Cholera / Traumatization / xEighty-Sixedx / Dead In My Eyes / Walking Wounded / Loveletters

DeathcoreBeatdownMetalMetalcoreSlamHardcoreCook-coreDeath Metal

Aug 18

FOR FANS OF: The Acacia Strain, Despised Icon, Suicide Silence, Job for a Cowboy, Suffokate, Waking the Cadaver, Carnifex, Whitechapel, All Shall Perish, Traitors, Psycho-Frame, Tracheotomy, PeelingFlesh, Snuffed on Sight, Bodybox, Heavy//Hitter, Vomit Forth, Gatecreeper, 200 Stab Wounds, Sanguisugabogg, Ringworm, Integrity, Hatebreed, Xibalba, Harms Way, Knocked Loose, Jesus Piece, Kharma, Sanction, Dying Wish, Foreign Hands, Chamber, Boundaries, Vein.fm, The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, See You Next Tuesday, Ion Dissonance, The Red Chord, The Red Shore, Through the Eyes of the Dead, Elysia, Oceano, Molotov Solution, The Last Ten Seconds of Life, Spite, Bodysnatcher, and Lorna Shore

August 15, 2026 at The Foundry in Cleveland, OH

Holy shit am I sore. I’m writing this a few days after the show which is unusual but I had over 4,700 photos to look through. Photographing this show meant a lot to me considering Cholera shows have created some of my most fond memories so I wanted to ensure I did the bands justice. A good chunk of them were unusable because I was buzzin’ on nostalgia and couldn’t stop moving. I called my girlfriend halfway through the show so she could hold some camera gear and I could mosh/throwdown/dance/murk muhfks.

I waited in a line to get into The Foundry and overheard some kids (yes kids, it was an all-ages show) in front of me saying “my friend showed me a picture of the one guitarist and he’s like.. a cute little family man.” I said “Tom?” and they laughed and said yep. The boys are all grown up! I walked in and immediately recognized at least a dozen people I used to see at shows at Peabody’s Downunder during the 2006-2012 era. As the show filled in, it increased in familiar faces and it was cool to see. I overheard people talking about what they’ve been up to for the last 15 years, what music they’ve been interested in, what merch they still have (and don’t fit in), and what venues they used to go to (shoutout to Logan’s Basement and Midpark High School).

The show started out with Loveletters, a mosh metalcore band from Toledo. They lean a little more toward hardcore and metalcore with hints of deathcore and started the show off right. The vocalist, Ethan, came out with a backpack on. He stated that the backpack contained a MacBook, phone, wallet, keys, charger, backup mic, marker, pen, screwdriver, an external hdd, a t shirt and gum. Definitely sensical essentials and fun to know. Their guitarist, Pjete, wasn’t playing this set but “evanletters,” killed it. This was my first time seeing them and they are a band I’ll be looking out for in the future.

Walking Wounded played next, a more death metal/powerviolence deathcore band from Cleveland. Their tone was low and punchy, professional and deliberate. The vocals fit fantastically with the music, showcasing a ton of energy without the need for a huge range of highs and lows. This was my first time seeing them. They made me bang my head and make a stank face a good handful of times during the set. After the show, I listened to their Bestial Condemnation album. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the recording and work they put into the writing and production. I found out the album is about a man consumed by greed and then is cursed to walk the earth as a beast, which is pretty rad. I also saw one of their songs feature No Cure which is a great feat considering how fast No Cure is growing in the scene currently. They are definitely worth a listen and for sure worth going to see. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for these dudes.

