In late July 2025, Death To All announced the Symbolic Healing Tour, celebrating the anniversaries of Death’s Spiritual Healing and Symbolic, taking place in North America. The bands Phobophilic and Gorguts would join them. “Spiritual Healing” has been in existence for 35 years, while “Symbolic” has been in existence for 30 years. Two albums that have defined and shaped the career of the godfathers of death metal, Death. The influence of these two albums is immense, putting the state of Florida on the map and providing the blueprint for melodic and progressive death metal. A year prior, Death To All embarked on The Scream of Perseverance Tour, where they not only performed classics from every Death album but also many tracks from “The Sound of Perseverance” and “Scream Bloody Gore“. This review looks at The Symbolic Healing Tour NYC edition, held on November 14th, 2025, at Irving Plaza.
Irving Plaza
For those who haven’t attended a show at Irving Plaza, it is a music venue located at 17 Irving Pl in New York City, specifically in Union Square, a neighborhood in Manhattan. The venue is owned by the Polish Army Veterans Association of America and was officially opened in the late 70s. Between 2019 and 2021, the venue was renovated and now includes amenities such as exclusive bars with private rooms and lounges.
Upon entering the venue, one can’t help but notice the intricate ballroom-style design, with multiple levels and stunning views from every angle. This space is decently sized and can fit well over 1,000 people. There were no bad views in sight, and the growing anticipation coming from the crowd felt glorious.
Phobophilic
Phobophilic is a death metal band formed in 2016 in Fargo, ND. In 2022, the band released their debut full-length album, “Enveloping Absurdity,” featuring Aaron Dudgeon on vocals and guitar, Christian Alm on bass, Josh Poer on guitars/keyboards, and Vincent Tweten on drums. In 2024, Aaron Dudgeon left the band, and for a short while, the band remained a three-piece. Phobophilic was the first opening band, and when they took the stage, it was noted that a new member, Miles McIntosh, had joined as the second guitarist. In the background, the instrumental track “Individuation” was playing. Josh introduced the band, and they started performing the first track, titled “The Illusion of Self“. The set started at a slow pace to ease the crowd in, and before long, one couldn’t help but notice the beautiful blend of atmospheric and progressive elements complementing their technicality. As their set progressed, it became apparent that the band drew heavily on Finnish death metal band Demilich, especially in the song structures.
Other notable tracks, such as Cathedrals of Blood (Twilight of the Idols), “Those Which Stare Back“, and “Nauseating Despair” were played. It was a pleasant surprise to hear the band end with the track “Diminished to Unbeing,” which was from their debut EP “Undimensioned Identities“. What makes Phobophilic a great opener is the balance and harmonious segway between Gorguts and Death To All. The crowd’s response was ideal, with most paying close attention and being receptive.
Gorguts
Gorguts is a death metal band formed in the late 80s in Sherbrooke, QC. Not only was the band part of the early 90s death metal scene, but they made a huge impact, most importantly on the Québec death metal scene. Their legendary debut, “Considered Dead“, was released in 91, and four full-length albums followed, with the latest being the EP “Pleiades’ Dust“. In 2024, the band made a debut with a full live lineup and performed at festivals such as Maryland Deathfest and Northwest Terror Fest. The lineup includes Luc Lemay on guitars and vocals, Colin Marston on bass, Kevin Hufnagel on guitars(lead), and Michel Bélanger on drums. In 2025, the band announced they were recording a new album, with an expected release in 2026. This news left fans thrilled, since it’s been 10 years since the last Gorguts release.
When Gorguts took the stage, the crowd erupted in enthusiasm. The band wasted no time and started with the track “Considered Dead“. The band style hasn’t been lost in all those years. The technicality remains intact, paving the way for a more avant-garde, experimental style of death metal. The song structures are complex, and Luc’s signature death metal growls remain consistent. Some other notable tracks performed include “Earthly Love“, Condemned to Obscurity“, and “Bodily Corrupted“. As a lovely surprise, Gorguts performed a couple of new tracks from their upcoming album, which included an instrumental track yet to be named. The band took it up a notch and delivered a stellar performance, filled with nostalgia and a unique formula that embodies the characteristics of death metal.
Death To All
It is true that the Floridian death metal band Death, founded in 1984, is considered one of the most influential and pioneering bands, helping shape the death metal scene as it exists today. The purpose of the band Death To All is to pay homage to the band Death and to continue the legacy, which will inevitably live on. The lineup of Death To All includes Gene Hoglan on drums, Steve DiGiorgio on bass, Bobby Koelble on guitar, and Max Phelps on vocals and guitar. As previously mentioned, in 2024, the band toured in support of “Scream Bloody Gore” and “The Sound of Perseverance“, featuring classics from every Death album. The Symbolic Healing Tour celebrates the anniversaries of Spiritual Healing (35 Years) and Symbolic (30 years).
At the start of their set, Death To All began playing the intro to “Infernal Death,” a song that opens Death’s debut full-length album “Scream Bloody Gore“. The journey has started, and there’s no going back. What would follow subsequently is the performance of many notable tracks from the “Spiritual Healing” album, such as “Altering the Future“, “Within the Mind“, “Living Monstrosity“, “Defensive Personalities“, and the title track “Spiritual Healing. As an observation, each time Death To All started a song, not only was there excitement and thrill in the crowd, but the feeling can be best described as a dopamine rush. After every other song that was performed, the crowd would chant “CHUCK, CHUCK, CHUCK, CHUCK“, followed by “GENE, GENE, GENE, GENE“, in unison. Steve DiGiorgio would later make a statement to the crowd detailing and defining the moment. “Performing these songs from both albums (Spiritual Healing & Symbolic) back-to-back night after night is not something that would happen back in the day, as Gene has mentioned; A special moment is unfolding, and it’s unlike any other”.
In continuation, the move was to the Symbolic era, where the whole album was performed from the track “Symbolic” to a harmonious ending in “Perennial Quest“. As a special treat, other notable tracks from Death’s discography were performed, including “The Philosopher” and a grand encore featuring “Spirit Crusher” and “Pull the Plug.” It was such a remarkable experience witnessing the band play 19 solid tracks of Death’s discography executed in a flawless and pristine fashion. A beautiful night unfolded, with fans at every angle, immersed in nostalgia and in the belief in an enduring legacy crowned by the one and only Chuck Schuldiner. In unison, the crowd saluted Death To All, who took a victorious bow. Long live Death! Long live Chuck Schuldiner!