DEVILDRIVER STRIKE and KILL USA TOUR PUMMELS VEGAS with UPON A BURNING BODYJon Miller , OV SULFUR and CULTUS BLACK

7 days ago
3 min read

DEVILDRIVER rolled into Vegas and the Brooklyn Bowl with the Strike and Kill USA Tour,

with UPON A BURNING BODY, OV SULFUR and CULTUS BLACK. The tour celebrates the release of their 11th album Strike and Kill out now on Napalm Records, and Vegas was just the second date in on this North American tour. The Bowl was packed with fans and fellow musicians, Dino Cazares (Fear Factory) was spotted checking out the show along with the hordes of metal fans.

The Cult of CULTUS BLACK got the night to a heavy start, the Nu-metal/Melodic deathcore band opened their set with “Dissonance” and “Killing the Beautiful” off their debut self titled album. They have a heavy riff and percussive sound, and vocalist L (ex Motograter) is covered in white bodypaint with the band masked, the cult persona of the band meets nu metal power in this up and coming band. A cover of Nivana's "Negative Creep" made their set, and you can hear this and more on their YouTube HERE and more on the band and merch HERE.

https://youtu.be/PIg6wo9IKfk?si=oF_obR_11CkRJF8O

OV SULFUR was formed right here in Vegas back in 2020 is support of their January release titled Endless on Century Media Records. This band is brutal and fast paced, and opened up with “Endless / Godless” off their new album, and their blistering set opened up the pit and the crowd got roaring. Their lineup currently consists of vocalist Ricky Hoover, guitarist and vocalist Chase Wilson, guitarist Christian Becker, bassist Josh Bearden and drummer Ryan "Leviathvn" Rivard, and they really kick your teeth in. Check out more on the band HERE.

https://youtu.be/BVdKAKvITP0?si=k3tYN30GFbspFvli

UPON A BURNING BODY is metalcore energy at the highest level, and had the crowd and the pit going crazy. Texas bands are brutal and unapologetic about who they are, and lead vocalist Danny Leal reminded us of that all night, kicking off with “Killshot” from their 2025 independent album Blood of the Bull and the floor was rolling. The set showed us a lot from the new album, and wrapped with a fun ruckus “Texas Blood Money” and had the crowd singing along, showing massive Texas love. Check out the new album and more HERE.

https://youtu.be/ZEig03Vq97w?si=lmJ6GqyY5dCM80vt

It’s been quite awhile since I last saw DEVILDRIVER, so I was excited to see them live again and hear new music from Strike and Kill in the flesh. “Clouds Over California” gave us just that, followed by the most recent single “Dig Your Own Grave” to set the tone for a crazy set. Despite health challenges in the past few years, Dez Fafara brought dominating vocals, powerhouse energy and headbanging frenzy to the songs, and the crowd really had the floor spinning.

With the release of the Strike's first single "Dig Your Own Grave", the band leans toward their earlier relentless heavy groove, and the new album is the first to feature founding bassist Jon Miller since 2011. Fafara and Miller are joined by Alex Lee and Gabe Mangold (Enterprise Earth, Dead Icarus) on guitar, and Davier Perez Ortega drums, and the lineup has created one of the best Devildriver albums and tours in a decade. More on the band, new album and tour dates HERE.