Baltimore, MD – The first night of my coverage of Crypta on their US tour takes me to Baltimore Soundstage, where the death metal veterans blow it up with support from Philadelphia’s black metal band Unholy Altar and DMV’s crossover outfit Ninth Realm.
This is my first time seeing Ninth Realm live, despite the band being around since 2018. While Encyclopedia Metallum lists them as a crossover/thrash metal band, what I heard sounded more like death metal. They had solid support from the crowd who enjoyed what they heard.
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To be named by Rolling Stone Magazine in their Top 20 Metal Albums of 2024 at number 14 and play Decibel Magazine’s Metal & Beer Fest is a big deal, especially for an underground black metal band from Philadelphia. Listening to Unholy Altar brings you back to the days of corpse paint, screeching vocals and shitty production, the things that most black metal purists love about the genre. Their set was short and then I looked and discovered their songs mostly clock in under five minutes. Check them out if you get the chance.
Intro
Descent
Black Winds of Eternal Dismay
Nefarious
Interlude
Judas Iscariot
Dawn of Death
Abbandon
Outro
Unholy Altar Online
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Filling in on guitar is Victoria Villarreal of Syrebris, a progressive death metal band from Los Angeles who is replacing Jéssica di Falchi who left the band. They wasted no time in firing up the crowd and getting the pit going. Although the crowd was small, they were motivated and showed it. It is about time that Crypta did a headlining tour and they are delivering a kick-ass show!!!
The Aftermath
The Other Side of Anger
Kali
Lift the Blindfold
The Outsider
Possessed
Lullaby for the Forsaken
Stronghold
The Limbo
Trial of Traitors
Under the Black Wings
Starvation
Dark Clouds
Lord of Ruins
From the Ashes
The Closure
Crypta Online
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The “In The Other Side Tour” runs through October 12th with the last stop at Cambridge, Massachusetts. Brazilian thrashers Claustrofobia have been added, making this a truly sick tour package to see live!!!
Show Date: September 7, 2025
