THE BLACK OPERA ACROSS NORTH AMERICAN TOUR : FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE / SHADOW OF INTENT/ INGESTED / THE ZENITH PASSAGE / DISEMBODIED TYRANT

It's been 10 years since I have seen Fleshgod Apocalypse in Las Vegas and that was at a small club just off downtown so I was really looking forward to seeing the evolution of this band after all the years. Co-headlining on this tour was Shadow of Intent, and along for support were Ingested, The Zenith Passage and Disembodied Tyrant.

DISEMBODIED TYRANT is a progressive symphonic deathcore solo project by Blake Mullens, vocalist, singer and songwriter. They played a totally instrumental set, and talk about a brutal sound! I really got a taste of the project and their crushing sound.They are out in support of their newest EP The Tower:Part 1, find out more about the band HERE.

THE ZENITH PASSAGE are a death metal band out of Los Angeles, and right away you noticed the technical guitar playing along with the deep guttural vocals of Derek Rydquist. Zenith is an amazing band signed to Metal Blade Records, with their most recent album Datalysium, out now, and we got to hear several cuts in their set kicking off with "Axiom of Error". Near the end of the band's set Rydquist came out onstage carrying a plate of tacos and told the crowd “You have to eat when you can when you're out here on the road”, before finishing off the tacos and the set with a brutal "Algorithmic Salvation". More on The Zenith Passage HERE.

INGESTED came all the way here from the UK, was by far one of the hardest bands we were treated to for the night. The deathcore band consists of Jason Evans on vocals, Sean Hynes on guitars, Lyn Jeffs on drums and Dom Grinard on bass, and is on the road promoting their latest Metal Blade release, The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams. Total excruciatingly brutal set from this band, and check them out HERE.

SHADOW OF INTENT was co-headlining on this tour, and all I can say is WOW this band totally blew me away. SOI is an independent band that hail from Connecticut and features Ben Duerr on vocals, Chris Wiseman on guitars, Andrew Monias on bass and Bryce Butler on drums, who is constantly smiling and seems to be having the time of his life behind the kit. It is an understatement to say this band is good live, they really gave a searing performance and the floor was one giant pit, a real set to remember. They have release a new single this year, "Flying The Black Flag" More on the band HERE.

Before starting their show FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE came out onstage and stood in silence, while singer Francesco Paoli explained that a few days ago their female singer, Veronica Bordacchini, came down ill and for the first time in over 1000 shows, and in13 years together she will not be able to sing with them tonight. They were devastated and wished her a speedy recovery, and had two options - cancel the show, or play with a backing track with her vocals, which is what they decided to do.

So the show goes on... FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE stage setup was one of the best I have seen in the House of Blues, a epic production, with a backdrop that was a massive theater with candelabras onstage and a huge grand piano on a riser. The band took their positions onstage as we heard the haunting operatic sound of "Ode to Art (de’ Sepolcri)" followed by "I Can Never Die", both off their 2024 release Opera, which gave us a real preview of what we were in for. To see how far this band has come since their club days is nothing short of unbelievable, they are Italian death metal at another level.

In the middle of the band's set Francesco told the crowd it was "so weird not having Veronica here, I turn to look at her and she is not there"! He thanked all the bands who played for the night, and then told the crowd “You look tired and we don’t care….split the floor and wait until I say and then go!”, and the crowd created a big wall of death that mutated into a mosh pit. Fleshgod put on one of the most visual shows I have seen in a long time and really came through even with a missing integral member, and gave a spectacular show. At the end of the set, the band gave us all a big surprise - they came out with Veronica to cheers from the crowd, and she gave the heart sign back to them - an emotional moment and perfect way to end their incredible set.

The Black Opera Tour was a night of insanely heavy music and visual performances from five amazing bands. The tour is almost over, winding down with two more shows, but Fleshgod has more 2025 dates up and more HERE.