Review & Photography by Nathan Vestal for MPM
On the night of April 1, 2025, the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom in Chicago was the epicenter of metal maelstrom, as the iconic venue hosted a concert featuring three legendary bands: Meshuggah, Carcass, and Cannibal Corpse.
With its grand architecture, faux-starlit ceiling, Spanish castle aesthetic, and superb acoustics, the Ballroom was the perfect setting for this monumental event, and the energy in the room was palpable as fans united in their love for metal.
Once packed with eager metalheads, buzzing in anticipation for a night of unrelenting brutality, stepping into the historic venue felt like walking into a cathedral of chaos. With Carcass, Cannibal Corpse, and the almighty Meshuggah on the bill, it was bound to be a legendary evening of sonic devastation.
Carcass: A Precision Scalpel of Death Metal
The evening began with Carcass, the British extreme metal pioneers who have been pushing boundaries since their formation in the late 1980s. Carcass wasted no time launching into their set, slicing through the crowd with their razor-sharp riffs.
As soon as the opening notes of “Unfit for Human Consumption” hit, the audience surged forward, bodies moving in violent unison. Jeff Walker’s snarling vocals and Bill Steer’s signature guitar tone filled the venue with an eerie yet electrifying energy. Mid-set, “No Love Lost” sent a shockwave through the room, a reminder of Carcass’ lasting influence on melodic death metal.
Steer’s lead guitar work was particularly mesmerizing, seamlessly transitioning between the razor-sharp grindcore ferocity of their early years and the melodic complexity of their later material.
The band kept the energy high with a well-balanced setlist that covered multiple eras of their career. Standout moments included the surgical precision of “Corporal Jigsore Quandary,” the undeniable groove of “Incarnated Solvent Abuse,” and the anthemic fury of “Heartwork.”
Between songs, Walker engaged with the audience in his signature deadpan style, dryly thanking the crowd for “celebrating such a wholesome and family-friendly genre of music.” The fans, a sea of raised horns and headbangers, responded in kind, chanting along with every chorus.
The Ballroom’s high ceilings and ornate, castle-like interior added a surreal contrast to the chaos, as if death metal had invaded a medieval cathedral.
Cannibal Corpse: The Soundtrack to a Massacre
If Carcass had warmed up the crowd, Cannibal Corpse unleashed absolute bedlam. From the first guttural growl of “Scourge of Iron”, the audience turned into a swirling frenzy of limbs and leather jackets. Frontman George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher, ever the windmill headbanging champion, commanded the stage like a demon general leading his troops into battle.
The band wasted no time setting the tone for the evening—a full-throttle, no-compromise assault of old-school death metal.
Classic cuts like “I Cum Blood” and “Stripped, Raped and Strangled” sent the crowd into a frenzied mosh pit, while newer tracks from Chaos Horrific showcased the band’s ability to evolve without sacrificing their signature brutality.
Bassist Alex Webster delivered his signature fretboard gymnastics with terrifying precision, laying down thick, rapid-fire basslines that locked in perfectly with Paul Mazurkiewicz’s relentless blast beats. Meanwhile, guitarists Rob Barrett and Erik Rutan shredded through crushing riffs and intricate solos, their synchronized precision highlighting the reason Cannibal Corpse remains at the top of the death metal food chain.
The pit was a war zone, it was pure anarchy. Bodies flew, fists pumped, the energy was contagious, the band’s sheer brutality amplified by the historic walls of the Ballroom. By the time they closed with “Hammer Smashed Face,” the mob was in full mayhem mode—crowd surfers riding waves of chaos, the pit churning in a violent vortex. At one point, Fisher took a moment to survey the carnage, chuckling into the mic.
For Cannibal Corpse, their performance was more than just an opening set, it was a declaration. After over three decades of relentless touring and boundary-pushing brutality, the band continues to prove why they are the reigning kings of death metal.
Their raw energy, razor-sharp execution, and unwavering dedication to their craft left no doubt that they remain one of the most dominant forces in extreme music. If their set at the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom was any indication, Cannibal Corpse isn’t slowing down—they’re only getting more ferocious.
Meshuggah: A Futuristic Nightmare in Sound and Light
Then came the moment of transcendence. As the lights dimmed and a pulsating, mechanical hum filled the air, Meshuggah emerged like architects of some dystopian soundscape. The Swedish titans opened with “Broken Cog”, and immediately, the venue was engulfed in their signature polyrhythmic hypnosis.
But it wasn’t just the music—it was the lights. Oh, the lights.
Meshuggah’s infamous light show turned the Ballroom into an overwhelming visual assault. Strobes flickered in perfect synchronicity with Tomas Haake’s impossibly complex drumming, creating an almost hallucinogenic experience. The interplay between blinding flashes and total darkness during “Rational Gaze” was downright disorienting, making it feel like time itself was breaking apart.
Standing in the middle of the crowd, I could feel the weight of each note pressing down like gravity itself had been altered. “Combustion” was a crushing highlight, and during “God He Sees in Mirrors”, the lights moved with eerie precision, as if controlled by the music itself. One moment, the stage was bathed in a deep, throbbing red; the next, jagged beams of white light tore through the darkness, slicing across the crowd like shards of glass.
Even between songs, the atmosphere was thick with anticipation. The band barely spoke, letting the music and visuals do the talking. The precision of their performance felt almost inhuman, each riff and drum hit with surgical accuracy. The combination of 8-string guitars and low-end bass rumbles turned the air into a solid wall of sound. It was an experience that went beyond hearing—it was felt in the chest, in the bones, in the very core of being.
By the time the final notes rang out and the band members took their bows, the audience stood in exhausted triumph. We had all been put through a trial of fire, baptized in blast beats, and emerged victorious. As I walked out into the cool Chicago night, ears ringing and adrenaline still coursing, I knew this would be a show I’d never forget.
Meshuggah, Cannibal Corpse, and Carcass had delivered a masterclass in extreme metal. And for those of us lucky enough to witness it, April 1st wasn’t just another concert—it was a religious experience.
