A good death metal show is hard to find. Typically, you get stuck with a crappy lineup, awful sound, and moron fans getting in the way with their attempts at a pit. I usually stay away from these shows unless it’s a band that I really dig playing. This time it would be Cattle Decapitation. I’d seen Decap at the Maryland Death Festival a year ago and they really surprised me. Before they were just an above average deathgrind band with the vegan thing going on, but with the release of The Harvest Floor I felt that they had really evolved into something special.

There were a few no name bands opening so I decided to show up late, arriving halfway between Devourment’s set. I had seen this band at MDF as well and found their brand of slam death to be incredibly boring. At first I thought that I might be proven wrong, as the guitars were crunchy and the double bass was heavy but after five minutes I wanted to die. There is absolutely pointless music and then there is slam death. Nothing but stupidly simplistic riffs all played at the same speed with the same volume with the same grunts over and over. There are people who like their burgers plain and their burgers filled with condiments. The fans of this band probably don’t want the bun or care if you even put it on the grill. It’s heavy, sure. But without context it is also meaningless and dumb. Next.

Luckily there was nothing in between me and Cattle Decap. I rushed to the front of the stage and grabbed the center. The band set up their equipment and left for the greenroom for the obligatory atmospheric introduction. Fortunately, when they took the stage they did not mess around. Opening with Unintelligent Design the band took full force and filled the room with the disgustingly brutal setting the band is known for. Travis Ryan in particular is always a beast live. He grunts and squeals like the animals they sing about while making sure to hock up as much phlegm as he can while doing it. Josh Elmore’s guitars were crisp and it is quite a wonder to look at. His style is very far removed from the typical death metal guitarist, utilizing effects and a lower distortion than most would.

After a while, I stopped headbanging, moshing, and thrusting the horns in the air. I just started to watch. Once I had my fill, the concert become more of a certain performance art than a music show. With Ryan completely in character as a psychotic preacher against humanity it was interesting how detached I became from the actual music and how much more focused I was on the performance of it. It reminded me of the band Portal and how their shows are not about headbanging but about staring mouth open in awe of what you are witnessing. They played through a lot of material that I knew and finished the night with Into the Public Bath.

Afterwards, I was mentally and physically drained. This was a weird feeling as I normally am used to the physical drainage, but was surprised by the beating my mind took. I left feeling depressed and worn out. Maybe it was the darkened and claustrophobic atmosphere of the small club compared to the sunny amphitheater from Maryland. Maybe the show hit me harder. Either way, I think that this was the feeling that the band was trying to convey and I feel that they hit it admirably. Here’s to you Cattle Decapitation, ye put on a good show.