By Christopher David,<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are here to play the devil\u2019s heavy metal!\u201d proclaimed Bewitcher vocalist\/guitarist M. Von, setting the tone for the night before launching into \u201cSatanic Magick Attack\u201d at Reggie\u2019s Rock Club on Thursday as the Vile Ascension tour arrived in Chicago.<\/p>\n
Following a short but brutal set from Florida death metalers Caveman Cult, Portland black metal trio Bewitcher delivered a flawless nine-song set that showed exactly the nature of their own ascension.\u00a0 Their most recent album Cursed By Thy Kingdom<\/em> continues to make good on their Venom-influenced promise of hook-driven, anthemic paeans to the devil, blasphemy, and all manner of demonic sin.\u00a0 \u201cToo Fast for the Flames,\u201d \u201cUnder the Witching Cross,\u201d and eponymous set closer \u201cBewitcher\u201d all bore the hallmarks of classic speed metal with not an ounce of fat.\u00a0 For this black-metal loving reviewer\u2019s money, Bewitcher are the best thing going right now.<\/p>\n New York death metal outfit Incantation was next up, and the band\u2019s current creative boom was manifested in their hour-long set.\u00a0 With a rarities compilation on deck in October (Tricennial of Blasphemy<\/em>) and still riding the wave of their 2020 release Sect of Vile Divinities<\/em>, and the quartet delivered a nonstop string of sludgy riffs, with tunes like \u201cEntrails of the Hag Queen\u201d and \u201cCarrion Prophecy\u201d showing off the band\u2019s versatility in arrangement; Incantation remain one of the strongest death metal acts we have.<\/p>\n New Orleans\u2019 Goatwhore served as the headliner, though it\u2019d be tough to consider the Vile Ascension tour as less than a co-headlining tour.\u00a0 No matter; Goatwhore are one of the tightest live metal bands out there, and vocalist L. Ben Falgoust II is a towering presence on stage, effortlessly commanding the crowd during cuts like \u201cBaring Teeth for Revolt\u201d and \u201cAlchemy of the Black Sun Cult.\u201d\u00a0 Guitarist Sammy Duet embodies the spirit of thrash onstage, and his riffs on new single \u201cBorn of Satan\u2019s Flesh\u201d set the bar high for Goatwhore\u2019s forthcoming album Angels Hung From the Arches of Heaven. <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a while, hasn\u2019t it?\u201d snarled Falgoust as he introduced \u201cCollapse in Eternal Worth\u201d from 2012\u2019s Blood for the Master<\/em>, and judging from the frenzied pit and capacity crowd\u2019s response, it had been.\u00a0 Far too long, in fact, so let\u2019s hope they\u2019re back sooner than later.\u00a0 As the Vile Ascension tour has proven, the audience for extreme metal remains as loyal and present as ever.<\/p>\n For more on Advorsa, click here<\/a><\/p>\n For more on Caveman Cult, click here<\/a><\/p>\n For more on Bewitcher, click here<\/a><\/p>\n For more on Incantation, click here<\/a><\/p>\n For more on Goatwhore, click here<\/a><\/p>\n =============================================<\/p>\n