Annually signaled by the pile of fiery rubble left behind by the conclusion of Maryland Deathfest, the end of the busy spring show calendar is once again upon us, and we begin to draw our dismal gaze towards the blinding heat of summer. The time is nigh, but not before a recap of what the Death Sculpted legion had to present to the loyal Philadelphia underbelly.

As a promoter, it’s not often I actually get to witness and enjoy shows that I book - but thanks to the near-uncomfortable intimacy forced at Bonk’s bar, I can do everything I “need” to do and still participate in the show experience. Part 2 will cover the month of May, specifically the Maryland Deathfest activities found in the city and the fest itself through the lens of Jesi Eternal; coming soon.

All live photos courtesy of Alyssa Lorenzon Photography

TLDR/Rollup:

Past rituals:

03/14 @ Bonk’s - Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean, Moros, Lichen, Caged

03/20 @ Nikki Lopez - Sapremia, Bone Weapon, Purulency, Spellhammer

5/14 @ Bonk’s - Necroticgorebeast, Atoll, Compulsed, Disarticulate

5/22 @ Kung Fu Necktie - Laceration, Glorious Depravity, Hematoid

03/14 @ Bonk’s

(X) “Record release shows” seem to have become standard practice for bands wanting to find a way to highlight their new music in a celebratory form without having to spend an entire year on the road on less than ideal support tours or headliners doomed to draw 8 people at your least favorite local dive bar. While there is merit to both of the aforementioned touring mechanisms, well-established local and regional acts seem to have no issues getting their friends to check out what new auditory spells they’ve conjured, and if booked correctly, could draw an abnormally large crowd to a small space to witness an intimate performance just in time for the collective participants to get back to work on Monday morning. This was the case for the very first Death Sculpted Production of the year 2026.

The Death Sculpted legion is going on its eighth year of existence and throughout our tenure have had the pleasure to get to know and become good friends and contemporaries with several of Philadelphia’s most interesting and punishing extreme metal acts. Moros is one of the longest running bands that we’ve worked with, and when asked to curate a special bill to celebrate the release of their tremendous new record, Cemetery Hallucinations, we were elated to take advantage of the opportunity to bring together a uniquely violent extreme metal bill.

Previous Death Sculpted ritual with Moros in tow…what a time to be alive. This show sold out the day of in an ~80 person venue space. FWIW - Sanguisugabogg just finished an arena tour with Lamb of God. Design by the Hallucinogenic Bulb (Rest In Power)

Flyer for 03/14 Moros release show by X.

When it comes to curating a ritual such as this, there’s creative choices to be made when selecting fellow acts to round out a tasteful lineup, and J.D. from Moros was involved from the very early conceptual stages, which made the creative process much smoother than if we did it on our own. There were a few ideas that didn’t quite pan out (in typical fashion, as expected) but what we landed on was an abrasive, ugly and punishing gig that we knew the Philadelphia underbelly would thrive on.

Physical ticket stubs were available for this show (Ampwall pre-order only).

Caged - another longtime co-conspirator, sounding the best they’ve ever sounded. As I sat and began to collect money from the walk up crowd and provide the presale tickets to the early birds who ordered them, Caged performed what was potentially one of the darkest and most ugly sets I have ever heard in my entire life. All I could think the whole time was “this is ACTUAL hell music”. Joe Hughes (turntables/synth) and recent addition Patrick Forrest (drums) provided the most memorable aspects of the performance for me and really set their live presence apart from the rest of the bill.

Lichen - mix of new and old friends of the Death Sculpted team, tremendous “TRVE” black metal from an underrated state for US Black Metal - Virginia. We’ve worked with Sam (bass, also a member of Night Hag) many years ago in putting together a Richmond show for one of our bands so were excited to finally return the favor for one of his acts. Considering this was a bill with a sonic reach covering all corners of the sludge, noise, and death/doom space, we thought it best to throw in a wild card. Tastefully placed, black metal can stand up beside other non-black metal acts arguably better than when on a bill full of 666 other identical bands all trying to rip each other off. This statement stood true, as the Lichen set was a breath of frigid, bone chilling southern wind that broke up the down tuned beating the rest of the bands dished out the remainder of the night. Coming off of an incredibly memorable performance at Heart of Winter festival in Virginia, we felt it right that they find a home on a Philadelphia bill and this was clearly a perfect fit - the crowd was thoroughly entranced by their brand of USBM.

Moros - the Cemetery Hallucinations-heavy set from local death/doom recreants Moros was obviously the cause for celebration for the evening, and the 3 piece sounded meaner than ever. Having seen this band grow and write better and better music, honing in their sound has been great to witness. The addition of Mike Howard (Rid of Me) on drums is one of the best draft picks anyone in the Philadelphia underground extreme music collective had in 2025 and his chops push Moros into a new punishing ground that many death/doom acts can’t touch. To do it as a 3 piece makes things all the more interesting.

Mike Howard (Moros, Drums)

J.D. (Moros, Guitar/Vocals)

J.H. (Moros, Bass/Vocals)

Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean - The final piece in the puzzle of misery with Moros for their release show was a strong regional headliner. While this show would have done just fine on its own (even with three bands), J.D. and the DSP crew wanted to do something special and swing upward to bring in a solid headliner for the bill. In a stroke of luck and coincidence, Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean were just about to release a new EP, entitled Let Us Not Speak of Them but Look and Pass On, and this particular appearance was an aptly timed opportunity for a warmup to their appearance at the legendary Roadburn festival in April. The band is no stranger to Philadelphia, and people came out of the woodwork to be crumpled and buried like trash beneath the weight of arguably one of the heaviest bands in the northeast.

Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean

Through a near exact 30 minutes, CTTBOTO filled the entire possible sonic soundscape available to them, playing one of the loudest, most abusive and punishing sets I have ever seen. Only one possible set comes even close in the smaller venues in Philadelphia that I have seen in the last decade, when Primitive Man played with Bell Witch on the Mirror Reaper tour.

Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean

The band’s mastery of the art of balancing urgency and patience is what really sets them apart from most. Songs know when to sit in the pocket and take their time but also when to uptick tempos into a range that perfectly accompanies the uncomfortable and urgently noisy riffing that has become signature to the band’s sound. Regardless of which end of the musical spectrum songs would sit, the air was so thin from the dense audial fog CTTBOTO spewed forth it honestly felt a little hard to breathe. Even with the side garage door open to the street, getting anywhere near the band felt impossible, as the volume of their instruments felt like a sonic aegis.

Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean

Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean

The beauty in CTTBOTO’s set was not only the violent and abrasive nature of the music itself, but how in tune all four of the band members were in with each other. Despite the band (as well as many others) playing at a volume far louder than humans were ever designed to experience, it doesn’t take a well-trained professional to know when a band is out of sync. Everything CTTBOTO played was with SUCH visceral conviction you’d think they were born doing it. Every note, every extension of instrument feedback, every kick drum hit, every vocal passage; all placed with purpose and intent and performed with a vigorous hate that many bands fail to even come close to harnessing in a live atmosphere.

Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean

At the conclusion of their thirty minute set, (and as my ears rung for several hours after) I confirmed my suspicion after nearly eight years of booking the full spectrum of extreme metal bands in the city. Much like its hard working, fiercely loyal and direct population, the extreme metal fanbase in Philadelphia champions and clings to the grittiest (no pun intended), most abrasive and ugly music that the planet has to offer.