Concert review: Nekrogoblikon w/ Inferi, Æther Realm, Hunt the Dinosaur, and Summoning the Lich | 06.05.23, Red Flag (with photo gallery)

It was a nice surprise for local concertgoers to see Summoning the Lich open this Monday Night Metalfest. No strangers to the scene, it was just the right band to get this crazy evening going. David Bruno, vocalist, dominated the band’s performance, interacting with the crowd and adding no useless filler to the set. It was a special night for fans of the band who got to see one bassist’s final show and the beginning show for the new axe wielder. They’ve solidified their place in our city’s metal scene and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why. Metal music + no BS= success.

Dallas deathcore band Hunt the Dinosaur got nostalgic right off the bat with the iconic theme from Jurassic Park. Six songs in a set was pretty short, but with bangers like “DTF” and “Tinfoil Hat,” the quality more than made up for the lack of longer stage time.

North Carolina’s Æther Realm was up next and quite fun! To encourage a circle pit, it was suggested that a witch was going to come down to chase them in circles. The joke worked as the circle pit wound up like a deadly Midwest tornado and the energy carried forward through their half dozen songs, keeping the crowd fully engaged. The band even namedropped local venues The Sinkhole and Red Flag’s oldie-but-goodie previous dogs: FUBAR.

Inferi are Midwest-representing as well and kicked into high gear with their ferocious metal. The pits and audience in general were quite a bit more aggressive. It’s more than a bit fitting as their name is spawned from the depths of the Harry Potter series (having to do with reanimated corpses) so this mega-fest was an apt home for the Nashville guys.

And then, there’s Nekrogoblikon. It was super interesting to see such engagement and participation from the crowd however they felt like pledging their allegiance. There were painted faces, various merch from previous shows, and even goblin ears. Almost every attendee sang along gleefully and it was impossible not to join in.

Not a bad Monday to kick off the week with the most fun gig in our city in quite some time for fans of harder music. | Diane Ruff