On Sunday, October 11, Crown Magnetar brought their The Sawed Off Suffering Tour to Goldfield for a night of unrelenting heaviness. Joining the headliners were co-headliners To The Grave, alongside I Declare War, Face Yourself, and Saltwound, creating a stacked lineup for deathcore fans. Earlier this year, Crown Magnetar opened for Archspire, and they’re set to hit the road with them again in Europe once their current tour wraps up. But for this night, they were ready to prove exactly why they belong at the top of the bill.
The first band I caught that evening was Face Yourself. Once a six-piece featuring three guitarists, the band has since become a four-piece, but the lineup change has done absolutely nothing to diminish their crushing sound. If you’ve spent any time on the deathcore side of TikTok over the past couple of years, chances are you’ve come across Face Yourself or their French vocalist, Yasmin Liverneaux Belkhodja.
Yasmin gained widespread attention for her cover of Lorna Shore’s “To the Hellfire,” showcasing her ability to recreate the monstrous vocal techniques popularized by Will Ramos. Seeing her perform live, however, is an entirely different experience. She commanded the stage with an incredible amount of energy, delivering a performance that was impossible to look away from. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say she was one of the biggest highlights of the night for many in the crowd. When a female-fronted vocalist is being mentioned alongside names like Will Ramos, Alex Terrible, Spiritbox, and Arch Enemy, you know you’re in for something special. Face Yourself delivered a set that was every bit as ferocious as expected, leaving a lasting impression and setting the tone for the rest of the evening.
Next up was I Declare War, a band with a long history in the deathcore scene and a number of lineup changes throughout their career. While I wasn’t particularly familiar with their music going into the show, that didn’t stop me from enjoying their performance. They came out swinging with an infectious energy, delivering a set that felt refreshingly raw.
There’s something about the band’s sound that takes you back to an earlier era of deathcore, before production became so polished and every recording seemed designed to achieve maximum technical precision. Their performance reminded me of what makes the genre so appealing in the first place: unfiltered aggression, crushing heaviness, and an intensity that translates just as well live as it does on record.
The next act was co-headliner To The Grave, the Australian four-piece who brought more than just sheer brutality to the stage. Their set carried an unmistakable message, with the band declaring, “Kill your local animal abuser.” Their music felt like a protest brought to life, fueled by anger, conviction, and an uncompromising willingness to speak up for what they believe in.
Throughout the performance, both the guitarist and vocalist paced back and forth across the stage, channeling that frustration into every moment of the set. The vocalist also repeatedly told the audience to “shut the fuck up,” which, in the context of their confrontational performance, was honestly pretty funny. There was no attempt to soften their message or make their music more palatable. Instead, To The Grave leaned into the anger, allowing their beliefs and their sound to feed off one another. It’s refreshing to see a deathcore band use its music as a vehicle for something beyond aggression alone. To The Grave delivered all the heaviness you could ask for while making their stance impossible to ignore.
Finally, it was time for Crown Magnetar to close out the night. After previously seeing them open for Archspire earlier this year, I already had a good idea of what they were capable of. This time, though, the experience felt different. Not only did they have a new album to bring to the stage, but I also had the opportunity to interview the band and share a beer with vocalist Dan. Beyond their intimidating stage presence, the members I met were genuinely down-to-earth guys, making the contrast between their personalities offstage and their sheer ferocity onstage all the more entertaining.
As soon as Crown Magnetar took the stage, they brought the energy of a band fully stepping into its own as a headliner. There was an immediate sense of authority in their performance, with every breakdown, blast beat, and crushing vocal delivery reinforcing why they were closing out the night. Compared with the last time I saw them, there was a noticeable confidence to their presence. They weren’t simply there to warm up the crowd for another band; they were there to leave a mark.
Their performance was an absolute assault from beginning to end, with an intimidating stage presence that matched the brutality of their music. Crown Magnetar know exactly how to command a room, and their set demonstrated the kind of intensity that makes deathcore such a visceral live experience. Having the chance to connect with the band personally before watching them unleash that level of aggression made the night even more memorable.
Make sure to follow Face Yourself on their platforms:
Make sure to follow I Declare War on their platforms:
Make sure to follow To The Grave on their platforms:
Make sure to follow Crown Magnetar on their platforms:
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