Paleface Swiss Review Empire Live Albany, NY (03.26.25)

Hilary Crannage — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 11:33:00 +0000

Hell hath no fury like metal fans at a deathcore metal show and the Paleface Swiss
Cursed Tour was no exception. Despite it being a Wednesday, fans had Albany New York
Empire Live packed in for what was easily a sold out show. Not seen in the Capital region since
2023, the brutal deathcore band was back for their second time, bringing with them equally
brutal bands, Nasty and Stick To Your Guns.

True to their name, Nasty came out with an intensity that smacks you in the face.
Washing the room in red light the band started off their 11 track setlist with a rush of sound and
movement. Feeding off the band, fans formed a mosh pit spanning half the venue floor. This
Belgian band may have been the opener but their intensity and style was a perfect match for
this tour, especially with their collaboration with Paleface Swiss on their recent single Talk.
treating the crowd to heavy riffs and rapid vocals that had bodies flying on the floor and the lead
singer even jumping on the barricade to sing with the crowd. After a dramatic finish with song
Total Domination, Nasty exited the stage, leaving the crowd primed and eager for what would
come next.

It wasn’t long before the Warner Brothers opening track boomed through the darkness
as the outlines of the members of California natives Stick To Your Guns took to the stage. That
would be the calmest part of their set for the lead singer, Matthi Tarnath, flew onto the stage for
the first of the bands 11 track set for what is best described as anxiety and stage lights. In
contrast to Nasty’s ominous, dark red lighting, Stick to Your Guns jumped and ran around the
stage washed in bright rotating white spotlights and strobes. Crowd surfers came in waves as
the crowd had grown in numbers and forced the mosh pit to shrink but increased its intensity.
Like Nasty, the lead vocalist, Jesse Barnett, jumped down from the stage to stand on the
barricade over the excited crowd. The band also made sure to make their support of the working
class with song dedications as well as dedicating their song from their latest album, Keep
Planting Flowers, to those who have lost or are going through loss. Ending their set on a high
note with their song Against Them All, Stick To Your Guns made their exit as a few from the
crowd could be seen stepping outside to cool down before the long awaited headliner took the
stage.

The crowd had once again grown in size as fans squeezed in all the way to the bar in
the back of the venue and towards the bathrooms. Dubstep blared through the speakers as the
crew prepared the stage, effectively amping up an impatient crowd. Finally, the lights dimmed
and cheers and screams could be heard as a hazy, dim red light slowly revealed a large noose
suspended above the drum kit. Before long an eerie recording of Paleface Swiss’s song Un
Pobre Niño Murió began to play. As the last note faded the band tore onto the stage as vocalist
Marc Zelli Zellweger began their 13 track set with Hatred. With energy to match the song
name, Paleface Swiss jumped, ran, and paced across the stage often silhouetted with bright red
or green light.

The fast paced lyrics and guttural screams mixed with chaotic deviating
breakdowns whipped the crowd into a frenzy, prompting aggressive circle pits, non-stop crowd
surfing, and a death wall. A shout out should be made to the security of Empire Live for handling
the chaos like the pros they are and allowing the crowd to let loose while keeping everyone
safe. The crazy strobing lights often left fans in darkness leading up to dramatic beat drops and
blinking intime to Zellweger’s fast paced singing. Towards the end of the night, Zellweger
paused to give shout outs to the crew, merchandise person, photographer, sound crew, and
tour manager and to introduce the band. After a brief narrative promoting mental health, a

recording began to play of the song 666 before the band performed the last two songs of the
night. Once the show ended and the lights came on, never ending lines began to form at the
merch tables and the venue slowly ended as fans went home to finish out the rest of the work
week. Paleface Swiss took Albany by storm for the second time and The Cursed Tour has
proven to be a force of nature that should not be missed.

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