By far the heaviest tour of the year pertaining to the Metal genre and perhaps the only tour that actually finished its run in light of the pandemic currently taking place in the world was the Hasten Revelation Tour. I was lucky enough to catch the final night of the tour when it hit Sin City aka Las Vegas NV on March 14th, 2020. This years event saw the return of the legendary Death Metal masters Crimson Thorn in what was being billed as their farewell performances alongside such prevalent newcomers as Taking The Head of Goliath, Abated Mass of Flesh, My Place was Taken (from Mexico) and Crushing the Deceiver.

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At a very dark and decrepit little club in Vegas called The Dive Bar, a fitting name for sure, an evening of brutal intensity, un-expected occurrences and surprising reactions came despite all that the world was seeking to throw our way. In truth there was an underlying sense of community, compassion and ultimate love. The show began with my friends in Crushing the Deceiver. Hailing from Fresno California these guys jumped on the bill for the final two gigs of the tour and I couldn’t be happier that they did. A bit of a departure from the Death Metal stylings that were to follow, CTD offer a bit of a Thrash/Metalcore vibe to their music and while they were the least heavy band of the night, they were well worth the time spent in witnessing their triumphant introduction. A bit of fresh air from the norm of the fest they held their own and succeeded in warming up the crowd with very little effort.

   

Next up was My Place Was Taken from Matamoros, Mexico. These guys were new to me and I was very surprised at their sound which they dub Matamoroscore. Heavy with Death like vocals but influences that come across as progressive, thrash and maybe even jazz. They had a solid bottom end that delivered a bass thump that was unmatched by any act of the night. I appreciate the bands guitarist Abraham Barberi for his bold faith stance in such an unsure environment, but I suppose he is not worried being a pastor in Mexico whose congregation is mostly made up of former cartel members!

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Co-headliner for the night was Taking the Head of Goliath. Theses guys may only have one album under their belt to date but play and perform like they’ve been at it for years. Lead grunter Jake Martin is an absolute beast, while Nathan Sherman aka the riff monster is nothing short of impressive both in rhythm and speed. The guys were doing some serious damage and managed to garner the attention of several attendees who despite not adhering to the bands strong and apparent Christian beliefs gave them the respect they so rightly deserve. At one point I had to step outside for a moment to catch my breath and while there overheard one of the Mongol bikers in attendance of this evenings performance making a call to a buddy to get his arse down to the club ASAP as he was missing out on one of the best Metal acts he’d ever witnessed playing on stage at that very moment. My favorite songs of their set were “This Present Darkness,” no doubt influenced by the Frank Peretti novel of the same name and not the same song from renowned Thrash veterans Deliverance either as well as a new contribution titled “Cord Of Three Strands,” which will be on the bands forthcoming full length release Futility of the Flesh. Rounding out the bands rhythm section for this tour was bassist Luke Renno and drummer Steve Reishus who were both pulling double duty as they would remain on stage as members of the main event in my opinion, the return of the illustrious Death Metal faction known as Crimson Thorn!

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I’ve’ literally waited 25 years for the opportunity to see Crimson Thorn perform being that these Midwest boys have never actually made it to the west coast until now. This tour was billed as the last hoorah for the guys whose plans of retirement were in full effect at the onset of the week-long jaunt. That being said, my subsequent interview with Luke and Miles (coming soon) may in fact reveal that the guys aren’t completely ready to throw in the towel after all. I can say that the wait to see them live was well worth it and I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. Luke’s guttural death growls are unmatched in this genre and the fact that he does it all without the use of any sort of pitch shifting effects is just plain astonishing. Guitarist Miles Sunde hasn’t lost a thing in his skill set over the years as his playing sounds near album quality. He truly exudes the Metal particulates that bring the precision of the music into focus. Once again both Renno and Reishus are a rhythm machine worthy of praise. Some of the reactions that the band received were surprising and at times shocking. As is the norm in situations like this, you typically don’t expect Christians to look and sound the way Crimson Thorn do and their humble profession of faith was met with both respect from some and resentment from others as was the case when one immature young lady decided to flash her breasts at the band for their declaration of love for Jesus Christ. Congrats to the band for playing through and not letting them be affected in any negative manner. I really do hope the guys opt to stave off retirement because seeing them one in a lifetime just doesn’t suffice for me.

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Closing out the night was a band that I’ve recently become acquainted with and have had the immense pleasure of bragging about to anyone I can. Just saying their name Abated Mass of Flesh brings such satisfaction to me that I just have to any chance I get. Here we have a very youthful band that has a future ahead of them if they stick to their guns. Initially a one-man project by guitarist Zack Plunkett the endeavor eventually evolved into a full-fledged band. These guys and girl are phenomenal. They are hands down the heaviest band I’ve ever heard. Complete with a doom influence and a melodic capacity that separates them from their straight-ahead Death Metal peers, they deliver one of the most sonically driven and visually stunning live performances that I’ve seen in quite some time. It was just plain awesome to hear songs from their latest E.P. Not Burned, which has been stuck on repeat in my car for the last month. The band ended the night on a high note giving credence to all who performed throughout the night and although they were not technically the headliners of the event you couldn’t possibly tell from the way they captivated their audience. I can only hope and pray that there will be a 3rd incarnation of the Hasten Revelation tour. What fun this one was!

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-Priest