Fleshgod Apocalypse at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium
The architectural ornate Riverside Municipal Auditioriam lay the perfect backdrop for Italian symphonic death metal pioneers Fleshgod Apocalypse. Finding their way back to North American shores for The Black Opera tour, the evening featuring nothing short of a majestic performance. With co-headliners Shadow Of Intent and opening acts Ingested, The Zenith Passage, and Disembodied Tyrant setting the tone for the evening - fans were eager to continue their night wrapped in Fleshgod’s beautiful and brutal performance.
In the interim, as stagehands quickly assembled Fleshgod’s intricate and prop-heavy performance, classical music filled the venue's halls, creating a misleading calm before the intense set. Upon the dimming of the lights and the elegant introduction of vocalist Veronica Bordacchini holding the Italian flag, the orchestral intro of Ode To Art – De’Sepolcri reverberated through the venue. The intro blended right into the first song, with Veronica’s ethereal operatic vocals floating above the chaos, weaving through the crushing guitar riffs like a siren’s song, luring you into the abyss.
Although the setlist was heavily focused on the band’s latest album Opera, fan favorites from the band’s earlier works were sprinkled into the mix - establishing Fleshgod’s signature sound. The brutal blast beats, soaring symphonic arrangements, and Francesco Paoli’s guttural roars filled the room, inciting sheers and moshpits galore. Francesco Ferrini’s work on the beautiful piano that accompanies Fleshgod at every performance perfectly matched the heavy guitar and drum work, ensuring an eerie melody pulled the music through each verse. Guitarist Fabio Bartoletti’s epic hair flips and playing precision was not to be ignored as he commanded attention from the stage. Drummer Eugene Ryabchenko’s powerful playing could be felt reverberating throughout the building, encouraging the fans to move to the rhythm. All of this is a true testament to Fleshgod Apocalypse’s years of refining the balance between death metal ferocity and classical elegance.
This felt like more than just a concert—it was a full-scale production in which brutal technicality met the haunting beauty of classical music. The visual aspect of the show reigned supreme in bringing the audible vision to life - The band, dressed in iconic baroque attire, performed under a dramatic lighting setup of deep reds, oranges, greens, and blues, enhancing the gothic atmosphere. With this deep immersion into the dark, theatrical world that Fleshgod creates, the evening felt less like a metal show and more like a macabre ballet, where every movement, every light cue, was a deliberate part of the performance’s choreography.
Fleshgod Apocalypse continues to push the boundaries of what symphonic death metal can be, merging the grandiosity of classical music with the visceral energy of metal in a very memorable way.
