On a warm Sunday evening in the start of spring we ventured into Glasgow to catch Ingested on the Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams tour.
Opening the show (as Vulvodynia had been delayed joining the tour due to visa issues) was local slam legends, OCD (Operation C*** Destroyer). OCD had their rise to fame in the early to mid 2010s due to their ridiculous samples, lyrics, song titles and grotesque imagery. After being on hiatus for some time they have returned to the stage with a (mostly) new lineup and are somehow sillier than ever. Featuring a barrage of inhuman noises for acting vocalist Liam McCall; IQ lowering riffs from guitarist Stewart Duffy; and ridiculous low notes from Scotland’s most handsome bass player, Jordan Burns. The band warmed the crowd up to begin the show with ease, getting circle pits and other unusual antics from the audience. As the name may suggest, this band isn’t exactly family friendly, making this clear with a plethora of obscene samples followed by even more obscene songs. A highlight of their set was when they dedicated one of their many silly songs to “the Fallujah fans at the back standing with their arms crossed.”
Photo by Jos Hurley
From here on Melancholia took to the stage with an evidently more serious atmosphere. Adorned in gothic makeup and costume, this band wasted no time in pummelling an already excited audience with unhinged deathcore riffs and absolutely vicious vocals to match from frontman, Alex Hill. Their set was relentless with blastbeats, some OG deathcore inspired breakdowns, and haunting atmospheres to match, all backed by an energy and presence that elevated the performance to an almost theatrical experience. This band could easily be compared to Lorna Shore due to the snarling vocals and blackened riffs, but Melancholia have their own unique atmosphere to them as they unashamedly own every facet of their aesthetic and style. Their set featured a series of monolithic tracks from their recently released debut album “HissThroughRottenTeath”, truly setting a high standard for the acts to follow.
Photo by Jos Hurley
Following on from here was the band that a large portion of the crowd had been waiting for. Fallujah graced the stage and immediately unleashed their signature brand of tastefully technical death metal on the audience. With almost unending double kicks and guitar lines reminiscent of Steve Via over death metal rhythms, the crowd was eager to show their appreciation with circle pits and more crowd surfers than most will have ever seen in a venue that size. Thankfully, this set was not all furious tech death, offering some clean passages and sung vocals as moments of reprieve. Frontman Kyle Schaefer did an excellent job helping to maintain and build upon the energy from the band previous, keeping the crowd so readily engaged with his unbridled intensity. Despite the stark differences in sound and atmosphere following on from a band like Melancholia, the crowd adored this set and it is clear from this performance that Fallujah remain in a class of their own.
Photo by Jos Hurley
Finally, Slamchester’s finest, Ingested, took to the stage. Ingested tow a very fine line between deathcore, death metal and slam, pulling a lot from each of these styles into a sound that has heralded them as the UK kings of slam. With the release of their latest album “The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams” behind them, they gave Glasgow a masterclass in guttural noises and chromatic riffs. The crowd erupted with excitement and anticipation as they opened the set with “Paragon of Purity”. Glasgow has had the pleasure of being belted by ingested previously on a recent run with Lorna Shore and in return for this experience they chose to open the biggest circle pit a 350 cap venue has seen.
Photo by Jos Hurley
Their set consisted of an eloquent mix of classic material amongst the new songs which managed to win over all the oldheads waiting to hear tracks from “Surpassing The Boundaries Of Human Suffering”. There was no dropping of the energy throughout the entire experience thanks to the decimating guitar tones, insane drumming and truculent vocals. Ingested treated long term fans to what they’d all been waiting for and ended on a high note for all with their acclaimed slam classic “Skinned and F****d”. Ingested are veterans at this point and have proved that they are still going strong as the undisputed kings of UK slam metal.
