By “Tampa” Earl Burton, Journalist, and Brent Michael, Photographer
Live Review: Meshuggah, Cannibal Corpse, and Carcass Crush – Yuengling Center – USF Tampa – April 19, 2025
It may surprise many that the Tampa Bay area has a long history with heavy metal. Dating back to the Eighties, when such bands as Avatar (which would become Savatage later in the decade), Executioner (later Obituary), Purgatory (became Iced Earth), and Morbid Angel, the spirit and feel of heavy metal in Cigar City has thrived for over four decades. Thus, the Saturday night show at the University of South Florida’s Yuengling Center featuring Carcass, Tampa’s Cannibal Corpse, and the headliners Meshuggah were welcomed and enjoyed by the throng of metalheads in attendance.
Definitive Stylings Between Trio of Acts
Most people – AKA those who are not knowledgeable about heavy metal – would have lopped all three of the bands in as “death metal” acts on Saturday night. There was, however, a distinct and definitive style difference between the three bands that took the stage. These differences made for an entertaining (and LOUD) evening of metal mayhem for all in the Yuengling Center.
First was Carcass, another veteran of the Eighties heavy metal wars. The band was founded in 1985 in Liverpool, England, and they have lost none of the power that they had from the start. Although only two of the original members are still left from the original lineup, guitarist Bill Steer and bassist/vocalist Jeff Walker, they still brought a powerful yet melodic approach that technically broached the “death metal” vein but still provided musical excellence.
In a quick forty-minute set, Carcass ran through an eight-track list of some of their early work, with most of the tunes coming from their 1993 album Heartwork. I was particularly impressed with how Steer’s guitar work varied from an attacking, screeching wall of sound to, dare we say, a melodic approach on tunes like “Heartwork” and the finale “Carneous Cacoffiny (sic).”
Whereas Carcass might have had some melodic approach to their songs, Cannibal Corpse was having none of that. The approach of the Tampanians (the band moved from Buffalo to Tampa in the mid-Nineties) to their brand of death metal was raw, in-your-face, and constantly aggressive. George ‘Corpsegrinder’ Fisher was not there to make friends (from the start, he shit-talked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, saying “I’m a fucking Denver Broncos fan”), he was there for the brutal assault that Cannibal Corpse is known for – and they didn’t disappoint.
Presenting a varied setlist from across their history – only three of their ten-track set was from their last two albums, 2021’s Violence Unimagined and 2023’s Chaos Horrific – Fisher and the Corpse simply pounded the Yuengling Center audience with a wall of sound that was unrelenting. Fisher was enjoying himself as he aggressively headbanged right along with the denizens in the front row and chided them to “go harder.” My personal favorite was “Unleashing the Bloodthirsty,” but, by the time they reached their close with a tune featured in the film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (“Hammer Smashed Face”), the crowd was showing the effects of the Cannibal Corpse attack – and there was still one band to go!
Meshuggah Closes With Complex but Powerful Metal Approach
While they might not have the same pedigree that their tour brethren did, the headliner for the night, Meshuggah, presented their own take on extreme heavy metal. There is a reason that I didn’t put the “death metal” tag on this export from Sweden; it is because they came at the heavy
metal genre with almost a progressive groove, as evidenced by their excellent laser light show that was present throughout the evening. Their approach was a nice respite from the studded-glove-in-the-face approach of Cannibal Corpse, but you could tell they were cut from similar cloth.
From the start of the show, Meshuggah kept up the barrage of power metal on the crowd, starting with “Broken Cog” from their 2022 album Immutable. The four members of Meshuggah not on drums (Tomas Haake) – vocalist/guitarist Jens Kidman and lead guitarist Fredrik Thordendal (the only founders left in the band), rhythm guitarist Marten Hagstrom, and bassist Dick Lovgren – covered the front of the stage, presenting a physical wall as well as an aural one. Over a roughly ninety-minute set, the band powered the Yuengling Center crowd to the finish, one that left everyone entertained and exhausted from the presentation that evening.
While it might not be everyone’s shot of whiskey, the metal show – death, extreme, or otherwise – at the Yuengling Center did not fail to excite those in attendance. It demonstrates that there is a style of music for every taste and that it should ALWAYS be available, despite the protests of many who might not understand the brand. Extreme metal touches the hearts and minds of many a hard rocker, and it should be available for those to enjoy who wish to do so…that’s something that would be important for society to learn overall, it seems.
- Meshuggah, Cannibal Corpse, and Carcass Crush a Night of Death Metal at Yuengling Center - April 21, 2025
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- Five for the Future of Rock and Roll: Looking to the Next Big Bands - April 8, 2025
