DEATH TO ALL PLAYS HOUSE OF BLUES HOLLYWOOD
Photo Credit, Dirt Junior
Death to All, a tribute to Chuck Schuldiner’s influential metal band ‘Death’, featuring members of the original line up from their 1991 album Human with Max Phelps of Exist and Cynic on vocals played a ripping first show of the tour at the House of Blues Hollywood last weekend with support from Anciients and Masters of Metal.
The setlist for the night contained a good half of the aforementioned Human album, with the band opening up with ‘Flattening of Emotions’, and continuing with such tracks as ‘Suicide Machine’, ‘Together as One’ and even the instrumental ‘Cosmic Sea’. Along with the tracks off Human it was pretty clear that it was a night of the good stuff with most songs coming off even earlier albums like the epic ‘Zombie Ritual’ off 1987’s Scream Bloody Gore which made the first of the band’s encore, and ‘Baptized in Blood’ played a little earlier in the night (off the same album) and a couple songs off the band’s other albums.
Unlike last year’s tour of the same name, this one featured one solid line up that did not change at all during the show, as opposed to a revolving roster of musicians on stage that included vocalist Matt Harvey of Exhumed, former Death drummer Gene Hoglan who has played in multiple legendary metal bands, Abysmal Dawn’s Charles Elliott and various other previous Death members for the 2012 performances.
The show began early and ended early with the whole thing over by the House of Blues’ midnight curfew time but this did not stop the band from putting on a heavy and awesome performance to the packed, and energetic crowd of circle-pitting thrashers, that would have surely been Chuck Shuldiner approved, had he been around to see it.
At close to the close of the show, a video screen descended and played images and video of Shuldiner as one of the band members remarked to the crowd, “one thing is for sure, if we’re here all listening to Chuck’s music that’s true immortality right there.” An epic show that definitely brought the essence of Death to life again, something that appeared to be more than felt by all the Death fans, including the legendary Chuck Billy (vocalist of Testament) and his wife, and several other musicians who were in attendance.
To see Death to All tour dates, visit DeathToAllTour. A portion of the proceeds of the tour go to the charity Sweet Relief.
