Death metal might not be as mainstream as other genres of music but for the loyal fans of the genre, Sunday night in Spartanburg, SC, was the place to be. Inside an unassuming music venue, Ground Zero, death metal legends Pyrexia took the stage and put on one hell of a show. They weren’t the only band bringing the head banging music. Cerebral Incubation, Atoll, and Reeking Aura played Ground Zero. Let’s just say, things got loud and fans came from across the Carolinas to spend the evening with their favorite bands.
Pyrexia is current on tour following a re-recorded 25th-anniversary edition of their 1997 album “System of the Animal.” The new recording is the same music from 25 years ago, but this time played with the band’s current line up consisting of Chris Basile (Guitar), Shaun Kennedy (Bass), Zach Kraytz (Vocals), and John Glassbrenner (Drums). Pyrexia is considered one of the original American death metal bands to push their sounds to the limits.
“The biggest thing over the past couple of albums is the jump in production and the main thing the band suffered from in the past was production value. The songs can be felt in the chest and the riffs can finally be heard with this newly recorded version of System of the Animal. I also felt it was ahead of its time in 1997. I don’t think a lot of people were ready for such a mix of Brutal Death Metal VS. Beatdown Hardcore. When people hear this material with the new production, combined with the fact that the music was written in the mid-90s. I think it puts Pyrexia in a whole new light for a lot of people. I think the songwriting is really going to stand out for listeners bored with bands that put out the same album over and over,” Basile said.
I’m Music Magazine’s writer and photographer Michael Praats was at the show on Sunday and not only took away photos, but a new experience as well.
My first death metal show
I’ll be honest I’ve never been to a death metal show and didn’t know what exactly to expect. Compared to most music, death metal, especially brutal death metal, is a niche and a world that, from the outside can seem intimidating. What I did know was that I was in for a long night, doors opened at 6 p.m. and Pyrexia took the stage around 10 p.m. When I first walked into Ground Zero I heard the growling vocals of the opening band, the heavy guitar riffs, the pounding drums I was a bit unsure about how well I fit in. I listened to the music on the way down from Charlotte, NC, but this isn’t exactly your radio-rock that you can fake singalong with at a show. Those worries subsided as the show went on and I talked with some of the fans in between sets.
After about three songs into the night I gave up trying to understand the lyrics of the songs and started listening to the music. It was heavy and loud, unapologetically abrasive, but it was also technical and more than just ‘noise.’ I started to listen to it like I would look at a Jackson Pollack painting. At first it just seems like chaos, but as I kept listening it all started to make a bit more sense and I was able to see the mastery behind the music.
Metal gets a bad rep sometimes, it’s easy to stereotype the bands and the fans as angry or violent but in my experience the exact opposite is true. The people I talked to weren’t there to rip off the head of a bat or drink blood (although if you can understand the lyrics of death metal you might not be far off thinking that). They weren’t critical of the fact I haven’t ever been to a death metal concert before, instead they were welcoming and seemingly excited to have another person to share their music with. As the night went on things never slowed down. The energy from the fans was more intense than the fans I’ve seen at pop concerts in 12,000-person amphitheaters.
The head banging and mosh pits never let up and when Pyrexia took the stage things got even more intense. I’ve seen singers crowd surf, I’ve seen singers reach out and grab the hands of adoring fans — what I hadn’t seen before was the singer of a band jump off stage and actually join a circle pit (if you don’t know what a circle pit is, YouTube it, it’s worth it).
That was just the first 30 seconds of the show.
After a few songs things got even more rowdy as Beach split the room into two halves. As soon as he shouted the orders into the microphone the crowd parted like the Red Sea — but this was no Moses moment. Mosh pits aren’t unique to death metal and as a fan of other genres, I knew what was next. I quickly scrambled out the way of the two sides knowing if I stayed where I was the chances of breaking my camera were exponentially higher than 20 seconds prior. The two sides looked like they were about to play the most intense game of dodgeball ever when Beach shouted, “Wall of death!” demanding nobody move until he said so. The fans obliged as the music went on, then the order was given and all hell broke loose.
The two sides charged each other from about 10 yards apart slamming into their fellow metalheads, but it was all in good fun. Moshing, slamdancing, whatever you want to call it looks violent, and, it is — but there’s no malice in the moves. Sure, people can catch an elbow to the face or can shoved to the ground a little bit too hard but that’s not the point of the mosh. As the crowd collided, some ended up on the floor, but as soon as they hit the deck their fellow moshers were right there to pick them up.
As the set came to an end around 11 on Sunday night, Beach had one more song, and one more demand from the crowd. Fortunately for me the final act was much less likely to damage my camera.
I’ve been to concerts where fans are called on stage and I’ve ended up on a few of them myself, but once again, Pyrexia surprised me by not just inviting a few fans on stage — but everyone. It was a cramped scene and I give the musicians credit for managing to find the space to play their guitars, but the fans and the band didn’t seem to notice. As the final song of the set raged there wasn’t a single person standing still. To my amazement the band along with as many of the fans they could physically fit on the stage closed the set with the same energy I saw five hours before.
The night ended and everyone went their separate ways. I was left with a ringing in my ears and some thoughts on the world of death metal. One thing that stood out to me was the bond between the fans and the musicians, it’s probably one of the most intense ones I’ve seen. Then there’s the realization that from the outside looking in death metal can be confusing. From the growling vocals to the brutality found in the lyrics and imagery, it’s easy to see why the fans and the bands are misunderstood — but those stereotypes couldn’t be more wrong.
For my first death metal concert — Pyrexia — a band that helped define the genre couldn’t have been better. I gained a new appreciation for the music and the bands that make it. So if you’re wondering if you should catch a show as the band wraps up its tour I would say yes. If you’re a death metal fan you don’t need my recommendation to know that, but it you’re curious about the appeal of the music and maybe a little death-metal-curious, don’t hesitate.
Review & Pix: I’m Music Magazine Photographer/Writer Michael Praats
