Cannibal Corpse + Carcass at The Theater at Virgin

–( Please Note: As per an agreement we will provide press coverage for Meshuggah’s Los Angeles date as opposed to Vegas so please enjoy Angel’s perspective found here.)–

Friday, April 11th, 2025

Virgin Theater

Prelude: Things went much more smoothly at Virgin theater on this occasion when compared to the last time I had been there for King Diamond. Courtney, who for the record is far more organized than I am and gets us both to these venues on time, had told me a couple hours before showtime that Virgin had shifted event times by an hour and that doors were opening at 5:30 pm.

So Virgin Theater personnel – if you happen to read this please pass along the guest comment that most other venues will typically post on the poster/flyer/event page a specific ‘Doors Open’ time or ‘Show Starts’ time with the understanding that the show begins an hour after the doors open. The concert goer however needs to know precisely which you are telling them on the event page.

I love seeing Carcass live. When I first listened to them and became a fan they were still disbanded but then they reformed in 2007 and I patiently waited for them to come through a city near me. It’s a shame that they have been continuously short sets but it’s always been a great time. Short enough that there’s no time with fucking around so the songs have to be some of their discography’s very best.

The downside is less time for Jeff Walker’s brand of humor and they start to tease you with approximately thirty seconds of “Tomorrow Belongs to Nobody” from the underrated ‘Swansong’ before delving into the remainder of their stacked set list.

My greatest Carcass related wish is that I want to see Carcass perform as a headliner and I don’t see them doing a headlining tour of the U.S. soon. If that means I have to visit England to make that happen then both the body and the spirit are willing but the economy is fucked and every word out of a republican’s mouth gets us closer to U.S. citizens being banned from traveling to anywhere. Also we have kids and here I used to think my hobbies were expensive.

If you’ve not explored Carcass’ discography like one gentleman I met at the show then get on it. They’re seminal artists for the grindcore, melodic death metal and death n’ roll genres so pick your poison and enjoy. 2021’s ‘Torn Arteries’ is still their latest release but you can’t go wrong with ‘Heartwork’. It’s only one of the greatest metal masterpieces.

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Cannibal Corpse however is a band I’ve seen in a headliner spot and it’s fucking Cannibal Corpse. If you don’t know who Cannibal Corpse are already, weren’t you at least curious about the band on the tour with the name Cannibal goddamn Corpse?

I’d been working the last couple times they’ve come through town so this was my first time seeing them with Erik Rutan on guitars. Cannibal Corpse has had lineup changes in the past but it’s not a frequent occurrence like many death metal bands but well – shit happens. Erik Rutan is a great pick however. He has worked with Cannibal Corpse before in the recording studio previously and is and was a member of several other important death metal bands in the Florida scene. No further notes needed.

Rob Barret might have decided to put a stop to his headbanging in order to keep his playing up to his standard but it’s a choice that’s working well for him I think. His band mates haven’t slowed down nearly as much. George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher in particular continues to be the poster child of circle headbanging and makes my own neck hurt watching him.

On a slightly unrelated note I had thought I’d seen the end of a streak of Cannibal Corpse related injuries at their shows I’ve attended until I saw someone being assisted out of the venue with an obvious limp. Not glorifying people getting hurt at shows but it’s something I’ve noticed during their sets before.

2023’s ‘Chaos Horrific’ is still their latest full-length but Cannibal Corpse has always been Slayer levels of consistency so if you like one album you’re likely going to enjoy just about any other.

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