Dead In My Eyes from Akron was next. I saw them recently with Katywentmissing, Get Me the Knife and xEighty-Sixedx at No Class. The vocalist, Nick, is exremely recognizable with his scary vibe and giant septum piercing/other facial piercings. When he’s in the pit, my brain goes “don’t hit him in the face! It’ll hurt both of you!” The band states they’re “NEOhio Deathcore like it’s ‘08,” which makes a lot of sense once you hear them. They deliver a fast set, breakdowns, reeping, and a wide vocal range. Their music features melodic guitar parts layered with chugs and bell hits as well as mild-speed two steps and moments where the tempo slows and picks back up. I get why they were booked for this show and their shows are a good time. They had a different bassist and one of the guitarists was different this time around. I think this lineup was original. I’m sure I’ll see them again and after a few more times I can start figuring out who the permanent members are.

xEighty-Sixedx (Cleveland cook-core) played next. They are an absolute good time all-around. From fun samples to making a handful of grilled cheeses with a George Foreman grill mid-set, they are at bare minimum entertaining as shit. You can tell this band is in it for the fun of the scene. They seem like they’re not very serious and then when you hear their music, you realize they actually know what they’re doing. They’re heavy as hell and super fun and you can tell a lot of the crowd supports them and are their friends. Their lyrics and song names are restaurant related, including Late Reservation and Crying in the Walk-In as well as Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole. I can relate more than anyone, as I’ve been in the restaurant industry since 2007 and still currently am. This band just makes me happy. I have one of their shirts which features a grilled cheese on it and says “We’re Makin ‘Em At Night.” I also have a pair of their basketball shorts/a hat and will buy more merch every time I see them. They also sell hot sauce, which you can sample from the end of a dildo (in their tip jar at the merch table) and is habanero based but not as face-melting as you’d expect. It’s delicious and you should buy some. Supposedly one of the grilled cheeses made during the set was filled with this hot sauce which is a hilarious surprise for whoever catches the sandwich in the crowd. Their music is a blend of slam, death core, beatdown, hardcore, and hilarious kitchen-related samples and they’re easily becoming one of my favorite local bands. All members of the band are music and gear nerds so it’s always a great conversation when it comes to talking to any of them. Angelo, the bassist, works at The Foundry and you can catch him bartending when he’s not out touring or playing shows. See them asap or be eighty-sixed mentally by me.

Traumatization from Illinois played next. This is my first time seeing them and after only listening to a few of their songs in advance, I didn’t know exactly what to expect. I’ve seen them on a bunch of show posters and know they’re growing quickly in the scene. Since they played second to last, I knew the crowd (at this point, fully filled out) was in for a treat. This band is an old-school deathcore/myspace deathcore revival type. On reddit they mentioned “No vocal Olympics, no synths, no singing, no filler riffs. Just good straight old school dc!” They are one of the newer bands of the night yet are becoming quickly established considering their tight and heavy tones as well as fun lively stage presence with long hair swinging in every direction. The guitarist, James, played harmonics and pinch harmonics pretty frequently and without problem at all, especially during the song Tapestry of Flesh. The vocalist, Josh, features guttural vocal tone that fit perfectly for deathcore. The songs are short, fast, have breakdowns that get the crowd moving and have a blunt-force rhythm section. They feature Mauled and Rev3rent on some of their tracks which may tell you all you need to know about their influences and style. I left the venue quickly after Cholera ended and am mad I didn’t buy any merch, so boys, if you’re reading this, I got you next time I see you!

Finally, the reason my hands and elbows are so bruised and the reason I dropped each camera at least once: Cholera. If you haven’t heard of them, you must not be from around here or maybe you’re too young or just too big of a bitch. They’re Cleveland deathcore from 2006 and have created core memories for me and my friend group when I was in high school. They played with some of my favorite bands of all-time back then, including Salt the Wound, Whitechapel, Carnifex, Revocation, Elysia, Knights of the Abyss, Rings of Saturn, Belie My Burial, Bear the Burden, Unveil Nevaeh, Years Spent Cold, With Blood Comes Cleansing, Abacabb, The Screwtape Letters, Above This Fire, Clarity Calls Forth, Winds of Plague, Lorna Shore, Unearth, The Last Ten Seconds of Life, Traitors, and Bodysnatcher (the vocalist, Kyle was there. He posted afterward that Bill from Cholera helped book Bodysnatcher for the first time they played in Ohio 12 years prior, how fuckin’ rad.)

