The Hollywood Palladium transformed into a cathedral of extreme blasphemy as Behemoth, Deicide, Rotting Christ, and Immolation delivered the heaviest touring lineup to hit the iconic venue this year. This convergence of legends ended their five-week The Godless IV tour on Thursday night, May 21, in Hollywood after kicking off this evil trek back on April 13 in San Diego.
With each band carrying their own altar of destruction on stage, Immolation kicked off the night at 6:25 PM to a surprisingly already packed venue. Supporting their brutal new album Descent, released on April 10, the band opened the show with new songs “These Vengeful Winds” and “The Ephemeral Curse” and played a total of five songs from Descent, proving these new songs are true Immolation classics already.
Vocalist Ross Dolan remains one of the OG extreme vocalists, having paved the way for New York death metal back in 1986, and his delivery is as strong as ever (Dolan also has the longest hair in death metal as well). Immolation ended their 30-minute set the same as they started—with a new song, “Bend Towards the Dark.” It was killer seeing these warriors who typically play small clubs on the big stage in Hollywood.
Rotting Christ shifted the atmosphere from brute-force death metal into something darker and more hypnotic. With many controversies surrounding the name of the band, these Greek metal warriors took the Palladium through a dark ride of evil and occultism as vocalist, guitarist Sakis Tolis delivered a high-energy performance that had the venue barking the lyrics in unison with Tolis in ceremonial fashion. The thundering drums of Sakis’ brother, Themis, shook the Palladium floor as guitarist Kostis Foukarakis and bass player Kostas “Spades” Heliotis played their parts with laser-guided precision.
Rotting Christ ended their 40 minutes onstage with the ritualistic rhythms of “Grandis Spiritus Diavolos”—the band successfully conquered Hollywood, satisfying old-school fans and making new ones along the way.
Deicide hit the stage and took the Palladium into a violent overdrive, kicking off 45 minutes of blasphemy with “When Satan Rules His World” then into “Bastard of Christ” and “Behead the Prophet (No Lord Shall Live).” The legendary Glen Benton immediately became the focal point of the performance with his ultra-guttural vocals and shrieking screams. The band remains super tight and ultra-aggressive, with original drummer Steve Asheim sitting high on a drum riser, barely visible behind his massive kit, effortlessly delivering machine-gun blast beats.
The twin guitar attack remains razor sharp with Taylor Nordberg and Jadran “Conan” Gonzalez (on loan from thrashers Exmortus), delivering the shrieking solos and brutal riffs. Benton remains a monster onstage, with his brutal bass attack and a voice as strong as ever. “Sacrificial Suicide” and “They Are the Children of the Underworld” stood out as highlights of the set, although the band nailed it start to finish. The brutality ended with “Homage for Satan,” and now Hollywood was properly primed and ready for a dose of Polish Blackened Death Metal from Behemoth.
Behemoth took the stage at 9:20 PM with each member in full corpse paint and blasted into “The Shadow Elite” from their 2025 release The Shit Ov God, and the Palladium erupted in full–on mosh pits and crowd surfing. Vocalist/guitarist Nergal is one of the most aggressive and fierce performers, as his passion for the music and dark messages explode via his delivery. The larger-than-life backdrop, lighting scheme, and the band’s energy fueled an almost cinematic experience with no shortage of blackened riffs, blast beats, and crowd chants throughout each song.
Seth on rhythm guitar, bassist Orion, and drummer Inferno individually had a massive delivery and combined with Nergal’s barking vocals, the band blasted through many classic Behemoth anthems mixed with some newer material, both satisfying long term and newer fans across the board. During “Bartzabel,” Nergal wore a black papal miter as he delivered the lyrics as if conducting a sermon. The band paid homage to the mighty Bathory with a cover of “The Return of Darkness and Evil,” paying respect to one of the forefathers of the black metal genre.
The night concluded with the brutality of “Chant for Eschaton 2000” and the haunting beauty of “O Father O Satan O Sun!” The show ended, the tour ended, and Behemoth successfully captured the souls of The Hollywood Palladium. All hail Behemoth, Deicide, Rotting Christ, and Immolation.
DEICIDE
ROTTING CHRIST
