Savage Imperial Death March Part II “Napalm Death, Melvins, Weedeate”

Napalm Death and the Melvins tore through the Van Buren on Sunday, April 13th, backedby sludge lords Weedeater and the eerie ambiance of Dark Sky Burial, Shane Embury’ssolo project.

Dark Sky Burial opened the night with a moody, cinematic set—think industrial drone meetsgothic sci-fi. Weedeater followed with their signature brand of Southern-fried sludge. Bassist Dixie Dave, hunched under a trucker cap, delivered filthy, overdriven grooves whiledrummer Keko Kirkum pounded out slow, heavy rhythms that occasionally surged intothunderous chaos.

Then came The Melvins, bringing a double-drummer setup that hit like a demolition crew. Coady Willis and Dale Crover synced perfectly, unleashing explosive fills on tracks like “EvilWar God” and “It’s Shoved.” Their peak moment came with a crushing take on “Billy Fish”offNude With Boots.

Buzz Osbourne, cloaked in a robe covered in eyes, conjured guitar noise like some doomsorcerer. They opened with “Working the Ditch” from 2024’sTarantula Heart, setting thetonefor a wild ride. Steve McDonald (Red Kross), suited in white and full of flair, held downthe low end—and the spotlight—especially when he took the mic on “A History of Bad Men.”They closed with the unhinged chaos of “Honey Bucket,” leaving the crowd melted andgrinning.

Napalm Death closed the night with pure, relentless grindcore. Barney Greenway, equalparts punk preacher and human tornado, joked mid-set while introducing the band: “It’s amatter of simple fucking etiquette!” as the pit exploded into motion. From the blastbeat furyof “Scum”to the crushing weight of “Amoral”, the band tore through four decades of sonicdestruction.

The crowd surged like a storm, bodies flying during “Twist the Knife (Slowly)”, and losing itcompletely during the iconicblink-and-you’ll-miss-it “You Suffer.” Four bands, four hours,zero mercy. Just pure, glorious heaviness.

Photos and Review by Mike Bengoechea