The four bands who stormed the stage gave the crowd everything they came for: blistering guitar solos, guttural screams, mosh pits like a cage match. The 30th and final stop on Calavera Conspiracy's winter tour was nothing short of a metalhead's dream.
Here's what I saw amid the mayhem.
Act 1: Bury the Darkness
Tempe's own Bury the Darkness opened the night with fury and fire, proving they could hold their own against the metal gods.
They rolled heavy with scream energy. Frankie Ghiloni poured his soul into every note and clean hook while the dual guitarists Marc Rosenfeld and Brennan Davis delivered tight, electrifying solos. Drummer Corey Matayabas provided incredible rhythms with precision and passion. They coordinated moves, slung hair everywhere, and demolished their set with precision under the sharp colors of the house lights.
The crowd did not stop moving — banging heads, shouting every lyric, not pacing themselves in the least. This was the freakin opener.
Act 2: Dead Heat
Dead Heat, out of Oxnard, California, stunned the crowd with a nonstop detonation of a set. From the first to the last beat, Yogi on drums laid down rhythms that took control of the room.The rest of the band matched that energy. When front man Chris Ramos launched into the air, raising his mic stand, the crowd rallied with every scream. The crowd struck up a mosh pit, but all smiles. It was that kind of vibe.
Act 3: Necrot
When Necrot hit the stage, the atmosphere shifted to something darker, heavier, more ominous. It tapped into an energy that the audience had held in reserve, ready to explode.
The lighting danced between yellows, greens, oranges, creating a horror-like glow perfect for Necrot's fast-paced, high-energy, all-black-leather set. Luca Indrio's screams were so low it was hard to believe they were human, and the crowd responded with screams of their own, their hands raised in the air. Necrot did not just perform but unleashed their all through their music.
Act 4: Cavalera Conspiracy
Then came the main event — Cavalera Conspiracy, the brothers Max and Igor Cavalera reclaiming the stage they've owned since their teenage years. As the band took the stage, a smile dawned on Max Calavera's grizzled mug. The stage was set for a spectacle: Two screens provided otherworldly visuals to pair with each song. Igor's frenetic, machinelike drumming was something that one must witness in person.
Their set was almost theatrical in its varying themes. Throughout the set, Max — the Brazilian-born metal legend who now calls Phoenix home — gestured to the crowd, demanding more energy, more movement, more screams. As the lights bled dark red and deep orange, pulsating with every beat, the audience erupted.
Crowd surfers flew, and the pit swirled, following the direction of their conductor, Max Cavalera. Parents were rocking out with their kids, arms up, fists clenched, metal horns raised high. To be in the room was to be part of the spectacle.
Cavalera Conspiracy is the band that invites you in, creating a safe space to be yourself and have a good time. You don't have to know every lyric or own every album. Bring an open mind, a body ready to move, and an outstretched fist.
