Cattle Decapitation at The Observatory North Park

12/19/2026 - The Observatory North Park - San Diego, California.

Cattle Decapitation… sounds like something out of a horror film. While this band is not a horror film, their music certainly could be the equivalent. The swooping 808s turn breakdowns into walls of death, the gurgling screams spin the crowd into chaos, and the shrieking guitar scratches an itch in your brain. I was ecstatic to see they were announced to be playing at the Observatory North Park. As a fan of Cattle Decapitation, my jaw dropped when I saw this lineup. It wasn’t just them; it was Tribal Gaze, Frozen Soul, and Aborted. These four anger stricken bands were on the road for a little over a month, hitting the majority of the states. The first band, Tribal Gaze took the stage. While I’ve seen this band two times before this show, their performances never fail to impress me. They are always energetic and moving on stage, making for great photo opportunities. Then, the second band Frozen Soul (gallery) hit the stage. I have been a huge fan of Frozen Soul over the years. Between their hardcore riffs and pinch harmonics, they have a perfect blend of the Death Metal and Hardcore genres. These genres happen to be the most “mosh worthy” and Chad, the vocalist, loves to mosh call. You can guess what happens next, Chad yells “SPLIT IT DOWN THE MIDDLE!” The crowd does just that, forming a wall of death. Crowd surfers fly towards the photographers, security catching each one and attempting not to fall backwards.

Overall, Frozen Soul was a blast to photograph. Then the third band came, Aborted. Personally, I hadn’t listened to them before this show, and boy, was I in for an adventure. Aborted has extremely fast drums, screeching highs, and solos which made them an intense deathcore addition to the lineup. In my opinion, the crowd was the most wild during their set. The amount of photos captured during their set vs. every other set is unmatched.

The fourth and final act came on, Cattle decapitation. Our headliner, their hometown, all in the comfort of a theater preserved from the 1930’s. The combination of beautiful antique architecture and death metal sound made for an ironic and unique night. Flashing lights and hair flowing around people’s heads as they head bang through the circle pit is the perfect descriptor for their set.

All of these sets combined were a very well needed break from daily life. Seeing these four bands was a great outlet to let out my inner anger and energy. Overall, I adored this experience and I would absolutely recommend seeing them again! Thank you Live Nation SD and Observatory North Park for yet another great show. I will be seeing you again plenty in 2026.