Concert review: Obituary | 05.26.23, Red Flag (with photo gallery)

Photos of Obituary by Jen Ruff

w/ Immolation, Blood Incantation, and Ingrown

Metal fans of all kinds flocked midtown for an epic show not to be missed. First up was Ingrown and the guys from Boise came on strong for the evening. Supporting their debut, they gave the crowd more than enough hardcore to introduce themselves, offering unapologetic, hardcore, absolute metal riffs throughout the entire performance. For an opening set, they blasted through a dozen songs and the audience was amped and ready for more. 

Blood Incantation picked up things without a pause and shows like this will always be memorable to the audience. No talk, no hype, just music. The drums hit extra hard as we got entertained by the Denver dudes. Noting that it’d been seven years since they performed in our city, they left all watching hoping the gap would narrow in the future. 

Leaders of the NY death metal scene, Immolation didn’t come to mess around. Tearing through almost a dozen songs themselves in much the same no-BS theme of the evening, they had one thing the previous acts did not: guitarist Robert Vigna was not only incredible at his craft but his performance of making his strums almost an animated character gave the night a little unexpected entertainment. 

But alas—the evening truly was graced by Obituary. A band since 1984, a true test to musicianship is the lack of a specific demographic to box in their concertgoers. Young, old, male, female, even ethnically diverse; fans of great music were more than rewarded. Adding a little more smoke, a little more flair and playing 15 songs in a little over an hour, giving as complete a show as I’ve seen in this venue from start to finish.  Absolutely legendary. | Diane Ruff