Surviving The Summer Slaughter Tour

It's sometimes easy to forget the preparations needed when going to a show of any kind. The Summer Slaughter Tour is no exception and planning for it ahead of time is important.

The tour markets itself as "The Most Extreme Tour of the Year" and with such a death metal heavy lineup, there might be some truth to that.

Summer Slaughter is an annual tour celebrating a collection of metal and death metal bands. Past tours have included acts such as Necrophagist and Cannibal Corpse, along with a few names included on this year's bill.

K&Z Entertainment, which is presenting the show, has also enlisted a companion stage of local bands. The expanding local metal scene gets to share the entertainment for the night, allowing fans to watch a variety of bands without too much of a lull in between sets.

Obviously this isn't an event for those who can't tolerate continuously heavy riffs and screaming vocals for 10 hours. If you've already got this concert in your sights, here are some tips to help you get the most out of your experience.

Check Out The Locals As previously mentioned, Arizona's Summer Slaughter date is unique because it features touring bands at The Nile Theater, as well as a lineup below at The Underground.Two stages ensures someone will always be playing. Every touring band that night started somewhere, and Arizona has a metal scene that continues to persevere, in spite of many venues closing. So if there happens to be a section of bands playing upstairs you aren't fond of, you may just find a new reason to start going to local shows downstairs.

Use Protection Even if you don't know anything about the bands on the bill, with names like Morbid Angel and Dying Fetus, you can imagine it's still going get pretty loud. Some people want to get as close as they can to the stage, while others are fine with hanging back. For that reason, bringing earplugs can make the all the difference. In the past, the snack bar area has sold them at previous shows, but don't rely on it if you think you'll need them. If you'd rather preserve your hearing another way, don't stand so close to the stage for every band.

Hydrate Just because it's an inside show, doesn't mean a different set of rules apply on keeping yourself hydrated. Being there for the entire duration of the concert will require you to get some water in you. The snack bar area sells a number of drinks, alcohol not being one of them, but try not to spend your money on soda the whole time. Plenty of inside shows have people pass out from lack of water. If you leave and go outside, the local Inconvenience Store (yes, that's its name), can supply you with water or Gatorade to keep you hydrated.

Move Around The last thing you want to be is that person with their head buried in their phone while the bands play. Enjoy the music and show the artists that you're having fun. Getting out of your shell can be the most fun part about being at a show. Any metal concert will have some type of pit in the middle of everything. Get in there during a song and push people around if you feel brave enough. There's sure to be the infamous Wall of Death by one or more artists also, that's both awesome to watch and participate in and bands love seeing the chaos. If moving around like that isn't your thing, make sure you're not completely motionless. Head bang, throw up some horns, cheer, and even push the occasional hardcore dancer when they get too close.

Buy Merch Come on, you didn't pay for the mp3s. At least buy a t-shirt.

Two emerging bands you'll want to make sure you see are Fallujah and Thy Art Is Murder. Fallujah takes fast-paced death metal and blends it with beautiful atmospheric leads that constantly shift the tone of their music. Get to the venue early, because you won't want to miss them.

As for Thy Art Is Murder, the band hails from Australia, a melting pot of some of the big up and coming metal bands. TAIM is angry, breakdown heavy, and technical all the same. The band was featured on last year's tour, although it skipped Arizona. If you haven't gotten your chance to see them, now is your chance.

Summer Slaughter comes to Arizona at The Nile Theater this Sunday, July 20.

Bands at The Nile: Morbid Angel, Dying Fetus, The Faceless, Thy Art Is Murder, Goatwhore, Origin, Decrepit Birth, Within The Ruins, Fallujah, Boreworm.

Bands at The Underground: Sicmonic, Animus Divine, Pain Patterns, 40 Dead, Hounds of Tindalos, Origins of Orion, Severed Receptors, The Dyatlov Incident, Epyon, Murkocet, Graves of the Monuments, Ax Harbor. Locals will have discounted tickets and can be contacted through Facebook.

Find any show in Metro Phoenix via our extensive online concert calendar.

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