(Live Review) CHAOS & CARNAGE TOUR - Joliet, Illinois (Suicide Silence + Dying Fetus + more!!!!)

CHAOS & CARNAGE TOUR 2023

Featuring

Suicide Silence

Dying Fetus, Born of Osiris, Aborted

Sanguisugabogg, Crowne Magnetar, Slay Squad

The Forge, Joliet, Illinois

April 22,2023

By The Beard & Little Johnny

Today, your erstwhile concert reviewer, The Beard, and of course everyone’s favorite maniacal sidekick, the irrepressible Little Johnny are in Joliet, Illinois at The Forge and are ready for stop #12, and bands #71-77 on our year-long The Reviews Never Stop Tour.

Tonight, we experienced Chaos and Carnage.

Seven bands of metal mayhem including:

Suicide Silence

Dying Fetus

Born of Osiris

Aborted

Sanguisugabogg

Crown Magnetar

and

Slay Squad

The Beard is upstairs in the balcony, while Johnny is out there on the front lines, aka the sold-out main floor and we are ready for a long night of metal.

First up were California’s self-defined “Ghetto Metal” band:

SLAY SQUAD

Slay Squad is part rap, part hip-hop, and definitely part hardcore metal. This six-piece group gave us a 2023 version of what bands like Public Enemy were doing in the 1980’s. Not my personal thing, but not unlistenable either. Johnny liked the one singer’s hat, and let’s face it, “jump around” music right before a bunch of death metal is kind of like limbering up for our imp of the mosh pit. The Beard is going with a simple 70/100 for Slay Squad.

Second up was some Technical Death from Colorado:

CROWNE MAGNETAR

Wow, even by death metal standards, that’s a brutal voice. Dan Tucker is the evil Cookie Monster all the way. I’m not too sure about the technical part either. It’s still hard for the Beard to pin down all the subgenres, but I would say they are combining death metal with grindcore. Let’s call them deathcore.

There are some decent guitars and drums, but, man, this is what I would describe as “bludgeon you with a pipe” music. This is all Little Johnny so far and I did see him popping it a bit in the main floor central pit. Again, this band is out of my element, so I am just going to say.

73/100

Third up are Columbus Ohio Death Metal act:

SANGUISUGABOGG

Yeah, I had to look it up too.

Loosely translated, it means ...

Blood Sucking Toilet

Which, when you think about it, is pretty clever. I mean, let’s face it, if your toilet attacks you, you are majorly $&@#ed.

These guys have some melody to go with their death. I like the music better, and the pits are much bigger, so the crowd apparently agrees.

At one point, vocalist Devin Swank asked for the crowd to part in the middle of the floor. Swank then tossed a football to a guy who placed it in the center of the floor. The object was to come out of the pit with the ball to earn a free T-shirt. Check out the video at, https://www.facebook.com/100002539373079/videos/561627639172505/

Johnny almost lost his hat in the melee. Great save little dude.

Sanguisugabogg for a brutal, yet totally fun set, earn ...

85/100.

Fourth up tonight were Belgian death metal group:

ABORTED

Although Aborted actually came walking onstage to strains of Aerosmith’s “Don’t want to miss a thing”, not surprisingly, (with a name like Aborted), these Belgium guys are NOT doing any ballads.

There was less pitting than there was for those crazy Sanguisugabogg guys, but I think Aborted were a little more accomplished musically. Of course, that is like trying to determine which audio tornado you like better.

Surfing is intense tonight. Normally, you make the sign, get picked up by the crowd, and passed up to the front of the stage. Tonight though, guys are truly getting thrown through the air out there. I think Brock Lesner may be somewhere in this crowd and is just chucking people at the stage. You can’t say it’s not a party out there tonight. Mosh on little Johnny. Mosh on.

I have to say, at four bands in, THIS is the most intense crowd of the year thus far. I haven’t seen pits like this since Destruction’s tour last year. A guy with a green mohawk was helping Johnny up after he got blasted to the floor and the little dude started yelling that a giant bird was trying to eat him.

Yep, it is hard ass death metal night here in Joliet. I have to say though, Aborted did bring it and even with the death vocals, I’m giving them 88/100 for quite the set.

Fifth up tonight were local boys from Palatine Illinois.

BORN OF OSIRIS

Born of Osiris is more metalcore than death, but not any less brutal, plus this is their home turf on this tour, so it was definitely “on” in the pits once again.

Metalcore is slower in pacing than death, but the same sledgehammer-to-the-sternum heaviness and indistinguishable lyrics. Once again not my thing personally. I’m thinking Born of Osiris is the male version of Butcher Babies AKA heavy metal workout music.

Hometown or not, I’m only going:

81/100

Sixth up tonight East Coast Death Metal legends:

DYING FETUS

Important note here, while Dying Fetus was setting up to play, The Beard got to witness something he never expected to see or hear, A death metal crowd singing "YMCA". View the video here. https://www.facebook.com/100002539373079/videos/1104936637565792/

Now, onto Dying Fetus. The Beard actually thought he’d hate them. I am, however, becoming a death convert apparently. Dying Fetus, despite the guttural vocals, jackhammer on your skull music, and possibly the most distasteful T-shirt I have ever seen (and that is saying something), in their merch area, this band is musically very good. Surprisingly right on with rhythm. I have to say the Beard liked their music.

Biggest shocker for me since the Carcass set of 2017.

This set marks a rare occasion for a death metal band. Making a foray into the world of 90/100.

Great set by Dying Fetus

Headliners tonight were California deathcore unit:

SUICIDE SILENCE

Grindcore crossed with death? This may not be awesome. Is Johnny still conscious? The Beard is definitely booking the next show.

Singer Herman “Eddie” Hermida, screams the lyrics with everything he’s got. That guy ain’t holding nothing back. The band is powerful and just sort of avalanches through their songs. As Johnny likes to say, “Mosh, surf or duck”.

Their song “Wake Up” could be my new alarm clock lol. Very metal. Suddenly to have Hermida screaming “WAKE THE FUCK UPPPPPPPPP!!!!” Yeah, that is one way to start your day off right.

The show did have a lot of between songs talking, but man when he did sing and they did play, it was intense, and the set definitely had a couple firsts. For example, that is the first time The Beard has seen a mosh pit take out Jesus. Check the video https://www.facebook.com/100002539373079/videos/127848440271669/

Additionally, that is the first time I’ve seen a pit just stop in order to find someone’s glasses, and they actually did find them. Dude got his glasses back intact. Bravo metal crowd.

While I can’t say I loved Suicide Silence, as always, I graded the set-in front of me, and that WAS a fun set. So, The Beard is going.

86/100

That wraps up one long night. The Beard will retrieve whatever is left of Little Johnny, load him on the bus and get us both back home. Until we roll again, remember, you can read our weekly Concert Review column as well as all The Beard and Little Johnny reviews at www.themightydecibel.com

Additionally, check out hundreds of videos of all the bands we have reviewed by going to TikTok and searching thebeard0728, or #thebeardandlittlejohnny

Until next time, this is the Beard and Little Johnny saying:

Horns Up!!