Black Death Rager Hits Dallas

October 20, 2022

*Pustulus Maximus in Dallas. Photo by Craig Youngblood*

It was a warm October evening at Amplified live and fans were pouring into the parking lot and venue trying to find their spots to get set to experience the Black Death Rager tour with GWAR and special guests Nekrogoblikon, and Crobot. The rock juggernauts GWAR put together an incredible lineup for the tour and made sure it would be an unforgettable experience for everyone there. Fans were lining the rail, at merchandise tables, and funneling through the door as the time to start getting closer.

Kicking things off for the night was melodic death metal band Nekrogoblikon and you could see their fans lining up at the front waiting to see the band and of course the Goblin. As the time drew near the band walked out one by one and got set in place to give us a taste of what they are capable of in a show. The singer Nicky “Scorpion” Calonne walked out and welcomed the crowd to the show and told them there would be no Goblin tonight and the crowd erupted the boos and yelled they wanted to see the Goblin. The band kicked off into their opening song Golden Future and after a few minutes, the Goblin came running out on a stuffed horse running around the stage. The Goblin immediately started messing with the band members, and then galloped to the front of the stage and began interacting with the fans that had gathered there tonight to see him welcoming them all in. They continued through their set crushing every song they played and having fun interacting with the crowd and letting them be involved in the show. Nicky stepped and told the crowd this is the time for the heaviest song in our set and it is called The Magic Spider as soon as they struck the first chords to the song the fans began jumping around and singing along with every word of the song. Nekrogoblikon finished out their sets with two monstrous performances of their songs This is It and Powercore. During these final two songs, you could see the middle of the floor open, and fans began swirling in a circle moshing all around against each other having a blast.

After a short break, the fans returned to the outside stage and were welcomed with a large egg sitting in the middle of the stage and waiting for the members of Crobot to come out and kick things up another notch on this unforgettable night. One by one they come out of the darkness and join each other on stage and get set to start the portion of the show tonight. Suddenly the egg started to crack in some spots, and you could see light spilling out and moving around inside of it and everyone was wondering what was going on. The band hit the chords to Electrified and the top of the egg flew off and up out of the middle Yeagley came flying out and jumped out onto the stage and grabbed his microphone and started singing. As soon as he began singing, and dancing all over the scene he commanded the fan’s full attention, and you knew you did not want to take your eyes off him throughout the show. This was hard to do as every member of the band was interacting with the fans and having a great time playing up there. As they worked their way through the set, they played a little Motorhead cover and then introduced their newest single Golden. After they wrapped up that song Brandon Yeagley pulled a sword out of a stone and began walking around holding it up in the air and having some fun with his band members. He continued to walk around until he suddenly jumped up onto the shoulder of his guitar player and kicked them off into their last song of the night Low Life and the crowd erupted with cheers, yelling, and devil horns all over the place. Halfway through the song he jumped down to the stage and finished the song replaced the sword, thanked the crowd, and departed the stage and the crowd begged for more.

As the crew finished setting everything up the final act of the night GWAR the heavy metal Juggernauts were set to take the stage. The fans had taken the set-up time to take a break, grab some merch, and get back to their spots in the pit. As the time drew for GWAR to take the stage the lights dimmed, and they began playing a video about how their show started and how it has grown to what it is today. It was a small history lesson on the band and showed some of the highlights they have had over their momentous career so far. Moments after the video stopped the crowd began chanting GWAR, GWAR, GWAR, and suddenly another short video began playing and asking the crowd if they were ready. The fans then began shouting WE WANT GWAR repeatedly until a tall creature took the stage to hype them up even further. As they continued with their chant the members of GWAR began making their way onto the stage where the drummer was welcoming everyone to the show. Blothar welcomed all of us puny humans to the show and kicked things off with their song Cutter which led to their hype man having his head cut off and blood began shooting everywhere covering the crowd as they welcomed the bloody mist that was covering them. They continued through their set and came up to Bring Back the Bomb which led to more blood and mayhem on the stage with Blothar striking the combatant with a blow-up bomb. The whole band is incredible, and it is amazing to see the sonic mastery that they can perform while dressed in their costumes. These guys are true shredders and were incredible to listen to and watch as they continued the onslaught of blood, mayhem, and comradery on the stage. Of course, every new character, they introduced led to them being decapitated or having their faces ripped off which led to more blood baths over all the human filth that was in attendance that night. They continued the visual and auditory assault of your senses into the night running through their large catalog of songs for everyone to enjoy. They wrapped up their set with a two-song encore which included Sick of You and the final song was Fu*# this place the crowd soaked up every minute they could and were still wanting more after the final chord was played.

As the house lights went back up, blood was everywhere on the ground and dripping from the fans and the rail in front of the stage. It looked like a massacre scene that you see in a horror movie, although all you see is smiles on the fan’s faces and lots of laughter and comradery of what they have all just been through together. This tour is continuing and if you see a date close to you make sure and go check them out and get yourself a new white shirt and wear it but don’t expect it to stay that way for long. Make sure you go check out this show and support this incredible line-up they put together for visual and auditory pleasures.