dancers; that night might have been several participants’ first extreme show back after a 2+ year hiatus. In true extreme style, every band asked for or received an inspired, pummeling circle pit.
Covered in blinding blood red light Bonginator played the evenings opening notes making feet dance. The Two Stepping Neon Weed was ready to be partaken and indulged by all. With the fury of a roided up Rambo on rancid bong water they broke into “The Doinkinite” and “The Bonginators.” The “War on Drugs” went up in decibel defying smoke with hardcore headbanging while “Dank Nugulus” clanked and banged out loud like a ravaging consuming monster. If you were watching at a presumed safe distance you might’ve thought the crowd blew their load on the first band, but it was only round one with reserves not even needed yet.
The next insane pit performance went to the swamp cooked death metal of Scab Hag, who arguably may have had the most active, dedicated pit of the evening. They definitely had a loyal fan base hell-bent on annihilation. It was the dark essence of the midnight marsh manifested as loud as possible, enough to send the Boggy Creek Swamp Stalker screaming to Devil’s Bayou. “Communal Consumption” and “Baptized in Bogs” set the tone and pace, taking things to an almost dangerous level with the crowd coming inches from hitting walls and bystanders. “Homicidal Hex” and “Leeched” continued the venomous sermons as things got more skin on skin on stage with clothes flying off and intensity building.
The tour officially began with the death/doom chug roar of Mortuous and “Through Wilderness.” Their set brought together screaming guitar solos, morbid dark, dooming riffs and monstrously deadly growls. The dark heart and soul of decaying tall oaks vibrated the walls, shaking the pit into continued action. They head banged, chugging through tunage like a clandestine meeting between Entombed and Autopsy on a desolated, isolated back road of bad intent. “Beyond Flesh” chiseled flesh from the pit with guitars yelling while “Chrysalis of Sorrow” dragged deep, dark and deep gloomy waters with guitars singing the stories of secrets buried far below. “The Dead Yet Dream” had the night’s final say in a scorched forest of hidden kept knowledge.
Performing in a sea of blinding scarlet haze Skeletal Remains played direst support to Left to Die; giving the pit one more chance to limber and cardio up before honoring Father Chuck. They didn’t let up, charging ears with face-ripping fury and volume with tracks from The Entombent of Chaos album. “Illusive Divinity” continued the head smashing with adrenalized vigor and sweaty smiles. The fury of the dead came tenfold from “Tombs of Chaos.” From the creepiest corners of the basement to national stages, “Congregation of Flesh” dealt some crude and calloused crowd punishment. The slow approach paced drums and guitars of “Eternal Hatred” showcased the final brutal act of their ceremony for the evening.
Left to Die emerged ready to flash fans back, old enough to remember the ‘80s and the extreme, opposite of glam rock. For younger fans, it was time for a lesson in vintage brutality and early underground death metal violence by one of its forefathers. The first notes of “Leprosy” took everyone back to 1988. The crowd didn’t let skin corrupting conditions stop them from giving praise to the Leprosy-era music and musicians on stage.
Ultimate Revenge track “Forgotten Past” were some fans introduction to Death while others may have learned about them before or after the late ‘80s.
A few more songs in Harvey joked that usually this point of the show he’d say, do you wanna hear some oldschool stuff, but tonight and the tour, everything was oldschool. Later in the set he said how honored he was to be playing Death tunes but everyone knew who should’ve been up there playing this shit, starting a loud Chuck chant.
They opened the original casket screaming bloody gore with “Mutilation” and “Baptized in Blood” before the official “Open Casket.” Deep track “Primitive Ways” got some rare stage life while “Choke on It” was shoved down collective throats.
The creepy skeletal monks came back to growl and cackle denying life followed with the group namesake. Way before the dead walked the televised post-apocalypse Death’s “Zombie Ritual” ruled the metal airwaves.
They pulled the plug ending with the maniacal, conjuring spirit of the “Evil Dead.”
Images by Mike Ritchie