Their current members were Bill Zakovec and Andy Evenson (vocals), Tom Vath Jr. and Tad Kessler (guitars), Jason Sebaugh (bass) and Matt Behner (drums). This is their revival show to celebrate 20 years after the release of The Answer to Infection (even though Spotify shows its release in 2008. Can’t trust them anyway considering they titled the song “This Love is Your Life” instead of “This Love is Your Lie.”) They re-recorded the album with Tom and sent the tracks to Subvoid for mixing and mastering. It seems they didn’t just re-record the ideas verbatim but they “reduxed” them, meaning tempo wasn’t the exact same and it was a bit of a re-writing and polishing of the songs. The recordings are more punchy, crisp and clear, heavier and with tighter gates on the guitars, and the vocals are better than ever. I only listened through a couple of the songs on the redux before the show. I wanted to be surprised at the changes and hearing these songs again made me realize I still remember all of the best moments. Every gang vocal part and breakdown, every reep and OHHH. Every two-step, blast beat section and slow-down.

I tried to talk to the band at their merch table before the set but they were absolutely slammed with signings, and selling out of merch/albums. Tad said he hadn’t played a show in 12+ years and was excited as can be. I hadn’t seen him since he was my boss at Chipotle so it was cool to see him again and catch up (shoutout to my other Chopo family friend, Hector who was there and brought his kid to his first metal show). I have been following Tom’s music career for a while considering I’ve always been a Skies of December fan and my best friend growing up, Evan Mull, was their vocalist (also, check out Versaflare, which features my dude Dan Wahl and is more Nu-Wave/Alternative metal). I’m Facebook friends with Bill but other than that, I’ve been pretty in the dark about what these guys have been up to since I saw them last.

The band huddled before the set and the crowd was itching for their return. The whole room was buzzing and ready. They hit that first note of Outbreak and Bill walked forward with his arms outstretched like “we’re back, motherfuckers.” The crowd lit up. I had an absolutely hard time focusing on taking photos because I just wanted to fight everyone (in a good way). I couldn’t let out enough energy as nostalgia flooded through me. One dude who was moshing hit my camera and I dropped it. I promptly picked it up and chased after him punching him a handful of times before he said “I’m so sorry man, I didn’t see you had a camera!” and I gave him a little hug and said “no hard feelings at all.” It’s all in good fun. Malice isn’t the intent despite the tone of the room/guests and music/lyrics at shows like this. We’re all a big family, with the exception of a crowd-killer or two taking it too far every once in a while. Even if fights happen, they’re more-so a way to let out the overflow of energy than to hurt the other person.

Their setlist is as follows:

Outbreak, Things That Were Shall be Again, Persuasions Convey my Torment, This Love is Your Lie, Answer to Infection, Jerry’s Kids, On Goes the Show, Dignity Complex, Suppression and the Bloodstained. This setlist is practically the whole Answer to Infection album with the bonus tracks Dignity Complex and Suppression (tracks from the album After the Infection).

The band’s playing was super tight and the silence in the room between chugs was impressive considering the heavy tones and distortion. Modern gear does this band well. Time flew and the show was over before I knew it. Bill and Andy’s vocals were as if they never left the stage. Bill’s piercing highs and Andy’s lows and mids cut through the mix better than ever. Andy’s new project, One Thousand Blades is a band to look out for. I saw their first live show when they opened for Snuffed on Sight and they are a force to be reckoned with and will make a name for themselves, guaranteed. I’m hoping for a video soon from concert videographer and audio engineer, Leo Sypniewski. I saw him filming so keep your eyes peeled on his YouTube channel for that in the coming days.

I could keep writing about these fantastic dudes who paved ways for many musicians in the scene but I gotta leave room for when I talk about them come November. They announced that they will play a show at the Globe Iron on November 13th with Ascension, Skipline and Vicar Blood and I hope to make it. Everyone reading this better make it to that show as well. I’ll see you there!

Follow these bands at @choleracle @deadinmyeyes.dc @xeightysixedx @traumatizat1on @loveletters.oh and @walkingwoundedmetal to stay up to date on their next shows.

Images shot by Shane McNicholas @elsephoto with a Canon r5 and r6ii with an RF 35 1.8 and RF 70-200 f2.8