Hot Topic Summer Slaughter Tour

With 10 like-minded bands on the same bill, it'll be damn near impossible to avoid death metal overkill here. But if you can find a way to conserve your energy, the Summer Slaughter tour features two Montreal death metal bands that go together like, well, an ax and a freshly rotting corpse. Now 20 years old (if you count its earliest incarnation, Necrosis), Cryptopsy has earned its rightful place as one of the giants of the genre — more or less at the hands (and feet!) of drummer extraordinaire Flo Mournier. Even in a genre that necessitates extreme levels of energy on the drums, Mournier's work flies at your ears like a chaotic, relentless hailstorm. Mournier elevates Cryptopsy far above the mind-numbing din created by so many of the band's peers, and brings a thrilling edge to the music that outlasts the initial extreme impression it makes. The band makes excellent use of keys and even flamenco-styled guitar to temper the extremity. Meanwhile, Despised Icon picks up the torch. The band maintains the technical prowess that made Cryptopsy and classic Montreal outfit Gorguts famous and applies it to a deathcore approach, a combination that works wonders, distinguishes Despised Icon from its more lunk-headed deathcore peers, and bodes well for death metal's future.