What Is Paledusk?? Concert Review

Back in August when the What Is Paledusk?? US Tour 2026 was announced, I immediately knew that I had to go. I was so jealous of Europe when Paledusk toured there with Headwreck earlier this year as they are two of my favorite bands. I was so stoked to see that Paledusk had enlisted Headwreck to join them again, but this time in the States. Even better, a Dallas show was on the lineup for October 20th. As someone from Tulsa, Oklahoma, I make the four-ish hour drive to Dallas for concerts all the time. I had told myself that the next time Paledusk tour in the U.S., I don't care where I'd have to travel to, I was going to make sure I would be there. I've been a fan since they released their song "SLAY!!" in early 2022, and they've become one of my top favorite bands in the past year or so.

Surprisingly, in all of my years of going to shows, I had never bought a VIP package until now. For a little under $100, the package included a ticket to the show, a meet and greet with the band, a signed tour poster, and early access to the merch. The night before the show, I was so excited that I couldn't fall asleep; I felt like a kid on the night before Christmas. However, I didn't expect the trip there to be so stressful. I hadn't accounted for the potential construction and traffic that I would encounter (what a rookie mistake). The meet and greet started at 5:15, and by the time I hit the road, my ETA was 5:47, with doors opening for general admission at 6:00. At one point, my ETA had changed to 6:10 and I had already accepted that I was going to miss my chance to meet them. I ended up making it to the venue, Three Links, at 5:50. I approached the guy running the merch table and explained my situation, that I had driven five hours to get there and got stuck in traffic. At that point, I was just wondering if there was any way I could at least get the poster. He said he would take the poster to their bus to have them sign it and see what he could do. A few minutes later, he returned with the signed poster and told me to follow him. He told the band that I had driven five hours, which is no small feat, and they were willing to meet with me outside of their bus. I will forever appreciate the band as well as their merch guy for accommodating me when they didn't have to.

Three Links is a small and intimate bar and concert venue in Deep Ellum in downtown Dallas. I had never been there before, but I would definitely go back for future shows! The first band to play was a local Dallas band called blindlace. Not every show on the tour had a local band opening, so this was a special treat. blindlace put on a great show and made a fan out of me. They're described as a blend of shoegaze, alternative metal, and nu metal. While they don't share the same kind of chaotic and upbeat sound as Headwreck and Paledusk, they're more akin to Slow Degrade and thus didn't feel out of place on this lineup. But just because their music is slower doesn't mean they didn't bring the energy. Throughout the night, I saw the vocalist in the crowd with the rest of us or watching from the side, enjoying the other bands. Later in the night, Kaito in Paledusk encouraged everyone to support their local bands because at one point, they too were just a local band in Fukuoka, Japan, and without that support they wouldn’t be here. If you're a fan of Deftones, Smile Empty Soul, or Basement, do yourself a favor and check out blindlace! Better yet, if you're in the Dallas area, go out and support them at their shows!

The next band to play was Slow Degrade out of Mobile, Alabama. This is another band I hadn't heard of before the show, but I will be keeping up with them from now. They are a combination of shoegaze and alternative metal that mixes in elements of nu metal as well. If you're nostalgic for the late 90's and early 2000's era of music, Slow Degrade should be right up your alley. The crowd was definitely hyped for the band, and at one point there was a moshpit of guys dressed as minions and they declared the vocalist was Gru. Gotta love going to shows close to Halloween! Slow Degrade are for fans of Staind, Chevelle, Deftones, and Superheaven. They just released a new song called "Hold On", go show it some love!

One year ago, I discovered Brisbane, Australia’s own Headwreck through their cover of Linkin Park's "Lying From You". It was a random suggested track that played on Spotify, and I loved it instantly. I sought out more information about the band and once I realized that they were gearing up to release a new EP, I knew I wanted to review it. All of the songs from Attitude Adjustment are certified bangers; I rarely ever skip any of them when they come on shuffle. When I shared the article with the band, they thanked me for my support. I expressed my hope that I would get to see them in the States sometime, and they replied with "hopefully soon!" One year later, that wish came true and they did not disappoint!

Before they took the stage, "NECTA" by fellow Aussies in Indigo Blaze was playing on the speakers which I thought was very cool. Everyone in the band had great energy on stage and that translated into the crowd. But how could you not be hyped and want to party when Headwreck is playing? If I had to use one word to describe the band, it would be fun. They have fun puns and references in their lyrics, their music videos are a blast (seriously, go watch them), their sound makes you want to get up and dance, and the guys are all having fun together on stage. The vocalist, Connor, kept mentioning how they all ate so much barbecue that day so if they seemed low energy, it was because of that. But they still absolutely killed their performance regardless of how much barbecue was consumed. They finished their set with “Buzzsaw”, which included an intro of the beginning of Triple H’s iconic theme song by Motorhead which was so sick. It's hard to compare Headwreck to any other bands because they incorporate a wide variety of styles in their sound. They incorporate elements of nu metal, hip hop, metalcore, and pop so if you enjoy Beastie Boys, Issues, Limp Bizkit, The Amity Affliction, and/or Joey Valence & Brae, you should give them a chance!

