9/22/25 Dallas, TX @ Tree’s
Blackbraid has been moving forward with ferocious speed and momentum since releasing their debut album almost exactly three years ago. Three albums and tons of touring have started to pay off as they are now on their first headlining world tour.
I had previously been able to see Blackbraid open on the Dark Funeral tour that came through Houston and caught them once in Austin supporting Wolves in the Throne Room. The lone Texas date of this new tour with Lamp of Murmuur and Dodsrit took place in Dallas at the Tree’s venue in the Deep Ellum arts district. (Only a block away from ‘Elm Street Tattoo’ the shop owned by the legendary artist Oliver Peck). Tree’s listed the doors opening at 6, music at 7. I guess with the bill only having 3 bands they decided to push the time back an hour. When I arrived at about 6:30, I was surprised to see a line outside the venue. A bit of chatting with folks in line revealed I was not the only road-tripper for the show, and one fan told me they had just driven in from Little Rock to catch the tour!
Dodsrit opened the show and came out swinging. Their three guitar attack sounded magnificent and full, just like their albums. They remarked how this was their first time in Texas (and I know this tour is their first time on US soil). They played almost an hour which was rad, and a much longer set than I had anticipated. I wasn’t complaining though, and neither was the rest of the crowd. They played songs off of their three most recent releases, with a leaning more on Nocturnal Will songs, as it is their latest album.
Favorite song played: Irjala (‘Nocturnal Will’ 2024)
Dodsrit set a high bar right out of the gate, and my anticipation levels were sky high for a personal favorite, Lamp of Murmuur.
Lately, Lamp has been touring a ton as well, and it really shows in their live performance. They sounded tight and the venue had the sound balanced perfectly. I had previously seen Lamp at the Hell’s Heroes festival here in Houston in 2024. Being able to now see them play a longer set in a more intimate setting did not disappoint.
Just like Dodsrit, they played a good mix of songs from their discography. One interesting reveal was frontman, M., coming out right after the gig, shedding the cape and face paint, then packing up their gear and hanging out at the merch table for a while. For someone who has maintained anonymity since Lamp’s inception, this was unexpected, and also pretty cool.
Favorite song played: Seal of the Dominator (‘Saturnian Bloodstorm’ 2023)
Blackbraid came on and tore right into ‘Wardrums at Dawn on the Day of My Death’ from their new album. The crowd seemed stoked but it was now about 10:15pm or so on a Monday night, and yours truly was beginning to feel my elder millennial bones begin to tire. After maybe two or three songs, Sgah’gahsowáh (singer and sole band member technically) remarked about how he felt the crowd might be feeling “sleepy”. Blackbraid spent most of the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025 playing many European dates so I wondered if maybe they got used to warmer or more animated reactions from crowds over there as I’ve always heard how US metal show crowds tend to be more subdued than they are across Europe. And I think Texas specifically has trouble drawing larger enthusiastic crowds for metal and other types of underground music. I think that’s why bands will skip Texas entirely sometimes…
Regardless the crowd responded and many fans tried to give the band some amped-up energy and feedback, to prove they truly were appreciating and enjoying the show being put on in front of them. Blackbraid played for about an hour and fifteen minutes, and showcased all of their best material across their three albums. The only downside was, to me, the sound for Blackbraid specifically was not dialed in properly. Touring guitarist Y.E.’s (Mäleficentt, Night of the Pale Moon Records) amp was mic’d terribly and sounded kind of weak and shaky, like the amp mic was shorting out sometimes or losing power. Also the kick drum was mixed so loud that it mostly drowned out the guitars. I tired moving to different locations in the room, but unfortunately, up front by the stage was the worst. Literally all I heard was the double bass pummeling me which sounds like a cool thing… but not at the expense of hearing the riffs – that’s for sure. In general, it seemed everyone was having a great time and my issues with the sound could just be my own problem. I’d still highly recommend you go see them if you get a chance.
Favorite Song Played: Barefoot Ghost Dance on Blood Soaked Soil (‘Blackbraid I’ 2022)
One of the best things about this show is since it was only a three band bill, each band got to play a good long set and it felt like no matter who specifically you were there to see you got your moneys worth.
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