Ecclesia Diabolica Amerika 2018 Tour |

Behemoth, the polish black metal goliath covered the biggest market in North America headlining in their Ecclesia Diabolica Amerika 2018. Along with them, At the Gates and Wolves in The Throne Room created a brutal atmosphere at each venue they stepped in to. On November 23rd, 2018 they showed The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, Ca. what powerful music does. This was a sold out show, and San Franciscans showed they devotion and admiration for these acts.

The sold out show was warmed up by the powerful sounds of Wolves in The Throne Room, who played a phenomenal set. The crowd was caught outside as the intense security measures prolonged the entry to the venue, but better safe than sorry right. Wolves in The Throne Room have an intense set, playing loud with their classic black metal elements. The mayhem commenced early in the night as the crowd moshed, and created a tantalizing atmosphere. The relentless wind whirls created by the both Nathan and Aaron Weaver spread the infernal flames across the venue. With atmospheric introductions, WTTR, emerged from the darkness to play a neck breaking set, their act is a must see.

The Swedish melodic death metal band, At The Gates brought their undeniable unique sound to America. Having done an earlier tour with bands like Los Angeles locals Thrown Into Exile, their trek with Behemoth was memorable. The brothers Anders Bjorler and Jonas Bjorler are masters of their craft, and their energy on stage spread venue wide. With amazing guitar riffs, from tracks like “Slaughter of The Soul” to “Blinded By Fear” the band performed with ease and talent. Vocalist Tomas Lindberg rages on stage as he delivers gory lyrics. His vocals have a recognizable tone, one which is memorable. It is undeniable that At the Gates plays with their hearts to hundreds of metal heads, and they reciprocate with chants, crow surfing and intense moshpits. The drumming by Adrian Erlandsson is relentless, setting the fury of this bands sound which they have carried world wide since 1996 after their regrouping. They recently released their titled album, To Drink From The Night Itself, via Century Media go purchase it. The playlist was brutal, a total riot if you ask me, but the fans showed their love for this band since the opening track. Even though, the set had multiple songs, it felt short and the raging fans wanted more; shows you they sure as hell performed magnificently.

The night was coming to an end, but before that happened the mighty Behemoth set the place a blaze. Behemoth recently released their most artistic record, one which has elements or rock, black metal and all that is evil titled I Loved You at Your Darkest, via Metal Blade Records. Behemoth, went on stage wearing black skull masks, and delivered a breath taking performance. The Polish blackened death metal purveyors enticed the crowd with tracks like “Wolves ov Siberia”, “Bartzabel” and a classic one, “Conquer All”. Seth, lead guitarist plays with intensity and headbands as he delivers striking guitar solos. Meanwhile, Adam “Nergal” Darski and Tomasz “Orion” Wroblewski teamed up to deliver what is a godly like performance. During the ceremonial performance, Inferno executed his throne with an exploding force. It captivated those who before them stood and raged in the pit. Nergal, the frontman of this band has a virulent presence on stage, he delivers his art in musical form expressing ideas which are controversial, extreme and harrow the souls of many in to the darkest realms of existence. Orion, is a beast on bass, his physique is intimidating and looks like a titan on stage delivering brain crushing notes.

The spectacle is like a ceremonial experience, there is more to their lyrics, sound and brutality that meets the eye. Despite the lack of ventilation in the Regency Ballroom, Behemoth and fans all congregated to witness what was pure mayhem. This band’s live performance is one of the best extreme death metal has to offer. With different costume changes, and musicianship Behemoth have become the titans of blackened death metal and have ravaged sold out venues. The night came to and end, and both fans as well as the band left more than satisfied. With the mixture of old tracks and plenty of new ones Behemoth has catapulted their way across North America with more than one phenomenal record, and they are being recognized world wide for their latest release I Loved You At Your Darkest.