Since 2018, the Chaos and Carnage tour has sought out to bring lineups of the best and most brutal metal bands around North America beginning with a lineup that included bands like Lorna Shore, Cattle Decapitation, White Chapel, Suicide Silence, and Carnifex. This year, the Chaos and Carnage tour continued with headliners Dying Fetus, Cradle of Filth, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Ne Obliviscaris, Undeath, Vomit Forth, and Corpse Pile, supported by numerous other up-and-coming or local bands of the stop. I had the pleasure of attending the San Antonio show, and I have some thoughts: some good, some bad, some… different.

Now, I’m going to be upfront and honest: I honestly didn’t know much about most of these bands before seeing them. I mainly went to see Cradle of Filth. But really, what music fan turns down an entire lineup of metal when there’s a good chance to find another new favorite? The atmosphere was upbeat and excitable for a night full of metal, which is exactly what I came for. Band t-shirts on nearly every person, moshers in their best clothing for the most movement, and I in my concert “goth glam”, the energy was high and we were all ready! I’m going to give my honest review of the main ticket headliners, but I do want to point out that the lesser known bands that played (Blightfeeder, Nevallum, Fluxux Morthis, and Scars of the Flesh) did quite well, and I hope they continue their metal journeys.

Corpse Pile

The first act on the main stage was Houston based Corpse Pile. They started out. Played their first song. Yeah, nice, nice. Then the vocalist said some thing to the effect of “this is for my freaks… (something unintelligiblle) …and if you’re not queer FUCK YOU!”

Now, I’m not one who really gives a shit about shittalk, but dude, you just alienated most of your audience with that desperate grasp of virtue signaling clout because I’m sure most of the crowd doesnt identify as “queer”, and they came for a show, not to see how “with it” and “virtuous” you are with your mainstream establishment shit. They came for a show. Your band is good, but people go to shows to escape reality. And despite being a libertarian (in philosophy only, not party), I found that and the proclaimation mentioning how “no politician is going to save you” & “democrats and republicans suck”, despite being true, was cringe. Then the mention of culture and class war. Dude. Rage for the Machine tried that and now they’re a joke. People don’t go to shows for political lectures. They go to see a show. And yes, I’m well aware that theres political songs, I’ve even made entire video on “10 Based Political Songs”, but that differs from alienating your audience by taking little breaks to talk politics. Our nation’s senile communist, Bernie Sanders, tried to do that at Coachella this year, and it was cringe as fuck.

Vomit Forth

The second act to the main stage were the guys from Connecticut: Vomit Forth. These dudes brought some great hard-hitting metal. They tore it down with their song “Entanglement”, and their frontman, Kane Gelaznik, absolutely oozed on-stage charisma. Gelaznik looked very comfortable and confident in his position on stage. He was very interactive with the audience, and the entire band put on one hell of a show! I really enjoyed what they had to offer, and they were easily one of my favorites of the “lesser known” heavy headliners. I honestly have no critiques on them or their performance. I’d totally see them again. Absolutely recommend!

Undeath

Lucky number three on the main stage was Undeath. This heavy, Rochester, NY based band played as good as if they were the main headliner. Fun and energetic stage presence, they really showed what they were made of and it was brutal! A set of five songs , including “More Insane” and “Rise from the Grave”, was all they needed to bring it on. They really got the crowd going and showed that they definitely belong on the Chaos and Carnage tour. Hell yeah, dudes!

Ne Obliviscaris

Seemingly, the odd band of this lineup was one I truly enjoyed enough to buy their shirt. Yes, I am talking about the violin-touting, Aussie progressive metal band: Ne Obliviscaris. Sure, call me a goth stereotype to lean in to the band with the classical instrument, but they really brought in a unique sound that was definitely an experience more than a mere “listen”.

