Girl at the Rock Shows

I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. Buying a townhouse with an HOA is one of the biggest ones. I have been fighting them over various things lately, and after not getting shoveled out after the snowstorm the other night, I was on a rampage on Wednesday during the day, asking said HOA what I’m paying for when I have to shovel everything myself. Long story short, I was crabby, pissy, and just a bit spent by the time Wednesday night rolled around, but thankfully, First Avenue had a show on the books that was sure to fix all of that and then some.

I know that I just saw Tribal Gaze over the summer when they opened for The Acacia Strain at The Varsity Theater, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t stoked to catch them again on Wednesday night at the iconic First Avenue. This band, like the other three bands to follow, is a heavy band but, like the other bands, had a little special something that set them apart from everything else on Wednesday night, and that special thing in the case of Tribal Gaze, is the way they seem to blend something just a bit more classic with a very modern and fresh groove. It’s almost like the skeleton of their sound is based on something much more retro and of a different vintage, but the power and brutality they add to that classic sound make it something more modern and perfect. Throughout their set, I was given glimpses of bands ranging from Bad Brains to Snaguisugabogg. Although they were first up on a truly insane four-band line-up, Tribal Gaze was the perfect act to warm people up to the idea of a death metal show on Wednesday night. I’m sure catching this band twice in one year is just luck, but it’s a trend I hope continues into 2026.

I was introduced to Frozen Soul, the next band to grace the iconic First Avenue stage, when I saw them open for Gatecreeper last fall. The band hit me as truly larger-than-life, and I’m not saying that just because of the fact that vocalist Chad Green looks like a wrestler. I won’t dive into that again because you can just go back and read the initial review HERE, but I will say that, although it’s only been about a year since I first saw this band, I feel like they have really honed their sound and power. Don’t get me wrong, they sounded great the first time I saw them, and that’s how I got hooked into this Dallas, Texas band’s orbit, but something just felt a bit more polished on Wednesday night. The sinister vocals rang in that perfect void of space behind my teeth while the drums made my hair move in just the right ways. Their sound, like their volume, was powerful and intense, but never overpowering. What was overpowering was the power that this band seemed to have over the audience. It was one of those scenes where this band could have asked the audience to do anything absurd, and the audience clearly would have obliged. Case in point? At one point, Chad asked the audience to start doing “pit push-ups” (AKA instead of pushing and shoving your way through a pit, get on the nasty, beer-drenched ground and start doing push-ups). I kind of scoffed at the idea, but then looked behind me and saw that many people were down on that nasty ground doing push-ups. If that doesn’t leave you feeling a bit intimidated but also hugely intrigued by this band, I don’t know what will.

I know I’ve taken a step back from the metal scene, both local and national, but I find it hard to believe that, after all of my time spent in this scene over the past few decades, Wednesday night was my first time ever seeing Aborted live. This Belgian death metal band is absolutely legendary. They have been doing their thing since 1995 without stopping. You could feel that legendary status the second this band took the stage on Wednesday night. They hopped right into their set with a sense of perfection and brutality that can only come with years of doing this. Don’t get me wrong, I know that vocalist Sven de Caluwé is the only original member of this band, but I have to believe that the bandmates who joined Sven on stage have paid their dues to the scene, just based on the perfection they brought to both the speakers and the stage. Although Aborted’s set was truly brutal and sinister in all of the right ways, there was something almost playful about it at the same time. That playfulness really shone at the end of the set when the band had “Sandstorm” (everyone’s favorite techno bop from 2000) blaring through the speakers. The reason for this, as Sven explained, was that, essentially, this world is a mess. Everyone is pinning everyone against everything, and it’s just terrible to see, but with the help of music, we can all escape that messiness and darkness for at least a couple of minutes while at a live show. Okay, clearly paraphrasing there, but I just loved how playing this slice of techno cheese brought this mean-looking audience together in a fist-pumping show of love and community.

I remember, when I was young, swearing off the band Cattle Decapitation. I was a fresh vegetarian and just felt that this band name went against everything I stood for at the time. Fast forward, and I realize how freaking silly that was. Sure, I am not in love with the name Cattle Decapitatio, but this band’s sound is so flawless, so legendary, I can’t believe I went any amount of time without worshiping this band. Like Aborted, Cattle Decapitation is a legendary band. They got their start in San Diego and, although their line-up seems to be always changing, their unique deathgrind sound has remained the same, and, no matter how many times I get to see and experience it live, it never gets old.

Like the rest of this line-up, Cattle Decapitation’s music was heavy and intense. It was hard to understand the guttural and primal screams that were wafting through the air, but you don’t have to understand the words to get the message, especially when it comes to a band like Cattle Decapitation. You can either get lost in the technical ability of this band or, like me, you can get lost in the cathartic experience that is seeing this band live. They give you an outlet for anything and everything. If you’ve been having a bad day, get in the pit and take that aggression out. Having a good day? Linger on the sides of the pit and enjoy the brutality as it hits you like a truck to the chest, and keep your eyes open for anyone needing a hand in the pit. Having one of those days where you just feel like you can’t feel anything at all? Just stand there, anywhere in the venue, and let the music wash over you. Let the sounds and vibrations sink deep into your soul and, within minutes, I promise you will feel something.

Look, metal isn’t for everyone. I know this, and the four bands that played on Wednesday night lean into the heavier side of things, which is even more niche, but if you were in attendance at this show, chances are you left either feeling something for the first time in days or feeling better than when you walked into the venue. Either way, I think it’s safe to call Wednesday night a win.

Line Up:

Tribal Gaze

Frozen Soul

Aborted

Cattle Decapitation

Venue: First Avenue

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 47

Crowd Surfers- Lost Count at 32

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 11 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $2.32

Broken Bones- None Noticed

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Bodies

Fights- None

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Tribal Gaze – 1

Frozen Soul – 1

Aborted – 0

Cattle Decapitation – 5

Show on Deck —Your Smith / Beemer

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