Forbidden’s first extensive North American tour in 21 years comes attached to their first new album in 16, which is either coincidence or the cleanest possible argument for why the show is worth attending. The Bay Area band, formed in 1985 as Forbidden Evil and running on the same circuit as Metallica, Exodus, Testament, and Death Angel by the end of that decade, put out Forbidden Evil (1988), considered a seminal work in the thrash canon, and followed it with the technical complexity of Twisted Into Form (1990). One of the band’s co-founders, Robb Flynn, went on to form Machine Head. That Forbidden reconstituted, outlasted an extended hiatus, and eventually arrived at a sixth studio album says something about guitarist Craig Locicero’s investment in the project.
About the Show
The self-titled sixth album arrives October 23 via BLKIIBLK, the first full-length since 2010’s Omega Wave. Locicero, the band’s creative anchor through multiple lineup changes and more than a decade of dormancy, describes the recording at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland with co-producer Zack Ohren as something that “felt more like an odyssey than a typical recording process,” with the aim of reminding listeners “why they fell in love with thrash and heavy metal.” Lead single “Psyclops” frames the record: Locicero calls it “a hypnotizing stomper, heavy footed like millions of people marching.” The album runs more than an hour across 11 tracks, closing with the nine-minute “Flower Of Life (Chaos By Design),” which lends this tour its name. Brann Dailor of Mastodon contributes to album track “Sycophantasy.”
Supporting throughout the Chaos By Design US Tour are Heathen and Void. The current five-piece consists of Norman Skinner on vocals, Locicero and Jeremy Von Epp on guitars, Matt Camacho on bass, and Chris Kontos on drums, the lineup that came together following the band’s 2023 reformation. The 23-date run opened October 23 in Las Vegas and closes November 22 in Los Angeles.
Venue & Logistics
Empire Underground sits beneath Albany’s Palace Theatre on North Pearl Street, a 500-capacity club with sightlines that hold from anywhere in the room. Thrash metal in a space this compact is a different proposition than the same band on a larger stage. Bands of this caliber rarely land on the Capital Region circuit in rooms this intimate. Show time is 7:00 p.m.
Tickets
No ticket price was available from sources at the time of publication. Buy tickets