Written by:
Published:	12.06.2007

June 6th, 2007 was a great day for me and many death metal fans. The Summer Slaughter Tour, which kicked off on June 1, was on a roll and had finally arrived in Atlanta. The one problem: Necrophagist was having trouble with U.S. Customs and missed the first few shows of the tour. However, Necrophagist was let loose, minus Sami Raatikainen who was having trouble getting into the country.

My brother and I arrived to the Masquerade, the venue, just missing the first band Beneath The Massacre. The venue was already packed and the crowd was ready for some action. Ion Dissonance was the next band to perform. They were given time to play about 4 or 5 songs, but their set was not too impressive. The sound techs did not do a good job of balancing the guitars and drums. Every song was very loud, and the sounds bled together. However, Ion Dissonance soon finished their set and the sound techs got everything in order for Arsis. If you haven't heard of this band, then you need to check them out. They are one of America's hidden treasures with a brutal blend of technical and melodic death metal. My brother and I quickly moved to the front of the crowd to witness this band. After a short sound check, Arsis took the stage and began their mind blowing set. Even though It was short, only five songs, Arsis played a powerful and flawless set that included the songs "The Face of My Innocence" and "A Diamond For Disease." After headbanging, throwing up lots of metal horns, and dodging the moshers during the Arsis set, I made sure to pick up a copy of their first album A Celebration of Guilt.

The Faceless took the stage after Arsis. This young California death metal band proved that they had the skills to be playing amongst such greats as Necrophagist and Decapitated. However, the band's brutal and technical songs were not matched by a good stage pressence. In fact, one of the guitar players would repetedly spit into the audience and the band did a lot of standing around. After The Faceless's bland set, As Blood Runs Black took the stage. This quintet refreshed the audience with a mix of death metal and hardcore. At first I wasn't sure what to think of the band. Not being much of a hardcore fan, I was a little sceptical of As Blood Runs Black's mix of death and core, but the songs and the energy of the band washed away my doubts. In fact, many of the songs had pretty good guitar harmonies, solo bass parts, and tight drumming. The set only got boring when the band played some boring breakdowns.

For the fans that weren't there for the core, there were no worries because up next was some gore. Meaning it was time for Cattle Decapitation to take the stage and brutalize the hungry audience. I'm not a big fan of the gore grind sub genre of death metal, but I have to say, Cattle Decapitation put on an entertaining show. The songs were brutal, the solos were fast, and the vocalist, Travis Ryan, was odd. Cattle Decapitation's frontman was very energetic and would often use gestures to express mood of the lyrics. Cattle Decapitation's gore grind was followed by more gore grind as Cephalic Carnage took the stage. However, downstairs Daath was taking the stage in another section of the venue. Daath's new release, The Hinderers, took me by surprise. Mixing elements of death metal, black metal, and industrial rock with great musicianship and songwriting, Daath is definitely a band to watch. The band's performance was depressingly disappointing. This was not the band's fault though. The downstairs sound techs ruined the set. Everything was turned up loud and the instruments were not balanced making for one loud and undeciferable performance. Even though it was annoying to not be able to hear the musicians, there will be many opportunities to see this band in the future.

The frustration soon ended as we headed back upstairs to see the headliner, the mighty Necrophagist. Decapitation had just finished their set, and my brother and I, once again, made our way to the front of the audience. Necrophagist took the stage and the audience cheered them on. Even without Sami, Necrophagist was brutal, the songs were flawless, and Muhammed Suicmez made up for the missing player. Necrophagist's set included Fermented Offal Discharge, Extreme Unction, Stabwound, Epitaph, Seven, Only Ash Remains, The Stillborn One, a drum solo, and a few other songs. Suicmez's technical ability was jaw dropping. The songs were so perfect, it was almost as if we were listening to the album. Stephan, Necrophagist's bassist, was equally amazing. Marco Minnemann, the new drummer, was probably the biggest surprise. From Necrophagist's albums, one can tell that Suicmez and Stephan are good, but what about the new drummer? Not only did Marco play the songs flawlessly, he also showed off a little. Imagine the fastest parts of any Necrophagist song, now envision Marco twirling and tossing the drumsticks in the air between each movement while still keeping up with the grueling tempo. I've never seen drumming so good in my life. His drum solo included these acrobatics as well as the fastest and most technical drumming I've witnessed. Even the stage guards turned around in awe of Marco's god-like skill. Necrophagist played an amazing set that I will never forget.

Overall, the night was amazing. There were only a few disappointments, and the rest was awesome! My favorite sets were Necrophagist's, Arsis's, and Cattle Decapitation's. If you live in the U.S.A. and the Summer Slaughter Tour is coming to your area, don't waste your time, and get a ticket now. June 6th, 2007 was a brutal night filled with great metal performances by great bands!