On Sunday August 23rd, 2026 NorCal’s own deathcore residents Saltwound brought their Death Coast 26 Tour to Fresno. Along with them playing on the tour is Cultist. The opener for the night was Scoundrel. Let me tell you these bands turned a quiet Sunday night into chaos in the best way possible.
The opener of the night was Fresno’s own Scoundrel a band that started off interesting. I was not totally familiar with the band so when I saw a rapper come out on stage I was surprised. The rap itself was good but was unexpected, even though it was just an intro it left an impression. After the rap intro the band shifted into what they do best and hit the ground running with hardcore instrumentals and brutal vocals. Scoundrel recently released a single called “Ruin” it is a cover of a Lamb of God song. It mad sense to me after watching their set as one of their clear influences in instrumentation comes from them and there’s no mistaking it. This band is definitely on my radar now because their set was engaging and did not sound like typical openers to me they sounded locked in.
The second band of the night was Cultist who is surprisingly a Christian band. Nothing wrong with that at all just surprising because most christians tend to avoid this genre of music. The band has two front men as vocalist which I always love because makes a nice contrast for vocals and screams, gives it a more studio like live sound. Cultist played like they were out to prove that they are one of the hardest christian metal bands out there and they did not disappoint. Between the dual screaming, the energy of the band and the singers getting into the crowd there is no questioning how metal they are. They played some new songs “Amen” and ‘Den Of Snakes” recently released in April.
Last but not least is the local powerhouses Saltwound! They have steadily been making a name for themselves for being raw and visceral as their name implies. Ive had the pleasure of seeing them a few times and their following has grown since. Their new single “Pound Of Flesh” has helped catapult them even further, it’s very impressive how consistently disgusting their music is. Their live show leaves no want for energy everyone in the band just delivers in the best chaos imaginable and if you do not have a stank face by the end of their set or during a few songs then there’s something wrong with you.
Make sure to follow Scoundrel on their platforms:
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