Earlier this year we saw the announcement of the CHAOS & CARNAGE 2022 tour featuring deathcore veterans, SUICIDE SILENCE & CARNIFEX, along with LORNA SHORE, UPON A BURNING BODY, ANGELMAKER, and DISTANT. Needless to say, this is practically a dream lineup via 2009 for me personally. My inner 19 year old deathcore kid self was SUPREMELY happy to see this tour pop up!
The Vegas date of Chaos & Carnage will be held at 24oxford at The Virgin Hotel on June 2, 2022. (This venue was previously Vinyl, and Wasted Space years and years prior. I am happy they decided to keep this venue!)
The last time I saw Suicide Silence was in 2018 at the Hard Rock Cafe in support of Attila. I did not write out a review for that show, but I remember being very pleased with Suicide Silence’s performance; before that, I had not seen them since before Mitch Lucker passed away. Because the last time I had seen them up until this point was in 2009, I was a little worried about what I might think of Eddie Hermida (formerly of All Shall Perish) on vocals. That being said I really loved All Shall Perish. I was happy that they sounded so good, I honestly think Mitch would be pleased as well. Mitch definitely had some big shoes to fill.
For those who don’t know, Suicide Silence is a landmark band in the deathcore genre, and they redefined the genre itself more than once. (I highly recommend watching this video from The Punk Rock MBA on how this actually happened. It is an opinion- however I share this opinion and I’d say it’s pretty accurate from a fan perspective.)
Another note from me – Definitely check out Ending is the Beginning: The Mitch Lucker Memorial Show. It can be found on Amazon Prime in the Qello Concerts channel. There is also an audio version on Spotify. Another remarkable thing about Suicide Silence is just how much attention from the metal world and fanbases Mitch and the band recieved after his passing. That kind of recognition doesn’t always happen in this side of the aisle. It is definitely one of those things that set SS apart, and really solidify their importance to the deathcore genre as a whole.
Suicide Silence released ‘Become the Hunter’ in 2020 – have a listen below!
CARNIFEX
CARNIFEX is another band hailing from the early-mid 2000’s California deathcore scene, and while they did not have quite the same impact as Suicide Silence, I’d say their importance is still very much valid. I only say that because Carnifex had some slightly different qualities than SS had. They added much more of a “blackened” sound to their style, and later on through their discography adding a bit more in the way of symphonics. This is most noticable in their 2014 release “Die Without Hope”, as well as getting more prominent on their 2019 release, “World War X.”
I have to say that their first few releases; 2007’s “Dead in my Arms,” 2008’s “The Diseased and Poisoned,” and 2010’s “Hell Chose Me” were definitely more comparable to the likes of the brutal death metal scenes. (I saw Defeated Sanity not that long ago and the early Carnifex stuff is much more reminiscent of that general style.)
Also I will never NOT scream the “WHAT THE FUCK” part in “Lie to My Face.” Lines like that are surely one reason why they gained the traction they did and honestly, I’m not mad at that.
During my times of boredom at the beginning of Covid, I actually listened to most of Carnifex’s discography. I believe they were supposed to play Brooklyn Bowl at some point and the event ended up getting cancelled. This was really a bummer- I enjoyed listening to their progression via their records and I had hoped to be able to see them again. I know I’ve seen these guys but I honestly could not tell you exactly when- it’s been that fucking long.
Definitely excited to see them as a co-headline for Chaos & Carnage 2022!
Lorna Shore & Upon a Burning Body
The other bands on the CHAOS & CARNAGE bill are not quite as big, however LORNA SHORE has definitely made a splash this last year. I covered them on a bill at the (now gone) Beauty Bar opening for The Faceless back in 2018. They have since gone through a major line up change with Will Ramos (ex-Monument) replacing CJ McCreery. McCreery’s time with the band was not very long lived so I’m almost more comfortable saying Ramos is basically filling the shoes of original vocalist, Tom Barber.
“To the Hellfire” hit number one on the iTunes metal charts within the first week of its release, and the song became their most streamed song on Spotify. These stats are IMPRESSIVE for a band of this nature. I never complain about this kind of thing. I love when bands like this get noticed on that level. It really shows you how alive heavy music is.
Despite some of the random drama surrounding UPON A BURNING BODY, those dudes always put on a good show. I covered them downtown in fall 2019, and before that I saw them at Hard Rock Cafe opening for Whitechapel. (My friends in Asylum of Ashes opened that show so THAT was pretty awesome!)
Angelmaker & Distant
I couldn’t tell you all that much about ANGELMAKER or DISTANT, other than they have to be part of a later wave of deathcore. WHICH there’s nothing wrong with that. I have no real opinions at this time, but I have heard a few of each of their tracks and I’m eager to see what these bands bring to the stage. Angelmaker should have an interesting dynamic seeing as they have TWO vocalists who focus on JUST vocals. Way to give me a great impression by sticking out! Anyway, check out both band’s music below and see if they’re your kind of jams!
I’m basically a sucker for this kind of music in general, so whether I’m just there to listen, or there to shoot and work, I’m sure you all will see me banging my head, (since my broken ass can’t mosh anymore ugh). I really hope the scene comes out for this show. But given the two heavyweights at the top of this bill, I’m sure we will see a great outcome on a beautiful June evening to kick off this summer!