PeelingFlesh turns Emo's Austin into a pressure cooker

AUSTIN, Texas – The PeelingFlesh headliner stop at Emo's Austin on May 16 left fans feeling sore and wanting more of the insanity. The Oklahoma-based brutal death metal/slam crew rolled through Austin on their first headlining run since 2024, touring behind their 2025 EP PF Radio 2. There were five bands in one increasingly chaotic room and a crowd that got fully woken up. 

To start, local act Soul Exchange tore open the night while the floor was still trying to figure itself out. There was a wide gap dead center of the crowd that lead vocalist Austin Greco clocked pretty quickly, calling everyone forward to fill it in. A couple of small circle pits formed throughout their set, and there were members of the crowd flying into others at the barricade, even with so much open space on the floor. The Austin metallic hardcore outfit had solid energy, and for a local opener working a room that hadn't fully committed yet, they held their own. 

Bayway made the trip down from New Jersey, and their sound pulls heavily from that unapologetic 90s East Coast hardcore. Frontman Jayway was candid about the audio issues plaguing the set from the beginning, but their sound found its way to come through, rescued by the talented vocals and explosive bassist complimenting him on stage. It was fun to watch the random banana suited guy hyped when he was pulled on stage, a great way to end the set.

Tokyo's Kruelty have carved out their space as one of the heaviest acts to come out of Japan—death/doom and beatdown hardcore colliding into something that feels genuinely punishing. Even with the vocalist and guitarist Kohei Azuma, known as Zuma, and the rest of the band being stationary for most of the set, the band put together a stellar number. The gratitude they had for being on this tour and in front of a North American crowd came through clearly, and that translated into a tight, purposeful set. The Austin crowd gave them solid reception, and they earned every bit of it. 

Something shifted when Missing Link took the stage. The fans that had been holding back all night started to actually move, and the circle pits got bigger and harder with each song. Vocalist Mike Ryan and the New York outfit pulled from similar bands such as Irate, All Out War, and Cold as Life—that presence was undoubtedly felt in the room. Missing Link played New York Minute, and the floor responded accordingly. By the end of their set, the room felt completely different than it did when Soul Exchange opened. Fans spotted Soul Exchange hanging out on the side of the stage absolutely enjoying the entire set; it was cool to see each band supporting one another so wholeheartedly. 

The moment PeelingFlesh walked out, the room went wild. The crowd pressed forward against the barricade in anticipation of the music, and the sweat of every person in there could be felt on their neighbors’ backs. It was evident the event was going to go a lot harder than many attendees expected. 

That surge was immediate. Shoving got harder, circle pits widened and clashed, death walls opened up, and the crowd crushing toward the front was relentless. Vocalist Damonteal Harris and crew have operated in a lane that's entirely been carved as their own—during the show, fans saw hip-hop drenched slam sharing equal parts swagger and brutality, and the fusion of Southern rap samples and chugging guttural riffs that shouldn't work but somehow absolutely do. 

Even with security stepping in due to a fight at the barricade, the room settled back in, and the crowd surfers started going over again like nothing happened. Harris promised "absolute chaos in the best way" heading into this tour—Austin took that personally. To close the night, PeelingFlesh brought out Missing Link’s vocalist Mike Ryan from the side stage to debut a delicious unreleased track. 

Five bands in a room that took its time warming up and then never cooled back down—with a headliner that delivered on every bit of hype they came in with—marked an unforgettable experience. PeelingFlesh is absolutely worth the chaos that the crowds endure with such zeal throughout the night.