Death for All’s two-hour set paid tribute to one of metal’s most foundational acts. Credit: Brianna Espinoza
Ultimate tribute act Death to All descended on San Antonio’s Vibes Event Center Saturday night to honor the legacy of Death, arguably the band that created the blueprint for death metal.
Veteran death metal band Gorguts, an innovator in its own right, and newer group Phobophilic filled out the bill for a show full of aggressive music and constant reminders of the impact Death’s had on the genre as a whole.
Phobophilic warmed up the room with its slick and self-proclaimed “nauseating” style of death metal. The group’s presence on the bill clearly meant to represent the genre’s ongoing evolution.
Luc Lamay, Gorguts’ remaining original member, led his ensemble through a set packed with both traditional and technical death metal delicacies. The band’s simplistic stage getup contrasted with the complexity of its twiddling melodies and crushing, off-kilter chugs.
Lamay and Co. swayed to the complex rhythms of progressive-infused tracks such as “Condemned to Obscurity” with closed eyes, almost as if in meditation.
Finally, Death to All took the stage, laying down its chugging opening chords. Everyone — including the venue’s security — started to groove and thrash to the band’s near-perfect renditions of Death songs.
Formed more than a decade ago, Death to All celebrates the life and legacy of Death’s late vocalist, guitarist and bandleader, Chuck Schuldiner.
Death for All lays down the riffs at Saturday’s show. Credit: Sanford Nowlin
As tribute bands go, Death to All is the crème de la creme. To be sure, it consists of three Death alumni: Gene Hoglan on drums, Steve DiGiorgio on bass and Bobby Koelble on guitar. Frontman Max Phelps of the band Exist takes on the challenge of delivering Schuldiner’s dual vocal and guitar roles.
At the Vibes show, Death to All played an intense two-hour set that included most of the album Spiritual Healing and the album Symbolic in full, plus classic songs such as “Pull the Plug” and “Lack of Comprehension.”
Hoglan looked as if he he barely broke a sweat as he nailed every time-signature switch. Koelble and DiGiorgio’s brutal, lock-step riffing had heads banging and bodies thrashing. Meanwhile, Phelps’ raw-throated vocals and agile guitar playing were almost indistinguishable from Schuldiner’s during Death’s heyday.
The venue’s lights alternatively bathed bodies in a blood-red hue and flickered erratically, creating a mesmerizing and immersive light show that fit the music’s grim lyrical themes.
For such a grueling set, the energy of both the band and the concertgoers seldom dwindled, suggesting Schuldiner’s presence is still strong almost 25 years after his death from a brain tumor.
The Hulu special Into the Void: Life, Death & Heavy Metal and the biography Born Human: The Life and Music of Death’s Chuck Schuldiner released this year, show that Schuldiner’s presence hasn’t dimmed. But if there’s any question whether his legacy will live on for decades to come, Death to All’s performance Saturday night in San Antonio gave the only answer needed.
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