Festival In Review: Las Vegas Deathfest XI
I’m going to skip my standard format and get down to the nitty-gritty about LVDF year XI.
If you have not gone to this festival yet and are a huge fan of brutal death metal this should be on your bucket list to attend. Even if it’s just for one day (I still recommend all 3 if you can swing it). Just non-stop brutality, endless merch and most importantly a strong sense of the F and C words, FAMILY and COMMUNITY.
Yeah, yeah, I know I sound sappy as fuck. But this festival and festivals like it just can’t be replaced by anything else. Bands and fans from all over the world coming together for one purpose, the love and admiration for metal music.
The Brutality Begins
Day 1 -06.06.2019
What a whirlwind for me. Scrambling to prepare for my balls to drop to ask bands to
interview while making sure I had business cards and stickers up front for people coming into the show and getting my feet wet on understanding where I could and could not go as press was a little overwhelming at first. Armed with a cell phone and a camcorder I shot video and Facebook LIVE footage of the various performances throughout the day. Running up and down the stairs to the green room to make sure that I maintained my batteries for both with my portable charger.
Highlights of Day 1:
Accidentally Murdered opened this festival up with a bang so much so that I ask them to 
interview on the fly. These guys were super polite and down to earth and I scored a deep fried baby shirt from them to boot.
Brazilian thrash death metal band Claustrophobia, now making their home base in the US, graced the stage to give us that good old fashion metal feel. It is always a pleasure to see these guys play in addition to them going out and about to support the local Metal scene.
Fulci sported a low lit set with a projected backdrop showing homage to the king of gore himself, Lucio Fulci. Projected on their backdrop were clips from the very movies that have inspired their music. It’s an eye catching set up with pretty fantastic jams to go with.
Cranial Engorgement had these huge banners on stage that the light played into perfect
and imperfectly for photos depending on where you were standing. Their music hit you hard in all the right spots. Afterwards I had the chance to conduct an interview with them primarily lead by my dear friend Kelsey (love this lady).
There were some bands that were neither mind blowing nor mind numbing but over all day one was a fun filled day that gave me my death metal fix (and a blister on the back of my heel).
Day 1 Full Line-Up:
Bloodsoaked (See Interview)
Cranial Engorgement (Interview Coming Soon)
Suppuration
Defixion
Wurm Flesh
Posthuman Abomination
Fulci (See Interview)
Death Crush
Claustrophobia (Interview Coming Soon) (FB Live Footage)
Accidentally Murdered (See Interview)
Day 1 Live Footage Recap:
Peak Of The Malice
Day 2 -06.07.2019
My voice was already starting to go but day 2 is where I got my rhythm. I walked up to bands after their sets or out in the midst of the crowd to ask if they would spare me 10 to 15 minutes of their time. Some interviews ended up being short and sweet while others went on longer than expected. While I did not catch every single band playing on film or in pictures, my ears soaked the vast majority in. Outside with the food and additional merch vendors it was nice and overcast and not exceedingly hot for once.
For me, this day had the most going on and was jam packed with amazing and memorable performances. It was my flat out favorite day of the festival.
Highlights of Day 2:
Vitriol was a band I had never heard of until they took the stage. They blew everyone’s minds and for those that didn’t show up early enough to catch them you missed out on a fucking treat. Off the stage these guys were equally as amazing. I HAD TO ask them for an interview or I thought I would regret it. They are truly passionate about their music and down to earth about it. Whether I am traveling or they are coming out to Vegas again I would 
go out of my way to see them.
Bloodscribe blew it away on stage while one of the members of the crowd violently tried to take down the barrier in front of the stage. The dude was digging it and so was I.
I got to see Goregasm before Anthony parts ways with the band and to help conduct a 
photo shoot with them to boot with some fans and fellow bloggers from Gutterslime.
Cerebral Engorgement is the local “Super Band” with members from 3 other bands. A collective of brutality that shook the stage in the greatest way possible.
I was pumped to get to see pathology on a bigger stage. These guys rage out like there is no tomorrow. They are astoundingly brutal and I love them for it. 
