The Decible Magazine Tour Decimates Vancouver’s Vogue Theatre

On Wednesday night, Vancouver was lucky enough to be the third Canadian stop on the annual Decibel Magazine Tour.

Hailed as the longest-running Metal tour in North America, this prolific showcase has brought bands like Obituary, Morbid Angel and Enslaved to cities across the continent for over ten years.

The 2023 tour perfectly blended black and death metal with its lineup consisting of Dark Funeral, Cattle Decapitation, along with up-and-coming heavy-hitters 200 Stab Wounds and Black Braid.

Between the crushing atmospherics, gruesome vocals, and downright nasty riffs, there was little room for any disappointment.

Highlights included: Black Braid’s culturally rich performance that was both beautiful and educational. As they wove traditional indigenous instruments, songs, and storytelling throughout raw and atmospheric black metal soundscapes.

200 Stab Wounds never fail to put on a brutal set with tight instrumentation and neck-breaking riffs, this band is a real testament to the new wave of Death Metal and just how tough it is.

Obviously, Cattle Decapitation was just insane. Travis Ryan is otherworldly live, foaming at the mouth and creating noises no human should be able to. It’s not just Ryan that makes this band hard to believe, but every member is a tenacious beast with their instrument – all coming together to form one wretched conglomerate of sound that is honestly mind-boggling to bear witness to.

Sadly, I had to depart before Dark Funeral hit the stage. But, I was lucky enough to catch them back in November wit Cattle Decapitation, and I know for a fact they are a band everyone must see at least once.