Deicide and friends – June 16, Dallas
By Ryan Javier
Photos by Alexis Benitez and Ryan Javier
DALLAS – Amid controversy and confusion, the much anticipated six-band 2015 Metal Alliance Tour was cancelled after metal heads Entombed A.D. dropped out. Headliners Deicide decided (no pun intended) to continue with the remaining acts, Hate Eternal, Lorna Shore, Svart Crown and Black Crown Initiate. The tour began in Seattle on June 6th and was scheduled to run through the month of June, There were thirteen shows scheduled with the last to wrap in Charlotte on June 20th. However, after Entombed A.D. dropped off the bill the new tour, dubbed simply “The Deicide Tour”, was shortened to only nine stops. The new show never made it past Dallas.
Shortly before arriving in north Texas, the official announcement came: two more bands, Lorna Shore and Hate Eternal had dropped out and what was scheduled as the sixth date (Dallas), would now become the final stop.
Rumors of all remaining dates being cancelled ran rampant over social media the afternoon leading up the Dallas show on June 16th. There was such confusion and misinformation that fans were unsure as to whether or not the Dallas show was still happening. The afternoon of the show, venue management in Dallas were inundated with calls regarding whether the show would continue as scheduled. They spent hours responding to incorrect tweets that the show had been cancelled.
Ticket sales and attendance in Dallas were severely affected by all the rumors, especially since there was little insight as to why all these bands had dropped off the tour. That still remains a mystery.
The north Texas band, Dead Rising, was added to pad the bill for the Dallas show at Gas Monkey Live. TTL’s reporters attempted to question band reps at the merch tables, and were immediately stonewalled. Failing to uncover any facts as to why the tour had collapsed, our reporters then turned their attention to the show itself.
First up were Texas natives, Dead Rising. The crowd was sparse, however the band played on as if there were thousands. The band was unknown to our staff, however upon hearing the band for first time, TTL reporters were so impressed by Dead Rising, that their performance prompted TTL do a separate piece on them. Keep an eye out for the exclusive interview and pictorial! Follow @deadrisingband on Twitter for upcoming shows.
The next act on stage came all the way from France. They were Svart Crown. The band were true professionals and, as was the case with Dead Rising, Svart Crown played as if it was packed-out house. The band performed songs from their current album, Profane, as well as tracks from their previous recordings. Svart Crown’s set, although the same length as the other supporting acts, seemed shorter. Their music was so intense and so wicked, that the band left the audience screaming for more. Score a copy of their current LP here and follow the band on Twitter at @Scofficial .
Following Svart Crown were the Black Crown Initiate (@BCInitiate on Twitter). By this time, word had spread that the concert was still on and the crowd began swell. Spurred on by BCI’s hard, driving death metal, a mosh pit soon developed and with that, the concert officially became a “metal show”.
Last but certainly not least, the headliner, Deicide took to the stage. A near-capacity house of headbangers and moshers erupted in a cacophony of cheers when the Floridian death metal band appeared on stage. Deicide did not disappoint the fans in Dallas and played an extremely well balanced set of classics and fan favorites, spanning their entire discography.
When asked the question of how long would Deicide perform, venue management simply said “It’s the last stop of the tour; they (Deicide) will play ‘til they get tired or until ‘last call’.” The three-song limit was lifted for our photographers as well, with the official statement from the venue being “Y’all can shoot all night, for all we care.”
So, what began as a tiny show in a large venue, became a hugely attended concert of epic proportions. The silver lining amidst all the confusion over whether or not the show was on or not, was that it served to circumvent any pre-planned protests. Deicide is known for their controversial lyrics and themes and often religious groups concurrently protest the band’s performances from outside venues. There was none of that outside (or inside) the Gas Monkey Live. What ticket holders got was exactly what they paid for: an onslaught of metal and a kick-ass time.
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