Photos and Review by David Molnar – The Palladium Theater in Worcester, Massachusetts, a historic venue built in 1928 and long hailed as a cornerstone for metal and hardcore shows, played host again to top-notch metal entertainment as Arch Enemy roared into town with their 2025 North American leg of the Blood Dynasty tour. The night was a ferocious celebration of international and American extreme metal, with a lineup that delivered relentless energy and raw talent.
Thrown Into Exile kicked off the evening with a blistering performance of blistering American metal, earning a solid reception and keeping the momentum high before the night’s headliner Arch Enemy took the stage.
The old walls of the concert hall trembled as Danish death metal band Baest followed the evening, their name fittingly translating to “beast” or “brute”—an accurate reflection of their savage riffs and high intensity. The crowd wasted no time launching into furious circle pits and crowd surfing, setting the tone for the rest of the sweat filled night.
Next up was Fit For An Autopsy, the New Jersey-based deathcore band that brought a heavier set filled with crushing bass and pounding drums. Songs like “Lower Purpose” and “Red Horizon” showcased the metal sextet’s brutal and complex music, drawing an explosive response from the packed theater.
When fan favorite Arch Enemy finally emerged under a wash of blue and white stage lights, the crowd erupted. Frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz, hailing from Canada, commanded the stage with her signature growl and theatrical presence moving about the stage with every heart-pounding beat. The Swedish melodic death metal band tore through a razor-sharp 17-song setlist that included favorites like “Deceiver, Deceiver” and “Dream Stealer,” both of which turned the pit into a frenzy of fists, kicks and flying bodies.
The band’s long-time bassist Sharlee D’Angelo exploded through every song as White-Gluz would wildly spin her long, flowing blue hair in violent circles to the beat. Arch Enemy’s melodic yet brutal sound reverberated through the Palladium, proving once again why they remain a crowd favorite and at the top of the melodic death metal world. The Blood Dynasty tour was a masterclass in modern metal, and Worcester was left breathless and deafened in its wake.
The tour has two dates in Canada on May 8 in Montreal and May 9 in Toronto. The tour then heads back to the U.S. with stops in Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky and finishes in Wisconsin on May 18 at the 2025 Milwaukee Metal Fest.
BAEST
FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY
THROWN INTO EXILE
