Heavy Metal in DFW

Evolution has manifested itself for millions of years in the past and it’s very likely to continue until the end of time. Music is definitely one of the human creations that has witnessed evolution to create a legacy and stay relevant among as many generations as possible. More specifically, heavy metal has taken multiple forms since it’s inception, and there’s no doubt that one of those styles is probably the most relevant in this decade: deathcore.

On Wednesday, October 30^th, 2024, the GRANADA THEATER in Dallas, TX opened it’s doors to hundreds of die hard deathcore fans, as one of the most anticipated tours of the fall featuring New Jersey’s FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY, BODYSNATCHER, DISTANT, SYLOSIS and JUDICIARY took of on a remarkably heavy tour for the books. Each band was completely capable of bringing their unique style and stamp a permanent print of this experience for the fans and no one walked out disappointed. I personally was extremely excited to see the British heavy metal band SYLOSIS come back to north Texas grounds for the first time in 12 years! All was taking shape to become a legendary night.

JUDICIARY took the task to warm all of us up. This band also turns out to be from the west side of Texas, so the crowd brought a hometown show vibe during their performance to get us ready for the next incredible bands to take the stage. With just 2 studio albums released since 2019, there’s no doubt that the young generation of metal musicians are stepping in strong with great desire of getting their name known in the scene.

Up next, one of the reasons I personally made sure that my calendar was free to show up early: SYLOSIS. I still remember the last time this band showed up in Dallas, which was back in 2012 opening for Vinnie Paul’s (R.I.P.) HELLYEAH, IN FLAMES and LAMB OF GOD. That night landed among the top 10 list of best concerts of that year, and thanks to Spotify’s recommended artists and songs, I’ve had the fortune to keep SYLOSIS on my favorite artists rotation, as the vibe they bring with their music is just exactly the level of spiciness that I like in my metal music.

A few tracks made it into the setlist including “Poison of the Lost”, “Pariahs”, “Cycle of Suffering”, “Teras”, “Worship Decay” and “Deadwood”. A very solid mix of their material, with a few details in production, but nothing stopping people from having an excellent time and the huge level of energy that was unpacked in the venue that made it seem like it was just yesterday since these musicians visited the state of Texas. Make sure to catch them next year on tour with AUGUST BURNS RED, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE and TRIVIUM.

 As the venue continue to pack, I felt it was a great idea to take advantage some empty spaces of the venue to continue making my way closer to the stage and appreciate a better perspective of how the modern deathcore shows are enjoyed by the fans. It was time for DISTANT to take the stage. This Dutch band brought some real deathcore to our ears, with vocalist Alan Grnja rocking a BUC-EE’S outfit to celebrate Halloween ahead of time and continuously make jokes about making the beaver proud. Although this was my first time seeing the band, it was great to see the natural connection with the crowd in Dallas.

Moving on, it was turn of BODYSNATCHER to come and destroy the stage. This is a band of young boys from Florida that have gained so much popularity in recent years. I had the opportunity to see them for the first time back in 2022 with other death metal bands like FROZEN SOUL, CHELSEA GRIN and DYING FETUS. Offering a slightly different style than what I usually listen, BODYSNATCHER left it all on stage, rocking Ghostbusters customers from start to finish, they had the crowd moving back and forth to their songs and breakdowns. Very solid set that had everyone sweating for their lives for almost 1 hour. Sadly, I’m still not familiar with most of their songs, but I can guarantee that there was no break for all the fans to rock their hardest to every single song that BODYSNATCHER played during their set.

 Finally, it was time for FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY to take the stage. I’ve been keeping up with this band for about 6 years now, and I can guarantee that they’ve never disappointed me with their records or shows. It’s a very solid kind of deathcore that leans more into death metal, but still delivers some heavy breakdowns. This tour is in support of their latest record “The Nothing That Is”, which has been very well received by fans, showing their positive reaction during each one of the new songs.

There was no need for FFAA to wear any customs, as the vibe they created already reflected Halloween in it’s purest form. “Lower Purpose” was the chosen song to start the set, where lead vocalist Joe Badolato showed us his tremendous voice power, followed and confirmed by other songs like “A Higher Level of Hate” and “Red Horizon”, which is taken from the new album and highly acclaimed by the concertgoers that night.

The band then performed a smooth transition into “Black Mammoth”, which is one of my favorite songs, followed by “The Sea of Tragic Beasts”, which is also a more recent banger that they’ve included in latest tours. The performance in general had very few stops, one including to introduce the following song “Savior of None / Ashes of All”, which offers a few segments with clean singing. Not something that most fans are used to, but I really liked the combination of FFAA’s style and this proposal.

During the second half of the set, we got to hear other bangers like “Warfare”, “Pandora” and “Hellions”. All of these tracks taken from different albums and gradually increasing the level of intensity for the entire show. The crowd did not back up and continued giving back that energy to keep the momentum going.

Moving towards the last portion of the show, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY closed on a high note with a mix of classic, new and older songs like “Far From Heaven”, “Hostage” and “Two Towers”, which is a rare song to close a show, but ideal to make the turbulence calm down and make fans remember that the warzone can’t last forever. The entire night was an excellent roller coaster, full of unique variations from each one of the bands, which will hopefully headline many tours ahead of them.