Vader & Kataklysm rolled into town for the start of their co-headlining Carnival of Death Tour 2025, with support from Malevolent Creation and Skeletal Remains. The tour was originally set to kick off in Bensalem, PA, on October 1st, but due to troubles getting their approved visas back in time, Vader was forced to cancel the first 3 shows of the tour. Obviously, not the ideal start to a tour that anyone wants, but the bands are eager to make the rest of the stops as memorable as possible.
Luckily for me, the Tampa date ended up being unaffected and would be the kickoff to their 20-date Carnival of Death Tour. Tampa sees its fair share of death metal legends passing through, but it’s rare to see a lineup as stacked as this one all under the same roof.
First on the night was Los Angeles death metal outfit Skeletal Remains. By the time they came out, the venue was already nearing full capacity, which I’ve never seen before for an opener at The Orpheum. It was asses-to-elbows from the stage to the back wall, and everyone was fiending for some heavy riffs.
Luckily, the boys in Skeletal Remains came well prepared. They blasted through their set, with each song seeming faster and heavier than the last. They had a very old-school death metal sound that I found really appealing, and all of the instrumentation was super technical and executed flawlessly. The crowd was feeling the vibes from the start, and they gave the band a warm reception.
Skeletal Remains proved that modern bands can take the tried-and-true formula of old-school death metal and still breathe new life into it without needing to blend genres.
Next up was old school death metal legends Malevolent Creation. Originally from Buffalo, NY, they relocated to Fort Lauderdale in 1988 to be part of the burgeoning Florida death metal scene, alongside bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, and Obituary.
The crowd gave founding member Phil Fasciana huge cheers (and beers) throughout their set, this being his first tour back since battling life-threatening bacterial pneumonia over the summer. It seemed his extended stay in the hospital had very little effect on his playing, because he was solid as a rock. The rest of the band followed suit as they plowed through their expansive back catalog of songs.
After their final song, the crowd gave them a huge, raucous round of applause. The Florida death metal scene is super tight-knit, and they truly show up and support their own, and this was no exception.
Second from the finale was Canadian death metal veterans Kataklysm. This is truly where the crowd that came specifically to get physical with their fellow concert-goers really got to get a workout in. As if the room wasn’t already a tight squeeze enough, it got even tighter once a giant circle pit opened up in the center of the room.
Kataklysm proved that you don’t stick around for over three decades purely by coincidence. Their set was extremely tight and powerful, with vocalist Maurizio Iacono commanding the crowd as the set went on. They played plenty of favorites as well as some of their newer material, such as their newest single, “The Rabbit Hole,” which was released earlier this year.
The crowd had been great all night long, and the response to Kataklysm was huge. They may be from Canada originally, but as Iacono mentioned that he recently relocated to Florida, they might as well be part of the Florida death metal family.
Finally, Vader took to the stage to end the night. The Polish band has been melting faces for over 40 years, and they proved they still have the energy to keep it up for many years to come. The band arrived late and didn’t even have time to do a sound check, a byproduct of all the late traveling and visa mix-up, but the band sounded huge from the first note. The crowd went absolutely berserk, and before I knew it, I was about ten feet from where I’d originally been standing. I don’t even remember moving my feet; I was just carried there by sheer human mass. Before I could even gather my thoughts, I was being pelted by the sweaty shirt of the guy standing next to me, a shirt he had proudly removed and was now spinning above his head like a helicopter. The surrounding crowd roared in approval, as sweat, beer, and adrenaline filled the air.
I think the most striking thing about their set was how humble they were the entire time. They apologized multiple times for being late, said they’d play a shorter set than usual, and mentioned being tired from traveling, but they did none of that. Their set ran for over an hour, and they never let off the throttle for a single second. It was very clear this was the first show of the tour, because these guys were full of pent-up energy that they were happy to release.
Guitarist Marek Pająk brought an energy that I didn’t know was possible for a guy pushing 50, as he thrashed around the stage, ripping off solo after solo with ridiculous divebombs in between. Lead vocalist and guitarist Piotr “Peter” Wiwczarek was also flawless during the set, his deep, grunting vocals still as powerful as ever. I don’t know what they’re drinking over in Poland to keep these guys in peak form, but Vader has clearly found the fountain of youth. It was truly remarkable to watch them perform as well as they did without missing a single beat.
After their last song and encore, the band came back out to “Imperial March” from Star Wars and took a bow for the crowd, fist-bumping and high-fiving every last person in the room who was willing. It was awe-inspiring to see a band of such a high pedigree and legendary status be as humble and appreciative as they were.
This was a show that I’m glad The Orpheum kept to the inside stage rather than the more spacious outdoor stage. I think the claustrophobic nature of the packed bar led to a more visceral show experience, with bodies just bouncing off of each other the entire night. This is a tour package that provides an incredibly tight experience from start to finish, and you’ll be lucky to experience it if they pass through your city this fall.
