What’s your favorite concert memory? It’s a question I love to ask my fellow headbangers. (Some of my favorites are over in my Fan Concert Diary series btw). I didn’t think anything could surpass Slayer’s final tour when it came to my answer. A sea of black shirts, losing their minds to one of the greatest bands of all time as they play their most iconic tracks. To say it was unforgettable is an understatement. But now there’s a tie for first in my book. And that’s the 2022 Chaos & Carnage tour that just hit Jergel’s in Pittsburgh.
Oh, you’re unaware of the fact that the DEATHCORE TOUR OF THE YEAR IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW? Well for starters, shame on you for not checking my Instagram stories where I’ve been sharing a bunch of show announcements as I see them. But lucky for you, this Countess of Perpetual Torment can be forgiving, but only in the name of metal.
Today, I’m not only giving you a glimpse of what Carnifex’s mindblowing set was like with the concert gallery at the bottom of the page. But I also sat down with Shawn Cameron, the band’s drummer to talk about the Chaos & Carnage tour, and what it says about the current status of Deathcore.
The 2022 Chaos & Carnage Tour: Inside the Deathcore Tour of the Year with Carnifex’s Shawn Cameron
“It’s really cool to tour with all of these new, up and coming basically deathcore bands. It’s just been a great experience. Everybody is such great musicians, such great people, so it’s just been amazing,” Shawn says.
Not only is the Chaos & Carnage tour co-headlined by 2 of Deathcore’s pioneers, Carnifex and Suicide Silence. But joining those metal titans on the road are a total of 5 other bands who are also on their way to solidifying themselves as some of the biggest names, not only in the subgenre, but the modern metal scene. Those bands are Distant, Signs of The Swarm, Angelmaker, Upon A Burning Body, and Lorna Shore.
“I think deathcore is in good hands. I mean, we’re not going anywhere. We’re still going to continue to make music and tour. But it’s really good to see that younger kids have heard deathcore and made it their own. Cause when we were coming up, metalcore was all the rage and deathcore wasn’t a thing. It’s like death metal so we all listened to the bands that we liked and came up with our own thing. I mean, so many of these bands have really good hype. Like Lorna Shore, they just blew up with a viral music video. And all these bands really rock their own crowds, so it’s been really great.”
That’s one of the coolest things about the line up for Chaos & Carnage. While all the bands on the bill certainly fit the deathcore scene, they’re also very different from each other. And that’s something that makes the Chaos & Carnage tour that much more exciting.
Two thirds of the dates for the first ever Chaos & Carnage tour had either sold out or were close to it before it had even started, and it’s easy to see why. Much like what I described at Slayer’s final tour, the energy of this sold out show is something I’ll never forget.
This was my first time seeing each of these bands, and all of them blew my expectations out of the water when it came to their live performance. Band after band, you couldn’t help but feel as though you were at the metal party of the year. Not to mention that it had also been a goal of mine to see all of these bands. So to see all of them at one time was simply an offer that fans like myself couldn’t refuse.
As Shawn puts it, “Everybody’s been locked up for 2 years. But everybody’s ready to get out to a show. Metal fans are always the most passionate and they’re ready to get out and circle pit,” he laughs. And the fans at the Chaos & Carnage tour came ready to do exactly that.
“It was weird. Before all the lockdowns it felt like the scene was getting saturated and you could go to a show almost every night if you wanted. But all the lockdowns making bands rethink their careers I guess, kind of made these newer shows more special I guess. Because the fans, they’re not able to take it for granted. Because at the drop of a hat shows can be turned off because they did it,” Shawn says.
That in and of itself is a fear that many of us metal fans now have. It’s why getting out to see live music and supporting musicians is so important. But just as Shawn said, the passion that metal fans have is more present than ever. And the overwhelming response from fans for the Chaos & Carnage tour proves that.
To Hell and Back
Carnifex themselves are a band that have faced their fair share of obstacles over the years. But when Hell chose them, Carnifex always came roaring back even stronger. So even after facing significant financial setbacks in 2020 directly because of lockdowns, the energy that the band has been putting into connecting with fans, touring, and making new music has made them that much more unstoppable.
When asked about how it feels to have come from where Carnifex started to now being the co-headliners on one of the biggest tours of the year, Shawn says, “I guess it’s validating because we’ve been a band that has had to work for everything that we’ve gotten. Some bands get plugged into the machine. They get the management. They get the booking agent. So we’ve bounced from labels that have tried to destroy us, to booking agents that have tried to destroy us, and we’re still here. But it’s really good to be on this tour.”
“We never forget where we came from,” he goes on to say. “We’ve been fans of bands and none of us were ever the cool kids in school so we’ve all wished that we could meet those bands and those musicians that we were super into. So we always try to make ourselves available for that. We wouldn’t be able to do any of this, if we didn’t have fans that loved us.”
A Glimpse at Carnifex’s Set During the 2022 Chaos & Carnage Tour
Even if you didn’t love Carnifex before seeing them live, it’s really hard not to after watching them perform. Not only was Carnifex’s set one of the best performances I have EVER seen, but every band at the Chaos & Carnage tour put on a set of the same standard.
I’ll never understand people who underestimate the massive talent it takes to be in any of these bands on the Chaos & Carnage tour. A great example of this is during Carnifex’s set. There was a moment where the music had peeled back and Scott’s beastly vocals were coming through so perfectly clear as if he was speaking from hell itself. It was a truly awe inspiring moment, and something you can only get with the experience of a live performance. I had already thought his vocal performance on 2021’s Graveside Confessions was one of his best yet, and can now confirm it’s even more amazing live.
That goes for all members of Carnifex, too. Their performance was so high energy that every instrument, and even every other detail like lighting, made for one of the most insane experiences. And while there may have been a barricade up, the band had a way of making fans feel like you were right there with them. Whether you were standing in the pit or on the 2nd floor balcony, Carnifex made a connection with every fan in the room that night.
And guess what? That was another consistent theme for ALL the Chaos & Carnage bands.
Another unforgettable memory from this show was when vocalist Scott Ian Lewis, spoke of the recent passing of The Black Dahlia Murder’s, Trevor Strnad. There was a moment where he said “we’re just like you”, and continued to talk about what connects all of us metalheads, particularly in the Deathcore scene. It was a powerful moment that represented what attracts us fans to bands like Carnifex, The Black Dahlia Murder, and Suicide Silence to begin with. Because it feels like they understand us, which is something that makes that fan to band connection even stronger.
Carnifex’s Set List at the 2022 Chaos & Carnage Tour
When it comes to WHAT Carnifex played, trust me when I say it was the ultimate set list. To be in a room full of other fans like myself, screaming along to “Drown Me In Blood”, “Pray For Peace”, and even their cover of Slipknot’s “Heretic Anthem”, again, it felt like the ultimate Deathcore party. And after 2 years, everyone came there to do one thing: RAGE.
Don’t believe me? Check out the full photo gallery of Carnifex’s set below.
I feel so privileged and honored to have the opportunity to show you a glimpse of what Carnifex’s performance at the Chaos & Carnage tour is like through the eyes of a fan. But remember this is only a glimpse. Now it’s up to you to get out there and live it. Tickets for some dates on the Chaos & Carnage are still available here. But they’re limited so get them before they’re gone!
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