The Hollywood Palladium became a temple of extreme metal on May 21 as Behemoth closed out “The Godless IV Tour” alongside support from Immolation, Rotting Christ, and Deicide. Each band brought its own brand of brutality, making the evening feel monumental from start to finish, and we were there to capture exclusive photos from this blasphemous night.
Opening the show, Immolation wasted no time setting a vicious tone. Their performance was dense, punishing, and technically razor-sharp, with crushing riffs reverberating through the venue like collapsing concrete. Rotting Christ followed with an entirely different atmosphere, shifting the energy into something darker and more hypnotic. Their melodic black metal approach gave the evening a ritualistic pulse, while massive chants echoed throughout the Palladium as fans shouted along to both classic tracks and newer material. Sakis Tolis commanded the stage effortlessly, turning the venue into a sea of raised horns and synchronized movement.
Then came Deicide — raw, stripped-down, and devastatingly effective. Glen Benton and company tore through their set with little unnecessary banter, allowing the music to deliver the impact. Their performance embodied pure death metal aggression: fast, brutal, and unapologetically old school. The crowd’s reaction intensified immediately, with circle pits erupting across the floor as the band unleashed wave after wave of anti-religious fury. Several fans throughout the tour had already described Deicide as one of the standout acts on the package, and in Los Angeles they more than lived up to that reputation.
By the time Behemoth took the stage, the Hollywood Palladium had transformed into a cathedral of fire and darkness. Surrounded by smoke, crimson lighting, and theatrical imagery, the Polish blackened death metal giants delivered a headlining set cinematic in both scale and execution. Frontman Nergal controlled the crowd with absolute authority, moving across the stage like a conductor orchestrating chaos. Songs such as “Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer,” “Conquer All,” and newer material from the current tour cycle landed with tremendous force, while the band’s elaborate visual presentation elevated the performance beyond a standard concert into something almost ceremonial.
By the end of the night, exhausted fans poured onto Sunset Boulevard after witnessing one of the strongest extreme metal lineups to hit Los Angeles in recent years — an evening defined by darkness, chaos, and overwhelming musical power.
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.