Photo by DYLAN LONG
The Decibel Magazine Tour made its Philadelphia stop this past Saturday at a packed-to-the-brim Union Transfer, as hardcore and metal fans flocked from far and wide to experience the likes of Vallenfyre, Pallbearer, Converge, and At The Gates. Each band brought a unique sound to the table, all while sharing the communal staples of headbang-inducing riffs and sympathy for the devil. Salem, Mass. hardcore heads Converge exploded onto the stage as openers for At The Gates, but it’s fair game to say that these guys stole the show. Vocalist Jacob Bannon spent the set in a convulsive headbanging fit as the group thrashed through an impressive 12-song stretch. Crowdsurfers constantly poured onto the stage and Bannon met them with an angst-y glare before offering them the microphone to scream what lyrics they could before security yanked them away. Next up, death metal Swedes At The Gates took the stage to sentence our souls to eternal damnation. With his wild smirk and signature trucker hat, frontman Tomas Lindberg rattled off horrific anthems such as “Raped by the Light of Christ” and “World of Lies” as the band serenaded the massive circular pits of drunk punks raging below. At the end of a long loud night of death, doom and despair, it was clear the Decibel Mag Tour remains one of the scariest and fucking wildest hardcore tours of modern metal era. — DYLAN LONG