Since 1947, San Antonians have strolled the Woodlawn Theatre District able to choose among restaurants and shops. Nestled within has been a venue primarily focused on weddings, recitals and other formal events.

In 2023, the love that brides and grooms share still exists at 1906 Fredericksburg Road. But now, so does an extreme love for metal. Death metal.

The Deco Ballroom & Events Center, San Antonio’s newest concert venue, staged its third metal performance event of the year last Saturday, hosting six death-metal acts that covered five cities and four states.

As part of their “Identity Crisis” tour, there was Baltimore natives For Fear Itself and Brooklyn, N.Y., outfit Court Order.

Texas was represented by a pair of Austin bands — Living Hollow and openers Azathoth, The Blind — plus Houston natives The Xebellian Triangle.

Then there was Bay Area, California, quintet Cyborg Octopus, easily the most unique artist on the bill after mixing keytars and tenor saxophone with their brand of death metal.

But the fans were not to be outdone in the “unique” department. Many of them were 7-10-year olds who stayed well past their bedtime at the barrier, checking out family members in Living Hollow and the other bands.

Considering that the spacious Deco isn’t exactly a hole-in-the wall bar, the ballroom that will house three stages of more than 70 bands at this weekend’s eighth annual three-day Memorial Day Metalfest (tickets and VIP options here) might be the last place in San Antonio one would expect to see an underground metal event.

The bands teamed with ballroom personnel, promoter Matt Louderback of Focus Star Media and sound gurus Wavstream Live for bonding on-stage photos between sets and plenty of getting-to-know you moments during breaks in the metal.

As word gets out, particularly with the forthcoming Metalfest, last Saturday’s turnout of fewer than 100 people for a free six-band concert will be a distant memory and can be chalked up to the fact the ballroom is still a work-in-quick progress given that the other stages were still being constructed while the artists were performing.

Included in the expansion will be the spacious disco/psychedlic vibe of the Atmosphere Theatre as well as the Aurora Theatre.

But before those venues within the venue can be completed, Saturday was all about death music.

Check out ATM’s exclusive Facebook Live clips of each band via the bold links plus additional full-length videos below:

So have no fear, traditionalists of the Woodlawn Theatre District and fans of the Deco Ballroom.

Love is still in the air. It just comes now occasionally with guitars, drums . . . and death-metal growls.

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