Of course, having a violin is unique in metal, but this band dons two vocalists with different vocal styles and, well… it works! The vibe in the concert, up to now, was wild metal & moshing, and Ne Obliviscaris didn’t bring that sort of vibe as the crowd was much more calm, but they still had the attention of the crowd, and they definitely my attention. I was vibing! I’m a total sucker for metal with some classical elements, and they really hit the spot. Loved them!

Fleshgod Apocalypse

The absolute aura at set up was of a vampiric Euro metal scene with floor candelabras setting the scene for this next act: the proud and beautiful Italian metal act, Fleshgod Apocalypse. I did check them out on YouTube before the show so I was definitely looking forward to seeing them perform. Mixing metal with female operatic vocals was just a “chef’s kiss” and a beautifully unique sound.

Now, I know they’re not the first band to implement that style, but they’ve definitely perfected it and made it their own! Operatic singer, Veronica Bordacchini, was the first on stage with the spine chilling notes of “Ode To Art (De’ Sepolcri)” with a light shining behind making her a glowing shadow on stage in a gorgeous and haunting display. What an entrance! The rest of the band joined like a hard hitting wall of metal, showing why they were one of the most anticipated bands of the night. They then rolled into their popular single “I Can Never Die” from their 2024 album Opera, which was an excellent way to get the crowd back to their senses after that operatic trance. They ended with a their cover of Eiffel 65’s hit song “Blue”. The stage presence was easily the best of all of the bands of the night. (Loved them so much I got two shirts!) I’m really looking forward to catching them when they come to town again. What a show! Easily my favorite of the night!

Cradle of Filth

Finally! The band I’ve been waiting to see since high school when I first heard “Nyphetamine Fix” (yes, I’m that old): Cradle of Filth! Great show, great energy, and it was obvious the entire band was very comfortable doing their roles as if they’ve been doing them forever.

The female vocalist, Zoe Marie Federoff, has some pipes on her! I was floored by her voice, and it really added to Dani’s high growls to perfection. Unfortunately, they didn’t play my high school favorite, “Nymphetamine Fix”, but they did play one of their newer tunes, “To Live Deliciously”, off of their new March 2025 album, The Screaming of the Valkyries. Total headliner vibes here. Absolutely enjoyed them!

Dying Fetus

By the time the final and main headliner came around, the crowd was swollen, as were my feet (beauty is pain). I will be honest here, I was not looking forward to Dying Fetus. Their name was edgy, and as a metal band, that’s a bit expected, but after passing their merch booth all night, I felt like the overkill “edginess” was a bit… cringe. They had a shirt that said “Fuck the baby, let it die.” So edgy. I remember when I first said my edgy sayings like that… in highschool. I must say, my impression of them is that they just seemed cringe. Edginess is expected in metal, but it seems like it’s an overkill into full-on cringe territory.

Despite all of that, I did stay to see Dying Fetus on my dying feetsies. The crowd was really feeling them, but I’m not going to lie and say I was. I wasn’t. The show could have been over after Crade of Filth and I would have gone home satisfied. Have you ever been to a concert where the openers outshine the headliner and the headliner seems to put all of the brightest lights on for more hype when they come on as to make them appear like they’re a bigger deal? That’s how it felt. (That’s how it felt when Orbit Culture and Fear Factory opened up for Machine Head a year or two ago, too.) If Dying Fetus is your thing, by all means, I’m not saying don’t like them. I’m not necessarily talking shit, either, but their music wasn’t any better than the openers, and their whole schtick, in my opinon, was insufferably cringe.

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Overall, I really enjoyed myself. Plenty of fun and music for any metal fan. If there’s a band you don’t care for, you can choose to stay and try to be there just for the atmosphere, because let’s be honest, the crowd and atmosphere can make or break a show no matter how good the band is. The crowd at this show also really brought the atmosphere only felt by the metal community, which you may not understand if you’re not into metal. If you are, go! Great show!

Check the 2025 Chaos and Carnage tour dates here or at wherever you get your show tickets for your area.