Meshuggah with special guests Cannibal Corpse, and Carcass stormed The Fillmore in Detroit, delivering an unrelenting onslaught of sonic destruction.
It was an unseasonably warm night in Detroit—almost unnervingly so. The humidity hung thick in the air as metalheads poured into The Fillmore, burning with anticipation. The calm before the storm was almost palpable, with severe weather threatening on the horizon. But inside the venue, the weather was already chaotic. The house was packed to the brim, every metalhead from the deepest corners of Michigan gathered for what promised to be a night of audio devastation. All are here to experience the unique metal amalgamation of Meshuggah with special guests Cannibal Corpse, and Carcass.
The night kicked off with Carcass, a band that has been pulverizing audiences for over 30 years. Their set hit like a freight train, charging through a collection of classics with a relentless drive that left no one standing still. As they opened with “Unfit for Human Consumption,” the crowd was immediately thrust into a storm of grisly riffs and unholy rhythms. The brutal grooves of “Buried Dreams” showcased what fans have come to love in Carcass’s unique blend of rot and roll.
The rhythm section of Carcass was nothing short of ferocious. Drummer Dan Wilding unleashed a hurricane of blast beats and precision drumming on tunes such as “Tools of the Trade” and “Heartwork,” each strike of his kit a violent reminder of the band’s technical prowess. And, of course, it wouldn’t have been Carcass without the unmistakable growls and pummeling bass of Jeff Walker, whose guttural vocals add the perfect amount of filth to the savage sound.
On the guitar front, Bill Steer and James Blackford delivered blistering riffs and blazing solos. Whether they were hammering the grooves of “No Love Lost” or providing throat-slashing solos on songs such as “Buried Dreams,” Steer and Blackford were a study in power and aggression. While Carcass’s set was short, it gave fans that blood-tinged taste of extreme metal music.
Next up, the titans of monstrous death metal – Cannibal Corpse. As the opening strains of “Scourge of Iron” raged, the place exploded into a frenzy of headbanging, moshing, and pure unbridled chaos. Corpsegrinder’s guttural screams were enough to send shivers down your spine, while the band’s brutal rhythms left you wondering if you’d survive this onslaught. The setlist was an absolute bloodbath, and with “I Cum Blood” and “Hammer Smashed Face,” they proved they are still the reigning kings of gore.George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher, the towering frontman with a voice that could summon the dead, wasted no time in drawing the audience into his world of guttural mayhem. His deep growls and deafening roars commanded attention while his ferocious headbanging – hair flying in a whirling blur—set the tone for the rest of the show.
The relentless rhythmic juggernaut of Alex Webster and Paul Mazurkiewicz, kept the crowd in a constant state of frenetic motion. Webster, the master of ravaging riffs and sonic thunder, locked in perfectly with Mazurkiewicz as he unleashed brutal blast beats and rapid-fire fills on songs such as “Evisceration Plague” and “Unleashing The Bloodthirsty.” The menacing duo of Rob Barrett and Erik Rutan provided a relentless onslaught of bone-splintering riffs. Hair flying, Rutan’s dark, intricate leads sliced to the bone on “Summoned for Sacrifice” and “Blood Blind.”
Cannibal Corpse’s setlist was a brutal feast of death metal classics. They closed out with the violent spectacle of “Hammer Smashed Face.” The band’s bludgeoning performance left the audience saturated in sweat and satisfied.
As the crew put final touches on the stage prep, the tender caress of George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” put the audience in the mood for love. With the stage set, the lights dropped, signaling the final act of this evening’s cavalcade of musical extremes, Meshuggah. Talk about something completely different. This band is more than metal. Meshuggah are sonic alchemists, mixing time signatures, polyrhythms, and abstract composition into a dense, mind-bending maze.Opening with “Broken Cog” from their latest album Immutable (released in May 2022 via Atomic Fire), the sonic devastation of Meshuggah threatened to warp both space and time. Fans were treated to a smorgasbord of classics, including “Rational Gaze,” “Combustion,” and “Swarm” – tracks that haven’t graced live sets in years. The musical performance by Meshuggah was tenacious, fierce, and captivating. Tomas Haake’s drumming showcased his speed, finesse, and power on “God He Sees in Mirrors.” Adding greater depth and punch to the seismic rhythms of “Lethargica” was the bass of Dick Lövgren. The massively complex battery from the guitars of Fredrik Thordendal and Mårten Hagström was scorching on songs such as “Born in Dissonance.” And Jens Kidman’s vocals? They were the soundtrack to an apocalypse, the last scream of a universe breaking apart.
But what truly took Meshuggah’s performance to another level was the mesmerizing light show. It was beyond a light show – it was a living thing. The lasers pulsed and writhed with the music. It was as if the lights themselves were trying to escape the constraints of physics, whipping around the venue with precision and intensity. Each flash synchronized with the chaotic rhythm of Meshuggah’s songs, adding a visual layer that matched the intricacy and aggression of the music. The crowd was swept up in the cacophony, the lights and sound melding into a surreal and intense spectacle of sound, lights, and chaos. The visage from the back of the house was surreal as crowd surfers seemed to ride blast waves of sound.
All in all, this show was an absolute masterclass in extremity. Meshuggah, Cannibal Corpse, and Carcass proved why they remain untouchable in the world of extreme metal. Three bands, each with a legacy carved in stone, each delivering their own brand of auditory madness, making this one of the most intense and unforgettable concerts to hit Detroit in years. If this tour is any indication, 2025 is going to be a year of sheer unrelenting devastation.
