Legends has been a Cincinnati venue that I have been looking forward to reviewing a show at for some time now. With their multitude of upcoming extreme metal shows littering the bar tops for some killer upcoming shows, Legends is the place to be. If you are a metal head in the Cincy area and haven’t been to Legends yet, you’re doing it wrong.
As a young metalhead, Death was one of the first bands that I listened to that where I felt, “Whoa. This is some heavy cool stuff,” Sure enough Death was one of the pioneers in the Death Metal genre. Where are they the first? Did they create the sound? That’s a discussion for another day, but there is no denying Death’s mark on the extreme metal world.
I was never lucky enough to catch Death live. Founder and vocalist, Chuck Schuldiner, passed away due to the unforgiving nature of cancer in 2001. Death along with the Ramones would top my list of bands that I regretted and missed the opportunity of seeing them perform.
Thankfully, Matt Harvey of Gruesome, Exhumed and more may be one of the great Death fans there is. Assembling former Death members Rick Rozz and Terry Butler, Harvey formed the band Left to Die in order to perform some of Death’s killer classics for those who may have never seen the legendary band perform live and those who miss seeing the band.
The band started the show with audio clips of Chuck Schudiner talking about the band Death. Once Left to Die took the stage it was game on. Circle pits erupted and fans were heavily engaged in the mayhem happening on stage. I was supposed to take photos for this show. Fearing my camera’s safety and my wife’s wrath, I kept my camera holstered.
Several songs from Death’s debut “Scream Bloody Gore,” and the entirety of the phemonel Death Metal classic album Leprosy were flawlessly performed. I felt like I was 15 years old again pumping my fists and screaming along for the entirety of the evening.
I hope the folks in Left to Die continue to celebrate the legacy of Death and come back for more performances. I’d love to see a “Symbolic” tour!
