It’s been a little while since I last posted about a concert that I went to. The last few shows that I have gone to have been for fairly well-known metal bands. Metalheads for the most part know groups like Mayhem, Obituary, Cannibal Corpse, etc. However, while looking for other shows to go to, I stumbled upon a bill for an underground show at Brooklyn Monarch. The show – Day of Death Live – showed a multitude of underground death metal acts all coming together for a great cause. The entire day was dedicated to Brian Pattison, a key figure in death metal, with the proceeds going to the Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
Brian Pattison
Now, before I get into the bands and setlists themselves, I would be remiss to not make mention of Brian Pattison. Brian Pattison was a very influential figure in New York Death Metal, particularly in Buffalo, New York. He helped to organize various raffles and events for the underground metal scene and promoted many metal bands in the Buffalo area. He also published a photography book, showcasing various concerts in Buffalo. Brian cultivated strong relationships with the death metal acts he maintained contact with throughout the years. Sadly, in 2020, he passed away due to complications with COVID. His brother, Matt, had organized the event to pay tribute to Brian. Matt got in contact with some of the acts Brian worked with and they all got together to perform in tribute to their fallen brother. With that, let’s get into the bands and sets.
Sewage Grinder
Up first was Sewage Grinder, a two-person grindcore band from Ohio. I don’t typically listen to grindcore – I enjoy it here and there, but it’s not my go-to metal genre. Given that, I had never heard of these guys beforehand. However, I actually liked their set. For a two-person band, the intensity was strong and the songs even had a small hint of groove to them, even if subtly. On top of that, their guitarist, whose name I didn’t hear, was fairly involved in their set and in others’ sets.
Overall, as I said, I liked their set. Admittedly, I think that the addition of a bass player would be beneficial to their lineup. However, that’s just my take. If the group doesn’t add one, I think they will be fine. A big part of the fun of underground shows like this is discovering bands that you never knew about. Grindcore is a genre that I would like to check out more. Sewage Grinder helps to act as a good starting point for me. The group does have its own Bandcamp page, so check them out when you can.
Anthropic
After Sewage Grinder was Anthropic, another grindcore band from Buffalo, NY. Anthropic is an important act for this show since Brian Pattison was a guitarist for the group. Since its founding in 2016, the band has released a full-length album and a few EPs. Again, while I’m not a huge grindcore fan, I liked their set. And having never heard of these guys before either, I wonder how much more grindcore I am missing out on. Check out Anthropic’s Bandcamp page and listen to them for yourself.
Embalmer
The third act for the day was Embalmer, a death metal act from Cleveland, Ohio. Embalmer was active in the 1990s, disbanding near the turn of the century. The group reformed in 2005 and has since put out two full-length albums. Their set was alright, leaning a bit more towards brutal death metal at points. I can be a bit picky when it comes to brutal death metal, but overall, I think I’m a bit more favorable towards them.
Deceased…
After Embalmer came the first headliner act of the night – Deceased, from Virginia. I have talked about Deceased in-depth previously, but this was the first time I ever got to see them live. When I got to the venue, I went over to their merch table before the show started and got myself a shirt for “Supernatural Addiction”. I even got to talk to King Fowley while getting my shirt, and he was such a nice, chill guy. King was also appreciative when I mentioned that Deceased is one of my five favorite bands of all time.
Their setlist was a ton of fun from start to finish. They opened with the intro to Dying in Analog and went on to perform iconic songs like “Morbid Shape in Black”, “The Premonition”, and “Beyond Science”. Meanwhile, I’m headbanging like a maniac, having fun seeing them perform live. King was entirely on vocals, while Amos Rifken handled the drumming. On top of that, guitarist Shane Fugal is going nuts on guitar throughout the entire set.
Deceased did not disappoint in the slightest. I sang along to their songs and they were by far my favorite act of the night. I even got a guitar pick from Shane Fugal when their setlist was done. Energetic and fun from start to finish, they are an all-killer, no-filler act you certainly do not want to miss out on.
Incantation
One of the last acts of the night was the iconic death metal act Incantation. This set was a first for me, as it was the second time that I’m seeing them in such a short span of time. In the past, when I saw the same band live, there was usually a fairly significant amount of time between concerts. Between the Nile show in March 2022 and this show, I listened to more of Incantation’s material. I wanted to get better acquainted with their material. Admittedly, I did not get that far into their discography, but I still want to check it out in its entirety.
Incantation performed a few songs from their second album, Mortal Throne of Nazarene, released in 1994. I hadn’t listened to that album (Listened to Onward to Golgotha – Incantation’s first album), so all of these songs were new to me. Songs from other albums were added in, but the focus seemed to be placed on the second album.
In addition, Incantation brought on a guest vocalist, whose name escapes me, towards the end of their setlist. If I remember correctly, the two songs played with their guest vocalist were in dedication to former Incantation bassist Ronnie Deo, who passed away about a week before this show (Ronnie Deo ? -2022; Rest peacefully, fallen brother). Overall, I thought that Incantation’s set was alright. I think that being more familiar with their material would make their set more enjoyable for me. But I enjoyed what I heard during this show.
Massacre
The final act of the night was Massacre, an on-again, off-again death metal act from Tampa, Florida. Reformed in 2019, Massacre released a new album “Resurgence” on October 22, 2021, and performed songs from that album. The other album that got focus was the band’s initial release “From Beyond”. Overall, their setlist was pretty good. People were enjoying their material and vocalist Kam Lee was engaging with the audience – a sight that is always great to see.
Unfortunately, the night got cut short before Massacre could finish their entire set. However, Massacre made the best of what they had left, and the night ended on a high note. It was nice getting to see them live. Now, after their set, there were two more bands – Malignancy and Nunslaughter – that were set to perform at a nearby bar. However, I felt exhausted after six live performances non-stop. So, decided to head home after Massacre’s set, skipping out on seeing Malignancy and Nunslaughter.
Conclusion
Overall, this show was a ton of fun and brought a lot of great people together. Matt Pattison, Brian’s brother, organized the entire event (Bands, raffles, everything) and was very thankful for people coming out. The bands got to share stories about Brian and what he meant to death metal as a whole. I’m certainly glad that I got to be a part of the event and was able to pay tribute to such an important figure in metal. Brian Pattison will certainly be missed by the metal community.
Brian Pattison 1970-2020; Rest peacefully, fallen brother