FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY AT THE FOUNDRY IN PHILADELPHIA
Fit For An Autopsy hit the road back in January for their U.S. tour featuring support from Great American Ghost, Signs of the Swarm, Enterprise Earth, and Ingested. Talk about a stacked metal lineup! The tour made one of its last few stops in Philadelphia, PA and brought quite a night for attendees at The Foundry. The intimate venue kept the pit open the entire night, taking up the entire front of the room. Each band on the bill brought something fresh to the stage and kept the audience excited.
Opening the show first was Boston based metal band Great American Ghost. Last time I saw this band was back in 2020, so I already knew to expect a great set, but I definitely was not prepared for what was to come. Right from the start, vocalist Ethan Harrison immediately hopped off the stage and over the barricade with his mic. He performed the entire set from the crowd while the rest of the band played on stage. It was hard to decide where to look. The crowd wasn’t quite full yet as people were still filing in during their set, and it’s unfortunate that they missed it. The band played a great set and never let up on the effort and energy that they put into their performance.
Taking the stage next was Signs of the Swarm. From the minute they took the stage they had the crowd moshing. This Pittsburgh deathcore band means serious business. Their live sound is so full and heavy it’ll immediately knock you backwards. I’ve said it before and I will say it again - vocalist David Simonich is an absolute monster live. Much of their setlist was newer music from their Absolvere release, but they did play their 2020 single “Pernicious”.
When Enterprise Earth took the stage you could tell they were a favorite among the crowd that had come out. I am not very familiar with the band but they left an impression for sure. During their set they had David Simonich of Signs of the Swarm out on stage with them which was a fun feature to see.
Ingested hit the stage after Enterprise Earth and the U.K. trio ended up surprising me with how brutal their sound really was. Vocalist Jason Evans looks like a madman on stage when he’s performing and provided some heartwarming banter with the crowd in between songs. This made their performance feel very personable with the short amount of time that they had.
With a 5 band bill, set times were shorter (each of the opening bands performed about 6 songs each) and each band did a great job of making an impact on the crowd with the time they were given. There wasn’t much down time in between sets either, making the show very fluid, but feeling a little rushed. This did, however, allow the crowd to be more immersed in the sets as there wasn’t time to stop and get too comfortable.
When Fit For An Autopsy took the stage, there was a noticeable shift in energy. The lights used were very different from the rest of the show, basking the band in green in addition to the reds from before. The band opened up strong with “The Sea of Tragic Beasts”. The crowd had really saved themselves for this set. It feels as though the pit had gotten bigger and there were even a couple crowd surfers. Rightfully so. The band just released their latest album Oh What The Future Holds back in January and had played a couple of the songs scattered into their set such as “Far From Heaven” and “Pandora”. Even though the stage at The Foundry is quite small, the band still made their way around it and used the space well so the performance was never stale. Guitarist Tim Howley absolutely shredded while vocalist Joe Badolato delivered an impressive range of vocals. Guitarist Patrick Sheridan interacted with the crowd on his side of the stage often, signaling hand motions that encouraged them to ramp up the energy. Even though it felt like drummer Josean Orta was pushed back on the stage, he still shined through with his insanely clean performance. Bassist Peter Spinazola layed down thick bass lines and matched the energy perfectly as well. They ended their set with “Warfare” which perfectly wrapped up the night. Even though the tour’s last date is today, I would highly recommend checking out each of the bands on this bill and trying to catch Fit For An Autopsy next time they come back around on tour. If you are a fan of heavy music, this was a show for you!
Nicole DiBenedetto is a photographer based out of New Jersey. She likes making new friends and meeting new people so catch her out in the pit and say hi!