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Two nights of metal: Entheos and Revocation to play Launchpad
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Headbang your way into November with two nights of death metal at Launchpad. Progressive death metal duo Entheos will play the venue on Tuesday, Nov. 4, as part of their first-ever North American headlining tour. Then, on Wednesday, Nov. 5, death metal foursome Revocation will play what they call “extreme music for extreme times,” including songs from their critically acclaimed new album, “New Gods, New Masters.”
Entheos
Vocalist Chaney Crabb, who co-founded Entheos in 2015, said the band waited “a very long time” to do a headlining tour.
“It was very much on purpose, because we knew that when we were able to take on a tour like this, we wanted to do it the ‘right’ way. We never wanted to throw together a tour and call it a day,” she said. “When it came to planning out a headlining tour, we thought of every single part of it, from the bands to the production to the cities and venues we’ve chosen to play, very meticulously.”
Opening for Entheos are Fallujah, The Zenith Passage and Tracheotomy, bands Crabb calls “close friends.”
“We wanted to put together a really special night with bands that we truly admire,” she said.
Although the band’s sound is typically described as death metal, Crabb prefers alternative metal.
“I truly believe that we are a band that can’t really be pigeonholed,” she said.
For people unfamiliar with their music, Crabb recommends the songs “Empty on the Inside,” “I Am the Void” and “An End to Everything” as “great places to start.”
Fans, new and old, coming to Launchpad can expect “the best Entheos they’ve ever seen,” she said.
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“We’re bringing out better stage production and sound than we ever have. We really constructed a set to celebrate the first 10 years of our band’s existence and to help lead us into the next era,” Crabb said. “Every band from the beginning of the night to the end is incredible and are true masters of their craft. Fans will experience what I believe to be one of the most incredible metal bills of the year.”
Crabb, known for her intense vocals, said Randy Blythe from Lamb of God was her “original metal vocal hero” but that her influences are “vast and all over the board,” including Marissa Nadler, Stevie Nicks, Greg Puciato, Trevor Strnad, Chelsea Wolfe, Emma Ruth Rundle, Jonny Davy, Jacob Bannon and Anthony Green.
“I’ve only had the chance to meet Marissa, Greg, Anthony, Trevor and Jonny out of the vocalists that I named. All were wonderfully positive experiences,” she said. “I even got the pleasure to tour with both Trevor and Greg in their respective bands, The Black Dahlia Murder and The Dillinger Escape Plan. I can’t describe how surreal those tours were.”
Crabb said she “absolutely love(s) playing Albuquerque.”
“The first time I ever attended a show at Launchpad, I was doing merch for Animals As Leaders in 2011,” she said. “Looking back at that now and thinking about the fact that my own band will be headlining the venue soon is so surreal. I cannot explain how amazing fans in Albuquerque have been. We feel so welcomed in your city, and you are all so dedicated to music. It’s truly an honor to be coming back.”
Revocation
Revocation’s lead singer and guitarist Dave Davidson loves playing Albuquerque, too.
“We’ve got some great fans in New Mexico,” Davidson said. “The crowds are rowdy and always down to have a good time.”
He said their current tour will offer plenty of “spectacle.”
“Fans can expect a ripping set that showcases the new record but also has a hefty dose of older material as well,” he said. “We’ve also got a great light show to go along with the music on this run. Headlining allows us to up the production value of our live show.”
Revocation released their latest album, “New Gods, New Masters,” on Sept. 26 to rave reviews.
“We always want to bring something new to the table and really strive to outdo ourselves with each record,” Davidson said. “For me, personally, I think our latest album is our best.”
The album’s first single, “Cronenberged,” means “grotesquely mutated” in the manner of a character in a body horror film by David Cronenberg. The neologism was popularized by the oddball animated television series “Rick and Morty.”
“‘Cronenberged’ has been a fun way to open our set, since it’s very energetic,” Davidson said.
Davidson said Revocation has “leaned into the death metal side of our sound a lot more as the years have gone by.” But his early influences were eclectic.
“Right around the time I was diving into the deep end with metal, I was also studying jazz in high school, so a lot of my musical heroes in my teen years were coming from that genre, as well,” he said.
Davidson formed an early version of Revocation, then known as Cryptic Warning, in the year 2000, when he was still in high school. They renamed themselves Revocation in 2006.
As the band’s fame grew, Davidson found himself sharing stages with musicians he had worshiped as a teenager.
“At this point in my career, I’ve gotten to tour with a lot of my musical idols on the metal side, which has been an honor,” he said. “One year at NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants, a trade event), I was asked to be a guest guitarist with (thrash metal supergroup) Metal Allegiance, which was a real highlight of my career.”
At Launchpad, Revocation will share a bill with Judiciary, Inferi and Vomit Forth.
“I think I’m most excited about the diversity of this bill,” Davidson said. “There’s something for everyone, if you’re into extreme metal.”
