By: Ashley Parrish

The Aggressive Progressive Tour had just gotten moving when it stopped in Denver — the most metal city in the country (according to any local metalhead). The lineup was stacked: Rivers of Nihil, Holy Fawn, Inter Arma, Glacial Tomb, and High Fells. It was a Saturday night at the Bluebird Theater, and the 550-cap room was already filling up. The energy landed early, and the night felt locked in from the start.

High Fells, originally from Texas but now based in Colorado, opened the night to a steadily growing crowd. Their set leaned heavily on unreleased material, with just a few cuts from their 2022 release Catharsis. Their sound fused death metal’s force and technical precision with melodic riffs and atmospheric layers — brutal, but with a slight hypnotic undercurrent beneath the aggression.  Low, guttural vocals and percussion, balancing blast beats and thunderous double bass, gave the songs a solid backbone. New tracks like “Reverence” and “Ignition” drew especially strong reactions from the crowd. The mix was tight, the vocals clear, and the vibe was fully established.

Next up was Glacial Tomb, a Denver-based band currently out as part of the tour. From the first note, their set hit with a dense, riff-driven intensity, cohesive, and absolutely crushing. By the third song, the pit was in full force and didn’t let up the rest of the way. Drawing exclusively from their 2024 album Lightless Expanse, they delivered a sound that merged sludge, doom, blackened death, and flashes of grindcore. Closer “Enshrined in Concrete” ended things on a feral note — chug-heavy and punishing, with Joey Spates’ drumming especially commanding. By then, the venue was nearing capacity.

Inter Arma was an unexpected highlight of the night. Their energy brought a unique vibe to the show, with a stage presence that was hard to ignore. The riffs were doomy and heavy, with an unpredictable feel. Vocalist, Mike Paparo screamed with a distant, almost detached gaze, which managed to draw me in. Their set, built mostly around their 2024 album New Heaven, blended sludge, blackened death, and doom — stretched into long, reverb-drenched passages that expanded the overall impact.

Holy Fawn shifted the tone and brought a more ambient quality to the night. Their set started quieter, slower than the other bands, only to launch into sections that burst with absolutely crushing intensity, built on chaotic chords and explosive distortion. The dark stage, lit only by tube lights, added an eerie ambiance. The Vocals were hard to make out at first, but after the first few songs, the sound was dialed in. The real highlight came when they debuted two new releases that really showcased their strengths: slow builds crashing into dissonant, unnerving heaviness. They closed with “Seer,” leaving the crowd fully primed for the headliner.

Rivers of Nihil emerged from the side stage in near-darkness, dressed in collared, button-up shirts, fitted vests, and skinny jeans. They opened with “The Sub-Orbital Blues” from their just-released self-titled album. I’ve seen them live before, but this was easily the best — sharp, dynamic, and honestly pretty incredible.

You can always tell when a band’s been touring hard. There’s a chemistry that goes beyond just playing well — it’s more of a presence, a tangible energy. Rivers of Nihil have that, in a low-key but intensely focused way. Adam Biggs' vocals were dead-on, the double bass hit hard, and I’ve never seen a crowd lose it quite like they did when Patrick Corona came out with his saxaphone.

They’ve been weaving jazz elements into their sound since 2018’s Where Owls Know My Name, and it still hits — especially live. The set was heavy, expansive, and had that spaced-out, moody edge they do so well.

The peak for me was “American Death,” another new one — gritty, intense, and a clear crowd favorite. “House of Light” kept the momentum going with another rowdy pit and more sax that somehow just fits. They wrapped the night with an encore of “Clean.”

It was the kind of show that didn’t really have a weak link. Each band brought something different, and the pacing worked — no burnout, no lull. Whether it was the local openers showing out or Rivers of Nihil closing with a stacked set, the night landed from start to finish.