REVIEW: Belphegor, Incantation, Hate, Narcotic Wasteland at Brooklyn Monarch / 02.19.2026
Belephegor opened the North American leg of their “Praise The Beast” tour last week at Brooklyn Monarch in New York City. The Austrian blackened metal veterans are joined on the tour by Incantation, Hate, and Narcotic Wasteland.
Despite cold weather and an early door time of 6PM, the line was down the block with eager fans when I arrived. Doors were pushed back, as were the set times, due to a soundcheck runover. It would be worth the extra dialing-in, as every band's mix during their set sounded top notch. Not to mention, this was the first night of the tour. No road wear, only full stamina bursting right out of the gate.
So it goes: the darker the metal, the darker the lights. That held true for three of the four acts, with Belphegor finally offering enough illumination to work with.
NARCOTIC WASTELAND
Narcotic Wasteland took the stage first to a packed room of fans eager to mosh themselves warm. The band brought depth and power well beyond that of a typical trio and packed a healthy dose of thrash into their slightly condensed set, including a track from frontman Dallas Toler-Wade’s time with technical death metal outfit Nile.
HATE
Hate made an already active mosh pit nearly impassable as the corpse paint clad members unleashed a relentless barrage of blackened fury, channeling their aggression into a performance that was sharp and controlled without losing its edge.
INCANTATION
Hometown heroes Incantation received a thunderous welcome and wasted no time treating their fellow New Yorkers to an epic set that spanned the band’s formidable three-decade-plus career.
BELPHEGOR
After filling the room with a feeling of anticipation and the smell of sage, Belephegor walked onto a stage donned with skulls, chalices, and barbed wire, and launched into “The Procession.” The ritualistic opener set a commanding tone for the night, the band locking into a dark, deliberate groove before surging forward with the kind of precision and menace that has defined their decades long run.
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The “Praise The Beast” tour continues for a few more weeks before wrapping with a performance at The Observatory in Anaheim, CA. See dates and get your tickets here.