The California Integrated Seismic Network was flooded with calls about the ground shaking in Santa Ana, CA, on Saturday night, April 5. However, it was confirmed that there were no earthquakes in the area. The disturbance was originating from The Observatory, triggered by the bands Napalm Death, The Melvins, Weedeater, and Dark Sky Burial as the Savage Imperial Death March Part II tour made its second of three Southern California stops at the iconic Orange County venue. The tour is a follow-up to 2016’s crushing Savage Imperial Death March tour and has the bands hitting cities across the USA, west to east, then east to west, ending the tour back in California on June 6.

Every stop on the tour begins with Shane Embury (bassist for Napalm Death) kicking off the night with his Dark Sky Burial project. Dark Sky Burial is an eclectic combination of electronic experiments, with Embury onstage working several gadgets, electronic drums, and providing vocal expressions throughout the set. The music ranges from the slow, haunting opening song “Nascentes Morimur Morientes Nascimur” to the up-tempo beats of the set closer “The Jewel Inside the Toad’s Head.” If you’re a Napalm Death fan, be sure to show up early to catch the experimental side of Shane Embury without his trusty bass by his side.

The Andrew Gold song (and Golden Girls theme song) “Thank You for Being a Friend” played over the PA as Weedeater took the stage and began their set with the thunderous “Hammerhandle.” Original members Dave "Dixie" Collins (vocals/bass) and Dave "Shep" Shepherd (guitars), along with drummer Ramzi Ateyeh, kicked off the night with the perfect combination of stoner metal and New Orleans sludge, erecting a massive wall of sound over The Observatory. There really is no better band to play before The Melvins than Weedeater, and they ended their set with the seven-and-a-half-minute, super-sludgy “Weed Monkey.” The Santa Ana capacity crowd fully digested the Weedeater appetizer and was now ready for the Savage Imperial Death March that was going to hit them next.

The Melvins—a truly innovative, legendary band with influences touching every sub-genre of metal out there today—were up next. You never know what you’re going to get with a Melvins live show. Along with the core members, Buzz Osborne (guitar/vocals), Dale Crover (drums/vocals), and Steven Shane McDonald (bass/vocals), there are often other “members” onstage with the band. For this tour, drummer Coady Willis is back, meaning there are TWO drummers for the live show.

The Melvins have such a huge catalog of songs, but they do a phenomenal job of mixing it up year after year for their live shows. On this night, the band began with the thumping “Working the Ditch,” followed by the equally heavy “The Bloated Pope.” While all three core members are a spectacle on stage—Osborne with his vocals and heavy riffage, McDonald with his “loud” attire and mastery of the bass—the focus on this night was watching Crover and Willis command the drums. Often in complete synchronization and other times dividing and conquering the fills, these two put on a master class in noise rock drumming.

The mosh pit and crowd surfing were alive and well during The Melvins’ set, with the intensity picking up a few notches during “Honey Bucket.” The set ended with the slow and heavy “Your Blessened.” The Melvins will release Thunderbird under the moniker Melvins 1983 on April 18, a collection of five new songs featuring original drummer Mike Dillard.

The Melvins were only the “first punch” in the “one-two punch” of sonic brutality on this night. The crowd quickly gained a second wind as the reigning kings of grindcore for the last 40 years, Napalm Death, took the stage. They opened with the sound of “Multinational Corporations” into “Silence is Deafening,” and for the next 60 minutes, The Observatory was blasted with the fastest, most orchestrated noise known to man. Vocalist Barney Greenway led the charge with his overactive stage presence, waving his hands and kicking like a person walking into a spiderweb.

The band’s music is heavily focused on political and social issues, and much of the content from years ago is still relevant today. While longtime guitarist Mitch Harris remains an official member of Napalm Death, he has retired from touring. John Cooke is the perfect guitarist to fill in, while Shane Embury on bass and Danny Herrera on drums summon up the vicious thunder that provides the foundation for the band’s sound.

Most of the band’s songs are less than three minutes long, a nod to their heavy punk influence. This brevity means they can pack more songs into their set. Like The Melvins, Napalm Death has a deep catalog of music, and they did a fine job blending all the “must-hears” with deep cuts. They even included the official Guinness Book of World Records shortest song ever recorded, “You Suffer,” which clocks in at a whopping 1.316 seconds.

The night ended with a cover of Dead Kennedys’ “Nazi Punks Fuck Off,” followed by “Unchallenged Hate” from 1988’s From Enslavement to Obliteration. The crowd gave one last burst of mosh pit energy. The California Integrated Seismic Network may get another night of earth-shaking reports as the Savage Imperial Death March Part II tour plays in Los Angeles at The Belasco Theater on Thursday, April 10. All due respect to every band out there on tour, but this is the HEAVIEST tour of the year.