This past Tuesday I attended the Aggressive Progressive Tour stop in Pontiac, MI and had the pleasure to shoot photos all night. It is a day that will forever hold special meaning to me. Not only from the incredible night of sludge, shoegaze, and screams, but also because I closed an incredibly difficult chapter of my life that afternoon. This show was exactly what the doctor ordered and I left feeling relieved, inspired, and fucking fired up.
Headlined by the mighty Rivers of Nihil, I couldn’t help but wonder if the venue’s capacity would be enough to withstand the coming onslaught. Local favorites Boreworm kicked the night off with their self-described “insectile death metal”. I was running late, which was a bummer, but did get to catch the second half of their set. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for when they play again, as it was energetic as hell, the musicians all exceptionally tight, and the vocalist entrancing the crowd with his impassioned stage presence.
Denver-based Glacial Tomb followed with a set full of grit and fury. Much of the set featured tracks from their 2024 release Lightless Expanse and I was most certainly at home with their exceptional sludgy prog death metal. As with all shows and opening acts, there’s always a percentage of the crowd that isn’t quite sure what to make of anything other than the headliner. This may have seemed like the case as Glacial Tomb started and some attendees were still getting a feel for it, but it wasn’t long before a pit opened up. A menagerie of fists, falls, and three foot long dreadlocks were flailing. I had placed myself at the back of the room by then and it was obvious that the fan’s energy definitely gave the guys a boost. Although they would’ve played just as spectacularly without it, I’d imagine.
Next up were Inter Arma. And while I first fell for this quintet’s music over a decade ago, I had never seen them live. And that’s a regret of mine. The musicians themselves embodied the very dissonant sounds emitting from their instruments. I could see no difference between the physical forms and the hauntingly beautiful noise destroying my ear drums. As The Pike Room doesn’t have much of a stage, vocalist Mike took that as an opportunity to spend the ENTIRE show amongst the crowd. He frantically paced back-and-forth, getting in absolutely everyone’s face while screaming with every fiber of his being. They played a mix of old and new, but all the songs had that signature Inter Arma “we do what we want” kind of metal. The kind that sucks the oxygen out of a room and replaces it with the warm exhale of a demon. I can’t wait to see them again. And even though I often need a break after seeing a band live, I’ve continued listening to their latest release New Heaven since that night.
Second-to-last were Holy Fawn. And please excuse the tired, lazy reaction, but HOLY SHIT. I had been vibing on their songs quite a bit in the days leading up to the show and they absolutely exceeded my expectations. They play a blackened type of shoegaze that simultaneously eases my incessant mind and embeds a deep level of inspiration. The devastatingly pretty moments in songs were a welcome palette cleanser. But when those dreamy passages would quiet down mid-song, and the band would explode into an emotionally-charged and screamed crescendo, that’s the shit which hit the hardest Tuesday night. They played a number of songs from Death Spells and Dimensional Bleed, but also surprised everyone with an unreleased track (at the time) called Beneath A Lightless Star. It really made my night.
For the main event, Rivers of Nihil almost brought the house down. I literally saw pieces of the floor shifting in place! It felt like a greatest hits kind of performance, as so many of their progressive tech death tracks are what would be considered ahem BANGERS. This was evident from the crowd reaction. The moshing was relentless, which also turned into a wall of death at one point. With their new album coming out only a few days later, they most definitely bestowed upon the crowd a preview by performing the songs American Death and House of Light. With Adam taking over primary vocals duties, it felt like he had commanded that spotlight since the dawn of time. Both Andy and Jared’s clean singing added that clarity and needed inspiration to counter Adam’s ferocity, while Brody in the meantime effortlessly shreds away. And though saxophone isn’t featured on every Rivers of Nihil track, Patrick was there nonetheless lending his soothing sounds throughout the set and absolutely hyping everyone up with the incredible head-banging.
As Ben from Glacial Tomb put it, “Death Metal on a Tuesday night”. It didn’t feel quite like a weekend concert, but I almost preferred that. It was a smaller venue and felt more intimate, like we were just as much a part of the event as the bands were. I experienced some excellent music, got to take photos of amazing musicians, and also had a couple inspiring conversations. Please see this tour if there’s a date near you. I have spoken.
Biography: Porous has been possessed by heavy music for the vast majority of his life. For a good chunk of it, that love was exorcised by playing metal, punk, and hardcore with other musicians. Nowadays Porous writes/records music mostly on his own, but engages with the community by supporting/encouraging other artists, and one of those ways is through writing! In early 2025 he joined MoshPitNation to contribute album/show reviews, concert photography, and hopefully an infectious love for sincere heavy music. Follow him on instagram to see more of his photography and subject your poor ears to Porous’ music.
