Paleface Swiss’s Curse Comes to San Antonio

As 2025 is creeping along slowly, the contender for album of the year grows more and more competitive every day. Cradle of Filth, Spirit World, Wolves in the Throne Room, Behemoth, the lineup grows constantly, and by this time last year I was already drowning in releases, and this year it’s starting to get just as intense. So how do these bands compete for listener’s attentions? Generally speaking, the best way to make your album known is to go on tour, and bring your music to the masses; metalcore’s favorite Swedes did just that.

Paleface Swiss’s newest album, “Cursed,” sounds like KoRn with rabies, like Slipknot with a fever of psychosis. It’s wickedly nu-metal adjacent, and full of unexpected rapping and clean singing, but ultimately holds true to Paleface Swiss’s number one goal: to make music to fight to. And boy, oh boy, does it hold up live!

On April 8th, Paleface Swiss and Twin Productions brought their Cursed Tour lineup to San Antonio’s Vibes Event Center. Originally supposed to be held in the Rock Box (literally just one room over) Paleface Swiss sold out the building, adding about a thousand extra people to the audience.

–Nasty Gallery:

The Swedish boys brought out German hardcore band, Nasty, and beloved American fan-favorites, Stick To Your Guns. It was a great night. Nasty played straight up hardcore, inciting thirty minutes of break neck insanity right at the start of the show. Stick To Your Guns bought the crowd’s participation in playing songs both new and old. I was enthusiastic to hear them play the title track of their most recent album, “Keep Planting Flowers”. Despite their metalcore exterior, Stick To Your Guns holds emotional heavy music in their palm like a weighted tool that it uses to masterfully craft a blend of aggressive riffs with emotional lyrics. On paper, one could easily be jealous of the lineup of Paleface Swiss’s European lineup, a duet of introductory heat brought by legendary acts, Desolated, and The Acacia Strain. I, however, had a deep appreciation for what we were given.

–Stick to Your Guns Gallery:

Opening with their newest intro track, “un pobre niño murió”, that dark red, back-lit stage simmered as the members slowly appeared. They blew through a chunk of their newer songs, playing such recent bangers as “Hatred,” and “My Blood on Your Hands.” Between songs, the band never stopped giving their absolute love and adoration to the city of San Antonio, sharing stories from previous shows, and speaking about how appreciative they are of our city and everything we’ve done for them for the past several years. And then it was back to the violence.

The bass was boosted that night. Every note from Tommy’s bass hit me like a punch in the chest, and by the time I woke up the next morning, it felt like I’d been sonically bruised. The same goes for the drumming. It sounded like Cassiano himself was smashing his sticks over my skull with the same sheer intensity that he brought to the stage. It was insane. “Don’t You Ever Stop” was Yannick’s time to shine, as the song featured an extended guitar solo that he used to taunt the audience, although his consistency to beat out those gnarly, crunchy riffs was admirable considering they’d all spent the past two weeks touring the country and doing the same thing night-after-night.

Vocalist, Zelli, crowd surfed during “Nail to the Tooth,” and it made me realize that I’ve never seen a show where he didn’t climb into the crowd to crowd surf, or mosh, or just go crazy. They’re absolutely one of the more interactive bands to tour the country. Zelli’s screams hurt my throat to hear. Essentially, he sounds how Corey Taylor wishes he sounded, but you didn’t hear that from me. With an encore that included personal favorites, “666” and “Pain,” the band left the stage on a high note. For their final song, “Love Burns,” a women-only mosh pit set the night to rest, as every lady in the audience spin kicked, pushed, and surfed those final few breakdowns away.

That night was a full-circle moment for me because I’ve seen Paleface Swiss three times now, all three of them at that very same venue. The first time they came around, I saw them open for Bodysnatcher. I stood in the handicap area and took pictures from my phone, something I’d learned to do really well at that point. The second time I saw them was on their first American headlining tour, The Fear and Dagger Tour. I bought an attachable lens to clip on to my phone’s camera, and I stood at the barricade and took really limited – and really terrible – pics of the bands all night. They played in the smaller Rock Box room with Enterprise Earth, VCTMS, and Crown Magnetar, and it was a show that was both intimidating and fantastic. This past show they upgraded even further, not only headlining their own show, but getting the venue upgraded AND selling it out. I got to bring my camera this time, and finally had the opportunity to capture the energy of one of my favorite live bands of all time.

–Paleface Swiss Gallery:

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Paleface Swiss is still on the road! They put on a killer show that won’t soon be
forgotten, so what are you waiting for? The remaining dates are down below, and you can grab
your tickets HERE!
4/11 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Nile
4/12 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco
4/13 – Sacramento, CA @ Goldfield – SOLD OUT
4/15 – Portland, OR @ Dante’s – SOLD OUT
4/16 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater
4/17 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon – LOW TIX
4/18 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory
4/19 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro – SOLD OUT
4/20 – Denver, CO @ Summit
4/22 – Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room
4/23 – Iowa City, IA @ Wildwood Saloon
4/24 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
4/25 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
4/26 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall

PHOTO CREDIT: Live photos by Liam Tennant for ZRockR Magazine – (c) 2025 – All Rights Reserved.