Vol #222: Chimaira Christmas XVI feat. 200 Stabwounds & Nunslaughter
Rustbelt Rock Review
By: Z.M. Delgado
Rustbeltrockreview.com
Volume #222: Chimaira Christmas XVI feat. 200 Stabwounds & Nunslaughter
Agora Theater 5000 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH
December 20th 2025
Hello my fellow Rustbelt Rockers. As always I am pleased to be back with you, with a fresh tale to tell of my latest Heavy Metal experience. It all went down Saturday at the Agora Theater when Joha and I rendezvoused with Jimmy “The Dook” Fedor of RoXXXstarradio. For the sake of time, let’s say our evening began when we found our way to the end of a very long line in front of the venue. This is after we were directed passed a different line that was set up for fast pass ticket holders. That’s right. Like we were at freakin’ Cedar Point, the Agora now has a special line for people who want to spend extra money. So what did that mean exactly, well it meant the peasants in the normal line had to wait in the freezing ass cold and watch as the fast pass line got ushered into the building. So we stood there and we shivered and we waited and waited and waited some more, but eventually the line did start to move. Once inside we made for the floor. From there we parted ways with The Dook as he made his way beyond the security barrier to film. Joha and I remained on the floor to observe the show from a more conventional perspective.
Up first was Nunslaughter. This is a four man band made up of Vocals, Guitar/Backing Vocals, Bass and Drums. They are one of the longest running institutions in the Cleveland Scene, with many decades of service to the underground. They have a unique sound; a blend of Death and Black Metal with elements of Punk and Hardcore mixed in. In my notes I described it as Blackened Death Punk. With that being said, I have heard them referred to as “Devil Metal” and I prefer the sound of that. The lights dropped and then a creepy soundtrack began to play. After what felt like a very long time the band emerged, donned their instruments and stood with their backs to the crowd. With a snarl from their Vocalist, the set began. The band whirled to face us, adorned in black, their faces smeared with paint and blood. The music erupted and with it a moshpit. It was brutally hard and fast and above all else, it was blasphemous. If you didn’t gather from the bands name, they are not, shall we say, the biggest fans of christian institutions. They unleashed a relentless assault on the ears of the Agora. They had excellent stage presence, with the whole band preforming to the utmost. They ran around, headbanged and bared their teeth at the fans in a terrifying display of Heavy Metal showmanship. The crowd reacted in kind rocking out, headbanging and moshing. At one point they even began pumping their fists in the air while chanting: “Burn! Burn!” Nunslaughter delivered thunder and fury in every note and bludgeoned the fans on track after mercilous track. On songs like “Raid the Convent,” “Guts of Christ,” and “Satanic Slut” they rocked the Agora while defining the term “Devil Metal.” I believe they played a total of thirteen songs before calling it a night.
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Second to the stage was 200 Stab Wounds. This is a four man Death Metal Band made up of Vocals/Guitars, Guitars, Bass and Drums. These rising stars of the Metal world were making a quick stop home to play this holiday show and we were happy to have them. They opened heavy and pounding. The band was rocking out and getting down; headbanging with fervor. The music was saturated with savage aggression and the crowd was feeling it immediately. A fresh moshpit opened up and the fans began to pummel one another once again. With fists in the air, singing along, the crowd lost it’s minds, and with good reason. The sound was hard driving and power packed with kinetic energy. This was in no small part due to the unstoppable force the band had behind the Drum kit. Meanwhile, the riffs were sickeningly sweet and the solo’s were on point. The Vocals were delivered in a deep guttural growl with snarls interlaced for effect. All in all I would describe the sound as fantastically abrasive and unapologetically heavy. I believe they played a total of eight songs before calling it a night, including two that caught my ear: “Skin Milk” and “Itty Bitty Pieces.” When they closed out the crowd roared a mighty roar and rightly so. 200 Stab Wounds had killed it without question.
Now with our openers finished it was on to the main event: Chimaira. This band consists of six members. Vocals, two Guitars, Bass, Drums and sixth member who did backing vocals and provided samples and sound effects I suppose. (He may have had a keyboard or a turntable up there. I couldn’t see what he was doing from my vantage point.) Anyway, the floor was packed in tight and the crowd was chanting “CHI-MAIR-A!” before the lights were even turned down in the theater. A creepy soundtrack played as we waited. I was delighted to find this included the theme song from “Gremlins.” In time the lights dropped the crowd roared. They began with “The Dehumanizing Process” and a huge pit erupted. The entire floor began to shift as violence broke out everywhere. I quickly abandoned my notebook as the cramped conditions made it impossible to write. I remember the band sounding perfect, I mean album perfect. The light show was intense and Chimaira threw down hard for each and every song. But that wasn’t the extent of the stage show. Chimaira also had falling snow which drifted down from the rafters and onto the stage. It was a really cool visual. The moshing was relentless, with secondary pits opening up to the left and right of the main pit at mid-floor. It was absolute bedlam. I tried my best to keep my old ass clear of the madness but was inevitably jostled now and then throughout the set. And what a set it was. Chimaira played a total of 16 tracks, including my highlights, “Nothing Remains,” “Inside The Horror,” and “Resurrection.” They closed out with “Power Trip” which absolutely brought down the house. It was phenomenal.
And then it was over. The lights came up, and we shuffled out. Joha and I headed out into the cold and made a desperately brisk walk back to the car. Then it was out onto the streets, the freeways and eventually home. I powered down some pizza and passed out in my bed, happy. And now here I sit with you as I bring another installment of the old RbRR to a close. Thank you for Rocking, for reading and for supporting the Scene. Bang you head, hoist your horns and always wear your earplugs!
Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt,
-Z.M. Delgado
Rustbelt Rock Review
Rustbeltrockreview.com
12/21-12/23/2025
Links:
Chimaira
200 Stabwounds
https://www.200stabwounds.net/
Nunslaughter
https://www.facebook.com/NUNSLAUGHTER/
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