Apr 3, 20232 min read

Carcass, Municipal Waste, Sacred Reich, and Creeping Death at The Observatory (Photos)

A high octane tour opener set the stage for the stacked bill as they head across the states.

carcass, death metal — Photograph by Maurice Nuñez

Text, Photographs by Maurice Nuñez (@devilman.138) at The Observatory:

It's been two years since UK legends Carcass released their widely acclaimed seventh full-length, Torn Arteries, and it remains a heavy favorite among the death metal arena, and rightfully so. This past Friday, March 31st, the band kicked off another North American Tour run at The Observatory in Santa Ana alongside a slate of genre greats and new blood, that being Creeping Death, Sacred Reich, and Richmond's Municipal Waste, who are supporting last year's ripping release of Electrified Brain.

In short, this touring bill delivered a punch and The Observatory stop was a thrilling kick-off worth documenting from beginning to end.

Bodies moved and cheers were roaring as each band left it all on stage, excelling in their musicianship from one track to the next. It's a difficult act to come on after the explosive thrash of label mates Municipal Waste, but as The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue hit the speakers, Carcass came on and stirred the hundreds in attendance with the menacing Kelly's Meat Emporium. Selections from the band's latest album, as well as the iconic Heartwork (1993) and Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious (1991), had the spotlight throughout. More specifically, Heartwork's title track, Corporal Jigsore Quandary, Under the Scalpel Blade, and Buried Dreams among others stole the show with Bill Steer and frontman Jeff Walker in prime form. Screams reverberated throughout The Observatory as melodic death metal riffs flowed with precision, coming to a standout conclusion with Tools of the Trade. Carcass remain a musical stronghold and as the tour heads out to the rest of the country, we'd be remiss not to recommend indulging in this festival of aggression.