Vancouver, BC, ludicrously speedy technical death metal band Archspire recently released their new full length, “Too Fast To Die” and have been headlining the Long Roads Big Loads Tour across North America. They live in my PNW zone, and normally I would have seen them in either Seattle or Vancouver. Unfortunately, the timing of the PNW shows conflict with my trip to Mad with Power Fest. Fortunately, I was able to time a work trip with their Orlando date, and I was looking forward to hearing the new material as well as seeing my first show in Orlando, at The Abbey.

I was completely unfamiliar with the other 3 bands: Mutilation Barbecue, Crown Magnetar, and Undeath. Admittedly, the first 2 bands were not my thing, so I will not cover them in depth here, though I will say they both had very energetic sets and got the crowd going. I thoroughly enjoyed Undeath and will cover them in addition to the mighty Archspire!

I will say that the sound was a bit hit and miss at The Abbey. I was right up front, touching the stage and slightly offset to the left (stage right), and it was difficult at times to hear the vocals clearly (as well as the guitarist stage left). I cannot attest for how it sounded further back, but I do know some venues have dead spots, particularly close to the stage. Regardless of non-perfect sound, I really enjoyed the show!

Rochester, NY, death metallers Undeath played third on the night, and they were super impressive. With subject matter including all the insane survival techniques in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, I knew I was in for some intensity. The band knows how to bring the old school 90’s death metal vibes, but they infuse it with great melodies and killer guitar solos, keeping what can sometimes devolve to repetitive and boring to fresh and exciting. Jared (lead guitar) and Tommy (bass) were in front of me for the entirety of the set, and they were so fun to watch, setting their strings on fire as they constantly ripped riffs and leads, with expressive facial expressions and tons of adrenaline. The second guitar and drums were also incredible, and vocalist Alexander had a brutal delivery while engaging the crowd with tons of energy. The audience was riled up and having a blast, with plenty of moshing and crowd surfing. It was such a fun show!

Undeath played an 11-song setlist spanning all their albums. The setlist was:

1. Endless Graveyard
2. Necrobionics
3. The Funeral Within
4. Defiled Again
5. Suitably Hacked to Gore
6. Shackles of Sanity
7. Enhancing the Dead
8. Chained to a Reeking Rotted Body
9. Rise From the Grave
10. Lesions of a Different Kind
11. Brandish the Blade

Vancouver tech death masters Archspire headlined at The Abbey in Orlando, FL. Though they are a part of my PNW scene, I had actually never seen them live. I love their latest album [read the review!], insanely fast and brutal while still maintaining melody and a lot of variety. Lead vocalist Oliver has a unique approach with his rapid fire staccato death growls that are almost the death metal equivalent of rapping, and I was curious how this translated live. Admittedly that was true for the entire band, as they hardly ever take their foot off the gas. I mean it when I say they absolutely blew me away, never flinching as the bpms broke the speedometer. Oliver is a phenomenal frontman, constantly moving and engaging the crowd while machine gun spraying his vocals ad infinitum, with goofy interludes between songs. He told terrible jokes, brought up 2 guys to see who would win a “shoey,” talked about being told no by the Guinness Book of World Records and trying to set a record by having enough people call their mom at a metal show (watch the video for “The Vessel” on YouTube!), and he even brandished a bubbles-shooting gun several times! The crowd surfing was incessant, the circle pit constant, and the energy was absolutely sky high. It was an intense show that was incredible, and I look forward to seeing them again.

Archspire played an 11-song set featuring 4 of the 8 new songs, with the remaining from their other full lengths. The setlist was:

1. Intro / Drone Corpse Aviator
2. Remote Tumour Seeker
3. Red Goliath
4. A.U.M.
5. Human Murmuration
6. Limb of Leviticus
7. Bleed the Future 
8. Golden Mouth of Ruin
9. The Vessel
10. Involuntary Doppelgänger 
11. Carrion Ladder

Sometimes I have to be creative fitting in the shows I want to see, and I am glad I was able to do so here. Archspire blew me away, and Undeath made a new fan. I look forward to seeing both again, ideally with better overall sound.