Gatecreeper, Frozen Soul, and Worm vs Fort Worth TX

It was 7 p.m. Me and my best friend, Ethan, found ourselves lucky pulling into a parking spot right across from the venue. The doors had just opened, and we were both really excited to see the show. Neither of us had ever seen the bands on that night’s docket live, and it was our first time at the venue, so we had no clue what to expect. 

The venue, Tulips, located in Fort Worth, was really nice and fairly small. It was dark inside, but the lights around the merchandise tables and purple lighting surrounding the stage were more than enough. 

Necromantic blackened-doom metal band Worm opened the show, coming straight in with a very atmospheric, shadowy presence. Five cloaked figures approached their places on the stage covered in red light and blew the venue away with their sound. The frontman occasionally pulled out a sword or drank from a large chalice as heavy distorted riffs played. I was blown away by the performance, especially since it was the first time I’ve ever seen a black/doom metal band play live.

Frozen Soul was the next band that played. They started off strong, giving every bit of energy they could muster throughout the entire performance. As I took pictures for the band, As I took photos of the band, they were happy to flip me off and to fist bump me (it was awesome!!). The pit was constantly on the move with people moshing around and crowd surfers every few seconds, thanks to the hype that this cold-school death metal brought to the stage. 

Towards the latter half of their performance, the crowd calmed down somewhat. The frontman, Chad Green, spoke on the importance of mental health and told the crowd to take care of themselves and each other. Following his speech, the band played the song off their newest album, Arsenal of War, and carried that same energy for the rest of the show.

Gatecreeper frontman Chase Mason delivered amazing gutturals and screams in each song as the rest of the band performed flawlessly. Guitarist Eric Wagner often leaned over the stage to further stir up the crowd. The setlist was a mix of songs from each of their albums, and I was lucky to hear most of my very favorite songs from them—especially their song, “Starved.” The show ended with the band members throwing out picks, drumsticks, and the setlist to the crowd, and I was left in shock and awe by the incredible performances from each band.