LIVE REVIEW: ARCH ENEMY AND THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER UNLEASH THEIR WRATH ACROSS NORTH AMERICA 10.26.26

Photographer: Gina Monahan

Artist: Arch Enemy, The Black Dahlia Murder, Septicflesh, Crypta, Thrown Into Exile

Location: Theater of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA

Date: October 26th, 2026

Arch Enemy and The Black Dahlia Murder are rampaging through the United States and Canada this fall on their monumental Wrath Across North America co-headline tour. With support from some of death metal’s heaviest contributors–Thrown Into Exile, Crypta, and Septicflesh–the Wrath Across North America tour is the metal event of the year that you do not want to miss. The tour landed in Philadelphia on Monday night at the iconic Theater of Living Arts on the ever-vibrant South Street in South Philly. The Philly date marked the halfway point of the tour and all five bands proved that they have no intention of taking a respite any time soon.

Thrown Into Exile

Thrown Into Exile was the first band to hit the stage. One of the only bands that night to hail from the States, Thrown Into Exile formed in Los Angeles in 2013 and have seen several lineup changes in the last 13 years. Currently fronted by vocalist Joshua Santos, Thrown into Exile also consists of guitarists Mario Rubio and Austin “Shadowsill” Monson, bassist Javier Quinto (who was not present due to an injury), and drummer Hank Lin.

Thrown Into Exile threw their heart and soul into their performance. The camaraderie between bandmates was felt from the very first guitar riff. One couldn’t help smiling while headbanging due to the infectious thrill soaring between the members. They played two brand new tracks, “Behind the Veil” and “Remorse”, which went over brilliantly with the crowd.

Crypta

Crypta was the second out of five bands to perform, and they were easily one of the crowd-favorites Monday night. The Brazilian death metal group features Fernanda Lira on bass and lead vocals, Luana Dametto on drums, and guitarists Tainá Bergamaschi and Victoria Villarreal.

Fernanda Lira’s deep growls impressed everyone in the audience. Her vocals paired brilliantly with the rich tones of Bergamaschi’s and Villareal’s guitars. Dametto’s double bass work on songs like “A Portrait of Decay” and “From the Ashes” were nothing short of incredible. The crowd was highly responsive to their set and chanted “One more song!” as the quartet left the stage.

Septicflesh

Up next was Greece’s own death metal band Septicflesh. The band was formed in the spring of 1990 in Athens by Spiros “Seth Siro Anton” Antoniou, lead guitarist Christos Antoniou, and rhythm guitarist Sotiris Vayenas. The current lineup includes Kerim “Krimh” Lecher on drums and Dinos “Psychon” Prassas on rhythm guitar. They played fan favorites like “Pyramid God” and “Necromancer”.

There is much more to this Greek powerhouse ensemble than meets the eye; Their gritty riffs and guttural growls pair seamlessly with the swelling orchestral instrumentals featured in each song. I was blown away by their use of cinematic brass and strings without compromising the thrashing heaviness of their vocals. Septicflesh ended with “Anubis” and “Dark Art”.

The Black Dahlia Murder

The Black Dahlia Murder took the stage next as cheers and screams echoed back at them. The melodic death metal group is the second band of the night to have American origins. Formed in Michigan in the early 2000s, The Black Dahlia Murder quickly saw success with their second album Miasma (2005). The album hit #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and #5 on the Billboard US Independent Albums chart. Their current lineup consists of lead vocalist Brian Eschbach, guitarist Ryan Knight, bassist Max Levelle and drummer Alan Cassidy.

The Black Dahlia Murder opened with “Necropolis” from their 2009 album Deflorate. The energy erupted from the audience as the band played. Crowdsurfers flew over our heads like crashing waves; one after another in constant rhythm as if they were in sync with the music. The band continued to play fan-favorites like “Nightbringers” and “Everything Went Black”. Brian Eschbach introduced the song “Miscarriage” by stating that they hadn’t played it in Philly in many years. The crowd cheered at the triumphant return of the song and screamed the lyrics along with Brian.

During their song “Statutory Ape”, a life-sized guerilla stormed the stage. He danced, headbanged and even crowd surfed. This little stunt proved that TBDM doesn’t take anything too seriously. They’re here to have fun and bring their fans along for the ride. They closed out their set with “Utopia Black” from their latest album Servitude (2024) and their most popular track “What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse” from their 2007 hit album Nocturnal.

Arch Enemy

The fifth and final act of the night was none other than Swedish death metal band Arch Enemy. They opened with a tape intro of “Ace of Spades” by Machinehead, before jumping right into “Khaos Overture” and “Yesterday is Dead and Gone” from their 2011 album Khaos Legions. The stage was ablaze with color and lights as the five-member band appeared. Vocalist Lauren Hart, who recently joined the band as their new frontwoman, was a synthesis of smiles and commanding vocals throughout her entire performance. Guitarists Michael Almott and Joey Concepcion were locked in seamlessly with one another. Their guitar tones were vibrant and deep–effortlessly blending the gritty and melodic timbre needed for the complexity of Arch Enemy’s music. Sharlee D’Angelo on bass and Daniel Errlandson on drums also had a wonderfully dynamic presence as the rhythm section.

Founded in Sweden in 1996, Arch Enemy originally formed as a supergroup composed of several big names in the European metal scene, including the legendary Michael Amott of Carnage and Carcass. Amott is the only original member of Arch Enemy, however this current lineup is making waves in the Death Metal scene. Earlier this year they released the single “To the Last Breath”, marking their first release with Hart on vocals. Their latest full length album, Blood Dynasty (2025), which was former vocalist Alissa White-Gluz’s last album with the band, saw great success, including charting at #1 on the Swedish Hard Rock Albums chart and #2 on the UK Rock and Metal albums chart.

Hart is incredible at rallying the crowd. She was almost impossible to track on stage, as she darted from one side to the other, encouraging each and every audience member to scream along with her. Her excitement was contagious and could be felt all the way up to the balcony. The mosh pit was having a great time too–several people were dancing, spinning, and thrashing with each other. It was a beautiful display of community coming together to celebrate not just the music, but one another.

Arch Enemy played the title track of their 2025 album Blood Dynasty, as well as “To the Last Breath”, and “Ravenous” and “Dead Bury Their Dead” from their 2002 album Wages of Sin. They closed out their extraordinary performance with “Nemesis” from Doomsday Machine (2005) and “Fields of Desolation” from their first album Black Earth (1996).

Don’t miss the Wrath Across North America tour! You can see additional tour dates here, and be sure to follow Arch Enemy and The Black Dahlia Murder on social media.