I was fortunate enough to run into Jamo after the show and he graciously talked to me for a few minutes! I asked him what the nu metal scene is like in Australia, and he informed me that it's not a very big scene but some bands who would fit the bill or be adjacent to the genre are Indigo Blaze, Thornhill, and Ocean Grove. Shout out to the Australian metal scene! Since it is their first tour in the United States, I wondered about how it is compared to Australia. He said it really isn't that much different from their home country, but then mentioned the portion sizes as a stark difference. Ordering a medium coffee in the U.S. is not the same as ordering a coffee in Australia, it is much bigger here (I wonder if they've seen what a large drink from Whataburger looks like). Since Jamo was wearing Buc-ee's merch on and off stage, I asked what his thoughts on it were. Again, he thought the size of it was insane, like having a full supermarket for a gas station/convenience store. They had been in the country for only about a week at the time of my show, so I bet they've got to have more unique American experiences since then. Go show them some love so they hopefully get booked to play here again!

Now time for the main event. The energy had been increasing as the night progressed, all culminating in this moment here. If you have never heard Paledusk from Fukuoka, Japan, before then there really is no way to define them. That's why the name of this tour is so fitting; instead of trying to tell you who they are, let them show you with their performance. They cannot be categorized into one box, or even five. They fit five different genres over the course of ONE song if they want to (everything from metalcore, jazz, hip hop, deathcore, pop, electronic, and just straight up metal). Paledusk keeps listeners on their toes because there is no way to expect what they're going to do next. But one thing you can expect from the band is a great time, whether that's through your speakers or in person. Eclectic is the perfect word to encapsulate their sound.

Last year, they released their first full length album titled PALEDUSK, and of course I reviewed it. It's my favorite album of all of 2025, and I still listen to songs from it daily. Luckily for me, they played almost every song off of it, including my two favorites "GOOD DEATH" and "DIVE INSIDE FOREVER IN THE DARK". There's no way anyone could stand still and chill for a Paledusk performance. Every song either makes you want to dance, jump, headbang, or jump in the pit. Vocalist Kaito really knows how to command a stage and whip the crowd into a frenzy. I love that there was no barricade at this venue because I was right up front and lived the whole Paledusk experience from the best spot in the house. Guitarist Daisuke goes absolutely bonkers on stage, whether there's room for him to or not (he's going to go all out regardless). There were many times I thought I was going to get spin kicked in the face! Daisuke is one of my favorite guitar players in the world, he is a musical genius and just exudes that rockstar aura. It was super sick to be able to watch him play right in front of me!

Everyone in the band gets their time to shine, such as Daisuke during "I'm ready to die for my friends", drummer Bob during "PALEHELL", Kaito during "GOOD DEATH", and bassist John and guitarist Tsubasa during "DIVE INSIDE FOREVER IN THE DARK". Of course the crowd went crazy during "HUGs" which exploded in popularity due to being the opening for the anime Gachiakuta. The band just released a new song, "GOLDEN GOAL" last month and it has quickly risen to the top as one of my favorites. It's super catchy, has a great message about giving something your all because you never know if you're going to get that opportunity again, and has that signature chaotic genre bending sound that Paledusk has become known for. I highly recommend that anyone who hasn't heard them to at least give them a chance, there's bound to be something in their discography that will resonate. They're doing amazing work and I can't wait to see what the future holds for them!

I am so glad that I was able to finally get to see Paledusk live because they absolutely exceeded my expectations (which were already high), as well as getting to support Headwreck on their first tour in the U.S. Discovering new music is also super exciting, and both blindlace and Slow Degrade made a new fan out of me (and others who were there, I'm sure). This is one of the best and most fun shows I've been to in a while, and the post-concert depression is in full force. I'm already looking forward to the next time that Paledusk tours here because I WILL be there. There's only a few dates left, but you really don't want to miss out!

10/28 Asbury Park, NJ @ House of Independents
10/29 Worcester, MA @ Palladium Upstairs
10/30 Hartford, CT @ Webster Underground
10/31 Washington D.C. @ Pearl Street Warehouse
11/01 New York, NY @ (le) Poisson Rouge

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