Arch Enemy and The Black Dahlia Murder ignite a ferocious, five-band metal showcase for an intimate, dedicated crowd at Raleigh’s The Ritz.
On a cool evening during NFL season, the Wrath Across America Tour landed at The Ritz in Raleigh, North Carolina. Packed with a five-band bill, co-headlined by The Black Dahlia Murder and Arch Enemy, the parking lot was completely empty just 15 minutes before showtime. “You’ll have plenty of room tonight,” said a venue staff member, a forecast confirmed inside, where only about 100 people were gathered. While attendance grew to roughly a third of capacity as the night wore on, the sparse crowd did nothing to temper the intensity on stage.
Los Angeles-based Thrown Into Exile opened the show. Since their breakthrough in 2012, the quintet has weathered lineup turnover and personal tragedy while cementing a foothold in the West Coast metalcore scene. Returning to support Arch Enemy after a previous run together in 2025, Thrown Into Exile delivered a sharp set, easily earning the evening’s unofficial award for most headbanging. With their regular bassist having flown home to California for a family emergency, two stand-ins, including Arch Enemy’s tour manager, stepped in seamlessly, anchoring the band’s driving riffs and guttural vocals. Frontman Joshua David Santos worked tirelessly to energize the room, thanking early arrivers and expressing gratitude for the tour slot.
Brazilian outfit Crypta took the stage next following a rapid turnover, instantly shifting the atmosphere. Vocalist and bassist Fernanda Lira commanded the room with a magnetic stage presence and a searing, guttural roar that steered the evening firmly into pure death metal territory. Drummer Luana Dametto and guitarists Tainá Bergamaschi and Victoria Villarreal delivered tight, punishing performances that were as compelling visually as they were sonically.
Launching with “The Other Side of Anger” from their 2023 release Shades of Sorrow, Crypta jolted the modest crowd with unrelenting ferocity. Their five-song set carried a breathless intensity; fans pressed against the barricade and roared between songs, reluctant to let the set end. The moment the final chord rang out, a line instantly formed at their merchandise booth.
Athens, Greece, veterans Septicflesh followed, stepping onto a stage bathed in eerie red-and-blue washes and framed by ominous Romanesque backdrops, reminiscent of an H.R. Giger nightmare. Performing as a trio after their guitarist suffered broken ribs that sidelined him from the tour, Septicflesh surrendered none of their symphonic blackened-death weight. Frontman Spiros Antoniou anchored center stage like a dark preacher at a pulpit, extending his arms to the room: “Are you ready to destroy, Raleigh?”
A thunderous double-bass barrage set the foundation for sweeping, cinematic riffs. While the stage movements felt deliberate and theatrical, the high level of showmanship only deepened the dark, immersive mood of their set.
The Black Dahlia Murder drew the loudest cheers of the night, arriving as the clear draw for a large portion of the audience. Backed by a high drum riser, dense plumes of stage fog, and synchronized video panels, the band charged straight into “Necropolis” and “Contagion.” The floor quickly erupted into crowd-surfing and the night’s first real mosh pit. Vocalist Brian Eschbach paced the boards with cool confidence, his signature snarl cutting through a crushing wall of sound.
Even with the floor at roughly a third of capacity, the crowd matched the band’s energy blow for blow. The career-spanning set featured “A Vulgar Picture,” the galloping “Nightbringers,” and “Miscarriage,” believed to be the track’s North Carolina live debut. “Everything Went Black” prompted a sea of glowing phone screens, while fan favorite “Statutory Ape” featured an appearance by the band’s gorilla-suited mascot in a red bandana. From start to finish, the performance was a masterclass in modern melodic death metal.
The Wrath Across America trek marks Arch Enemy’s first outing with new vocalist Lauren Hart. Radiating pure energy, Hart bounded onto the stage with her arms raised and an infectious smile. The seasoned veterans around her matched that enthusiasm, grinning through blistering set openers “The World Is Yours” and “Ravenous.“
Arch Enemy delivered their trademark melodic precision, though the pit thinned noticeably as a portion of the crowd filtered out following The Black Dahlia Murder. Hart’s buoyant stage presence lent the set an uncharacteristically sunny air, balancing the music’s aggression. Late-set highlight “To the Last Breath” reignited the floor for the biggest pit of the night, before “The Eagle Flies Alone” closed the evening to a booming ovation.
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THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER
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SEPTIC FLESH
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