The Glacial Ascension Tour featured 5 bands on a short tour up the West Coast, culminating in an appearance at Day 3 of Glacial Mutilation Fest in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The penultimate stop was at Substation in Seattle, WA, on Friday, February 20, 2026, and I had the opportunity to attend. The bands who played were Embrium, The Devils of Loudun, Blighted Eye, Exuvial, and Cyborg Octopus. Unlike many tours, each band had essentially the same length set: 30 minutes. This made the night fly by while also giving each band equal opportunity to perform (well almost, more on that later). 

Bay Area blackgaze band Embrium started things off. I loved their debut full length album, “Timekeeper,” which was released in March 2025. It was always on my list to review, but sadly I never got to it (but I will definitely plan on reviewing the next one!). When I first listened to the album, I was struck by the dichotomy between the slower shoegazey parts and the more furious blackened sections, all tied together with thick dreamy atmosphere. This translated so well live, and the entire set was just incredible, drawing you in to the beauty of the music while it crushed you. I actually didn’t realize the band utilized 2 vocalists, and it was fun watching Jade deliver her blackened shrieks while Mosahefu soothed us with her silky cleans. Embrium was a great way to start the night!

Embrium played a 5 songs, all of which were from their 2025 album “Timekeeper.” The setlist was:

1. The Chantry
2. Hyperion
3. Dream Hunters
4. The Witchening
5. Eclipse

Seattle’s The Devils of Loudun played second. I was surprisingly not familiar with them  despite knowing both Vance (vocals) and LJ (bass) from Luminator, but I was excited to see them for the first time. Their sound melds super technical death metal with the orchestration and bombastic stylings of symphonic metal (sans the operatic vocals), resulting in tunes that are super heavy, melodic, and just massive feeling. Vance is a beast on vocals, doing pretty much anything he wants while melting your ears. All the instruments were fabulous, with crushing riffs, incredible guitar solos, pulverizing drums, and atmospheric orchestration. They were full of energy and really got the crowd going, and I quite enjoyed their set.

The Devils of Loudun played a 6-song setlist, which included a brand new song from their upcoming album. The setlist was:

1. The Scourge of Beast
2. Anamnesis
3. Praise the Eternal Nightmare
4. Entering Oblivion (Interlude)
5. Dominion
6. Upon Further Reflection (New Song)

Seattle progressive death metal band Blighted Eye played third. I had seen them once before nearly a year ago when they opened for Dawn of Ouroboros, and I was impressed with their stage presence and performance. The same was true this night. The band was super tight, and a power outage on Kyle’s (guitarist / lead vocalist) pedals rig during one of the songs didn’t even phase them. The songs have a nice blend of melodic and heavy, and they sounded so good live!

Setlist

Blighted Eye played a 4-song setlist. It was:

1. The Wounding
2. A Feast for Worms
3. A Reverent Stillness
4. Agony’s Bespoke

Denver progressive death metal band Exuvial played fourth. I was somewhat familiar with them, having listened to some of their material ahead of this tour, but I had never seen them live. Progressive extreme metal is one of my favorite genres, so I was very curious to see how their complex song compositions would translate live. 

Unfortunately, there were some technical difficulties as they were getting set up, resulting in their starting a bit late. As soon as they started playing, I was absolutely mesmerized, getting lost in the myriad melodies, rhythms, dynamics, and layers in the first song. After it was done, they delivered the sad news that they only had time to play 1 more song. Given the 30-minute sets all around, I would have loved for Exuvial to have gotten their full time despite the difficulties. Despite the short set, they were one of my favorites, and I definitely need to find a way to see them again soon! I easily could have listened to them all night. They were that good!

Exuvial originally had 4 songs planned, but they only ended up being able to play 2 due to the late start. The setlist was:

1. Hive Mind II: Advent of Segmentation
2. Necrotic Dissolution

Bay Area band Cyborg Octopus was the headliner. I had never seen them before but knew two of the band members: Bobby (guitars) who I have seen play multiple times with Dawn of Ouroboros, and Patrick (vocals / saxophone / keytar) who I have seen play his sax multiple times with Rivers of Nihil. At the most basic, the band’s sound could be described as progressive metal, but it is literally all over the place, melding genres as diverse as death metal, metalcore, funk, jazz, ska, and disco. You never know quite what you are going to get! I was really curious how their unique brand of metal would translate live.

Each member of the band is literally like the Energizer Bunny, except they have had a 12-pack of energy drinks and literally bounce around like Tigger. Watching Cyborg Octopus perform wasn’t just a concert, it was an experience. The energy exuding off the stage was infectious, and they had the crowd riled up and literally bouncing everywhere. They had people dancing, headbanging, and even got a conga line going, which vocalist Ian and guitarist Bobby left the stage to go join! It was such a fun show and a great way to end a great night. Needless to say, it translated to the live setting exceptionally well!

Cyborg Octopus played 8-songs, all while engaging the crowd and not once standing still. Their setlist was:

1. Old Stories
2. Disco Brain
3. Sharkpit
4. Afterburner
5. Dreamkiller
6. Defective Immediately
7. Baptism of Clay
8. Data Minefield

For an extreme metal show, there was a ton of variety, and it was cool to see the progression of genres as the night wore on. The group of bands was fantastic, and I would love to see any of these bands again. Exuvial is definitely on my short list given the unfortunate cut short set, but I do hope the 3 non-Seattle bands find their way back! And I look forward to seeing the 2 local bands again soon!