They played some new content off their upcoming album release set for August 9th during Chicago Domination Fest 666 and gave me a short and sweet but hella fun interview to boot.
Beach balls were thrown into the crowd during the Waking The Cadaver set making their way into the mosh pit before repeatably being thrown and bounced back into 
my face (that happened like 3 times) I am grateful it wasn’t an elbow that collided with my money maker.
Blood Red Throne played an absolutely mind blowing set and I’m not just saying that because I have a thing for vikings and Bolt essentially stripped in front of me in the green room while carrying on a perfectly normal conversation with me. Pretty sure my face turned what
I can only image was bright red from embarrassment prior to wrapping himself in a towel and dawning a fresh t-shirt for one of the most hilarious and unhinged interviews I’ve done so far. They legitimately were phenomenal. Their young bassist has a killer technique and their entire ensembles pure talent.
Day 2 Full Line-Up:
Blood Red Throne (See Interview) (FB Live Footage)
Waking The Cadaver (FB Live Footage)
Pathology – San Diego, CA (See Interview) (FB Live Footage)
Goregasm (See Interview) (FB Live Footage)
Krannium
Xenomorphic Contamination
Morgue Supplier
Cognitive
Infuriate
Cerebral Engorgement – Las Vegas, NV (FB Live Footage)
Septicemic
Embodiment of Suffering
Masticator (See Interview)
Bloodscribe (See Interview) (FB Live Footage)
Alukah
Vitriol (See Interview)
Ontogeny
Day 2 Live Footage Recap:
Ending the Carnage
Day 3- 06.08.19
My voice was most definitely gone. I struggled to carry on conversations with anyone without having to whisper words rather than speak them lest i let the bare the sound of my voice cracking as it struggles to make out full syllables.
Highlights of Day 3:
Accursed Creator opened up being one of the only bands in the line up with a member of 
the fairer sex. Chelsea Strickland blew it away with some killer deep vocals. The bands drummer had filled in the day before for fellow Florida natives Masticator and completely killed it on stage.
Display of Decay coming at you from Canada destroyed the stage with some cool fog and killer lights. They were pretty stoked to play this fest 
and definitely paid it forward with their performance.
And of course…. motherfucking Coathanger Abortion never disappoints. They were one of the bands I was stoked to see before this fest even began. 
Implements of Hell and Depulsed fronted by Clayton Mead brought it down on stage making for an opportunity to highlight the Vegas talent pool.
Liturgy and Holocausto Canibal killed it ending night 3 and closing out this amazing festival with a bang while Big Mike joined in the pit for some show going fun.
Day 3 Full Line-Up:
Holocausto Canibal (FB Live Footage)
Liturgy
Regurgitation
Antropofagus
Implements of Hell (Las Vegas, NV) (FB Live Footage)
Necrotic Disgorgement
Immortal Suffering
Images of Violence
Kill Everything
Amputated Genitals
Coathanger Abortion (FB Live Footage)
Extremely Rotten
Lago
Depulsed (Las Vegas, NV)
Reviled
Display of Decay (See Interview) (FB Live Footage)
Noctambulist
Accursed Creator (See Interview)
Day 3 Live Footage Recap:
Interviews
All of the Interviews can be found via a playlist on our Youtube Channel embedded below:
Event Photos
Into the Pit with Annie Photo’s can be found below:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/IntoThePitWAnnie/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1386713184819378
Sailor Romantik Photos can be found below:
Big Thanks To BIG MIKE
Every band I had the opportunity to talk to and/or interview had this immense gratitude for Big Mike inviting them out and putting this show on every year not to mention the fans and metal loving passionate individuals who make their way out to these events. To be on that stage during this event was seen as a privilege and held in high esteem.
I don’t ask for favors normally or expect any to be given. When I sat down to interview him I worked up the pair of balls to ask if he would be willing to allow me to do press coverage for this event fully expecting him to say no. That yes meant the world to me and has allowed me to understand the weight of importance this blog and others like it have on the music scene.
The Brutality Will Continue in 2020!!!!
Year 12 is going to be a blast! Hope to see you all there!
