To Flow Through Ashen Hearts.. Ulcerate in Texas

It’s the day after Halloween, and all of the candy and spooky decor has been put away. How does one outdo Halloween and make the vibe even darker, even scarier, and even more intense? The answer is “invite Ulcerate to play a show”.

New Zealand progressive death metal band, Ulcerate, is still hot on their latest album “Cutting the Throat of God” and to prove it, they’ve been touring North America with black metal band, Spirit Possession, in hopes of bringing the atmospheric doom to the rest of the world. ZRockR was lucky enough to catch the show in Austin, Texas at legendary metal venue, Come and Take It Live. To give the metalhead readers a taste of what the “To Flow Through Ashen Hearts Tour” is like, let’s recap the evening…

A blackened growl straight from the mountains, Tibetan Sky Ritual played a ripping opening set, hitting a handful of solid tracks in their short and sweet time on stage. Their excellent debut album, 2020’s “Lamenta” is a strong work of primal anger. Despite the five year gap between its release and now, it never fails to wake the Texans up from their slumber and prepare themselves for what’s to come.

Second on stage, Bruka is a nasty band, a collective of phlegmy vocals, wicked bass, and speedy guitar work. Born and raised in the Texas capitol, the band’s hometown show reception is always strong, garnering crowds from all over Austin, San Antonio, and beyond. Bruka’s love for lusty, slick lyrics is hidden in a shroud of gritty tones and noises, and they killed it as always. With painted faces and sexually explicit backdrop alike, they’re a perfect opener for any set. This was my third time seeing them in the past year alone, and they only get better. If you see their name on a flyer, get in that venue ASAP. You won’t be disappointed.

One of the more unique performances I’ve ever seen, Spirit Possession, was an incredible and strange display of bizarre lighting, vocal effects, and atmospherics. As a photographer, it was a nightmare — only small flickering lamps of red light illuminated their faces, occasionally a glowing red egg would give some silhouette to them from behind — but as an audience member it was stunning. Vocal distortion coupled with an echo effect made the screams and lyrics that much more off putting and jarring. Once I adjusted to the uncanny valley of those repeating sounds, I let the music happen to me, leaning into the insane drum work happening before me.

Ulcerate is a band that understands the beautiful separation between silence and total domination of noise. Dancing between dissonance and melody, Ulcerate does not bother to worry too much about song structure, choosing flowing chords and progressive elements that give a pulse to their music. Played live, the sound is even more sublime. Despite it’s dark lyrics, and darker sound, Ulcerate’s music is a fulfilling and gorgeous journey. From the track that named the tour, “To Flow With Ashen Hearts” all the way down to a surprise encore of “Dead Oceans”, Ulcerate’s show is a trippy, bleak, and disorienting experience that can only be harvested in the ambient vitriol of the band’s very soul. I nearly cried.