FOTOBOM: CANNIBAL CORPSE, POWER TRIP, GATECREEPER @ ROYALE

Fourteen records. I had to go back and count and found it hard to believe. That’s how many full-length studio records death metal titans Cannibal Corpse has put out. Touring in support of their latest, Red Before Black, don’t expect any open tuned acoustic guitar love ballads here. “Shedding My Human Skin,” “Remaimed,” “Heads Shoveled Off” – yep, gore and violence are still their main stock in trade. Front man George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher still sings and performs lead head/hair swirl duties while the rest of his brethren lay down nasty riffs. Don’t look for nuance unless you consider a kick to the face as nuanced. If the you hadn’t thought of the band since their 10 seconds in the limelight, don’t worry – they’ll never die.

Judging by the avalanche of press and word of mouth exposure that Power Trip has gotten this year, it seems like they are primed to be the next Deafheaven or Baroness, the newest metal band to get ushered into the mainstream. Let’s hope so, because this Dallas quintet has the power, the songs and the work ethic to thrive. Perfectly named, this band exploded out of the gate with “Soul Sacrifice,” the lead-off track of their excellent new record Nightmare Logic. Forging the rigid hardcore drumming of Chris Ulsh to the razor-sharp brutality of guitarists Blake Ibanez and Nick Stewart propel the no-nonsense vocals of Riley Gale, it’s almost impossible not to punch holes in the air and whip your hair, even if you’re bald. The power of their riffs is unmistakable, some sort of weird hybrid of Immortal, High On Fire and prime era Metallica. If that mix sounds tasty, bring two spoons. Big ones.

Gatecreeper kicked off the proceedings, and were well-received as an opener. Bathed in green light for their entire set, this Arizonan five piece kicked up a lot of dust and proved they can swim in the deep end. Their set wasn’t quite as chaotic as when I saw them earlier this year at Psycho Las Vegas, but that’s a minor quibble. I somehow missed their set when they toured with Pallbearer back in the Spring, which found new life as a limited cassette. Bonus points for the excellent mustaches worn by singer Chase Mason and Eric Wagner.

Check out photos of all three bands here: