Despite the heat bearing down, fans somehow mustered up the energy to go all out for this significant moment in the DFW metal scene.
Creeping Death celebrated their 10-year anniversary with special guests.
Courtesy of Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio
“I'm kind of naturally a worrier,” Creeping Death guitarist Trey Pemberton admitted after the band’s set. “Then the day of, it's just like, ‘all right, day's here. Let's lock in, let's have some fun, all the homies are hanging out.’”
Indeed, the day was like a who’s who of the local metal and hardcore scenes. It was full of moments for musicians to catch up and reconnect with friends they haven’t seen in a while. Talent was also brought in from outside of Texas, opening powerviolence act Level are from California and crossover thrash band Enforced hail from Virginia.
In coordination with his own Blind Dogs Booking, Creeping Death vocalist Reese Alavi explained that he’s been working on booking the bands since January, and it was no easy task.
The hard work absolutely paid off in terms of experience and discovering different offerings on the day. One of the sets that stood out was Denton-based Skimp, which Alavi said was his favorite Texas band. Their shoegaze-meets-slowcore was, as the guitarist stated, a midday breather from the intensity (don’t worry, there’s still plenty of distortion).
Fleshrot, Kombat and Torture Tomb all brought their own interpretations of death metal, whereas Skourge laid down some crossover thrash. Myth Carver was another left-field booking for the day. Invoking '70s heavy metal acts like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, the vocalist and his leather jacket with chain-fringed fringe made sure to give the crowd a dose of classic metal.
As the sun started to set during Kombat’s performance, the moshing was amplified and larger crowds started to gather. Pemberton pointed out the mix of young kids and longtime supporters.
And the most important longtime supporters were given a shout-out from Creeping Death: the families. “I liked the part where we shouted out our parents on stage. That was really nice,” Pemberton shared. “All of our families have been helping us since the beginning, so it was really nice for them to get some love back.”
Celebrating 10 years led to some open and heart-filled moments for Creeping Death. Alavi explained that the song “Boundless Domain” was about Riley Gale, and in an emotional moment, announced the set as the last with bassist Rico Mejia and drummer Lincoln Mullins. Sometimes something as crazy as hugging is allowed in death metal.
After the set was over and revelers started to recuperate, the band members embraced their families backstage and mingled with the other bands. Summing up his experience of the day, Pemberton remarked: “It felt like just kind of hanging out with your friends and then just jamming, except, you know, four or five hundred people also come and watch you do it with your friends.”
See more photos from Saturday's show:
Chico, California’s Level kickstarted the day with a lively set at the outdoor stage.
Kristin Lockhart
Torture Tomb didn’t let the heat get to them as they played the patio stage earlier in the day.
Kristin Lockhart
Kombat noted during their set that they played with Creeping Death exactly eight years ago.
Kristin Lockhart
