Bands – The Black Dahlia Murder, The Acacia Strain, Disembodied Tyrant, & Corpse Pile
Venue – The Intersection
Location – Grand Rapids, MI
Concert Date – April 3rd, 2026
Words & Photos – Porous
I honestly don’t know how many times I’ve seen The Black Dahlia Murder perform live. I’m fairly certain this was my first time catching them in Grand Rapids though. They were playing The Intersection, which is an outstanding medium-capacity venue on the west side of Michigan. Joined by The Acacia Strain, Disembodied Tyrant, and Corpse Pile for this “Spring Fling” tour across the United States, it was one of the most energetic and exciting concerts I’d ever witnessed in Grand Rapids.
CORPSE PILE
When I arrived at the venue, Corpse Pile was already playing and sounding heavy as hell. As I made my way through the crowd and found a spot to set up my camera, I could see the pit was already wide open for them. And stayed that way for most of their set. These Houston purveyors of “hardgore brutality” mash brutal death metal and hardcore together in a fashion that really brings people together in a wonderfully horrific way.
DISEMBODIED TYRANT
Of the four bands on the bill, Disembodied Tyrant was the one I was least familiar with. But of course they blew me away. Pulling off that level of technical deathcore, with (usually) only a single guitarist is no small feat. I put “usually” in parentheses there because vocalist Blake would bounce back-and-forth between only doing vocals and donning his axe for specific songs. Everyone in the band was on point and giving the 1500 metalheads in attendance their money’s worth. They played a couple tracks from The Tower: Part One, which I highly recommend you check out if you’re unfamiliar with Disembodied Tyrant.
THE ACACIA STRAIN
It had only been a couple years since I last saw The Acacia Strain and I forgot how cathartic their live shows can be. These guys always bring it. They’ve got this sound that I know passes for deathcore to most, but it hits in a different way for me. It’s like they just know how to perfectly blend lots of metal/hardcore subgenres into something that is distinctly their own and some of the most brutal stuff around. The proof is in The Acacia Strain pit. But also simply in the message they spread and how they carry themselves. Their vocalist Vincent shared his struggles navigating depression and it was an especially relevant and inspiring moment for many of us. Please go see them on this tour and mosh your fucking heart out until you bleed.
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER
The world’s kinda crazy at the moment, yeah? It’s not just me, right? Of course it is. And I’m not making light of it. But what I am doing is reminding everyone to find the time to let loose and enjoy yourself. It’s critical if you are to survive whichever brand of madness you’ve lost yourself in. And of alllll the metal bands I listen to, The Black Dahlia Murder have a vast discography that always puts me in a wonderfully sinister mood. And when they play that stuff live, it’s even more fun. It feels like a true party when those guys are on stage and I’m so thankful they’re still touring.
If you’ve not seen Black Dahlia before, their live shows are more than just an impressively tight melodic death metal clinic. Formerly on guitar but now exclusively vocals, Brian has everyone’s attention (in a classy tuxedo t-shirt) as he effortlessly transitions between screaming demon and crowdwork comedian. Then on bass, Max paces menacingly back-and-forth on the stage, keeping everything on the low-end punchy and heavy, but is also a master of knowing when to whip his hair around for the camera!
I remember having dinner with someone recently who referred to The Black Dahlia Murder as “At The Gates core”. To which I replied, “What’s wrong with that!?” And I would agree that Black Dahlia started out like that, but they quickly solidified their own melodic death metal sound and continuously pump out riff-after-impressive-riff. Seeing guitarists Ryan and Wes performing these parts in a live environment like at The Intersection brings the melodically hellish intent to life even moreso. And then all of it being backed by Alan on drums; more machine than human with his tireless delivery of those blisteringly fast beats. It’s just always such a blast seeing this band.
There’s still a few weeks of this lineup and the Spring Fling tour continues throughout the United States until May 2nd. Also, there’ve been many reported sightings of the Statutory Ape making an appearance (Black Dahlia’s mascot). So do your part and get to one of these upcoming shows and enjoy yourself! Check out www.tbdmofficial.com for upcoming dates and tickets.
Follow @porousphoto on Instagram to see more photos from the show.
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 metal, punk, and hardcore. For more photography, visit his digital portfolio.
