Nick Hughes
Opinion Editor
Suffocation, The Black Dahlia Murder, Necrot, Wormwitch, Decrepit Birth, and Lasciaté played a show at the Chameleon Club this past Saturday evening. All the bands were fantastic. Growing up with heavy metal and transitioning to heavier genres, this concert was great to attend.
The first band, Lasciaté, is from Hershey, Pennsylvania. It was surprising to see such a young band play technical death metal styled songs. Sure, there were hardcore aspects to the songs, but that did not stop many of the attendees from enjoying the band. They will go far in the underground scene for metal, just as other local metal bands like Black Crowne Initiate and Rivers of Nihil have done. Both bands hail from Reading, Pennsylvania.
The rest of the bands were amazing, to say the least. Suffocation killed it, and Necrot, a band many had never heard of, was exceptional. Promoting their newest album, “Blood Offerings,” they were well-received by the crowd. Discovering this band was a highlight of the night for some fans. They really played their hearts out and it looked like they themselves were having a wonderful time playing for the crowd at the Chameleon. The lead singer saying, “It was a f**king pleasure playing for you guys, really.”
The headlining band, Black Dahlia Murder, was pretty good. There were plenty of people who went just to see Black Dahlia Murder, but many left having a better appreciation for technical and brutal death metal. Fans were cheering at the end of all the sets because it was apparent the bands left it all on the stage.
The music that was played is not for the faint of heart, to say the least. With Suffocation playing songs such as “Pierced From Within” and Necrot playing “Rather Be Dead,” it was a more mature show. That is not a bad thing, however.
Overall, it was an amazing concert, although it was a smaller venue and it felt like the upper levels were going to break at any moment due to the blast beats from all the bands. There are few feelings that can describe the brutality the concert had. In between sets was somewhat of a low point, considering how crowded it was.
Lancaster is in a crossroads of sorts, and the Chameleon club accommodates all types, giving bands a great place to play. It was great seeing a heavier line up, though. While there is nothing wrong with the hard rock that the Chameleon usually plays, it seemed more people wanted to head bang than what was expected.
It is great to see the Chameleon having heavier bands playing there. Hopefully, they will continue this trend after the success of the Saturday night show.