Brotality at Phantom Power - June 2026
Brotality is one of the hardest working bands out there. They’ve been slamming down since 2016, when they were teenagers. We were first introduced to the threesome at the Creation Festival and have seen them multiple times at both Creation and Uprise Festival. We were excited when we saw that they were coming to Phantom Power in nearby Millersville, PA. This is the first time we’ve gotten to see them outside of a festival setting, in a club, which they describe as their bread and butter. They were headlining their own tour, bringing along bands Quantifier, Making a Mockery and New Damage.
With it being a weeknight, we were running a little late from work and missed one of the openers, New Damage. But when we arrived, local opener Making a Mockery was getting ready for sound check. There were some hiccups with setup as the sound techs were working frantically to get everything working and keeping the show moving. We were really impressed with this five-piece band! The dueling electrics provided a nice touch and the lead vocalist had a nice mix of screams and cleans. They sounded like a band that would do well on the Christmas Burns Red lineup. While the crowd was a little light because it was a Wednesday night, they really got the pit moving and it was a great warm up for Brotality.
Quantifier was next up and they provided direct support for Brotality on this brief tour. The five-piece group from Syracuse took the stage and didn’t waste any time before slamming it down. They were loud and aggressive, and unfortunately the lead vocals were a little lost in the mix. Musically, they sounded solid, just straight up in-your-face metal. It was great to see the passion and drive in the faces of the musicians as they were enjoying every minute of being on the stage. The bass player was especially fun to watch as he was jamming out. We were definitely hit with a wall of sound that left our ears ringing. Had we been able to hear the vocals a little better, I think we would have definitely enjoyed them more!
Just like that, it was time for Brotality to take the stage. As mentioned earlier, this was our first time seeing Reece, Bryce and John take the stage outside of a festival setting. They’ve played in their fair share of clubs and bars and as the show progressed, they looked rather comfortable in this setting. After a quick sound check, the guys quickly ripped into an intro to grab everyone’s attention from the lobby and outside the venue to get inside and enjoy the show.
They launched right into their first song, “Blasphemy.” Reece and Bryce have shown plenty of reasons why they are a dynamic duo on bass and electric. The interplay between their instruments and vocals add great dynamics to every song they write. Next, they went into “Black Abandon” off of the 2024 It Feeds (EP). I am not terribly familiar with that EP, but the song was enough to get the crowd into a roaring frenzy. “Keepsake” and “Wormsign” were the next songs as they came off this year’s EP Wormsign (Check out our review!). We were especially excited to see “Keepsake” live, since it was released since we saw them last. Our favorite part of the song is when Reece screams “And we’ll meet in the clouds!” It was so fun to scream along live. John was a madman on the drums, crashing into the cymbals and making sure that the blasts were felt throughout the building. I thought that “Wormsign” really gave John an opportunity to shine on the drums on the EP and it was amped up to eleven live. Loved hearing Reece drop the bass and feeling that effect through the subs.
“Salting The Wound” from Worldwide Desolation (2021) was up next and early Brotality fans would recognize that sound. We’ve seen them play that song several times and it always hits hard! As they transitioned between “Salting the Wound” and their latest single “Eat Your Flesh, Know Your God,” Bryce made the comment about playing their oldest single to their newest single. It really showed the evolution, maturity and hard work that these three have put into their music, taking them from this little band in upstate New York to a band that will be the opener on the next Fear Factory tour later this year.
After this, Reece took a chance to speak some words of encouragement to the crowd and offered free mental health resources provided through HeartSupport. I applaud Reece and the guys for openly sharing their heart and their belief in God in front of an audience that could’ve been hostile towards God. After this brief discussion, they broke into “The Bones of God,” which continues to highlight Bryce shredding the guitar and Reece just absolutely slaying the bass. It was awesome to see Bryce’s fingers dance along the fret board and throw the entire crowd into a headbanging frenzy. They wrapped up their set with the bombastic, bass-heavy “Animalistic” and one of our absolute favorites, “The Body.” Before the last song, Bryce confirmed that they don’t have a fancy encore and that this would absolutely be their last song. To me, it didn’t matter, I was smiling from ear to ear after getting to see these guys slam it on a stage so close to home.
This show was a really unique opportunity to see one of our favorite bands so close to home. These three are some of the hardest working guys in the business, while still being humble and appreciative of everyone who supports them and makes the shows happen. They keep putting out new music, working to help encourage people through their work in HeartSupport and tour the country. This is the first leg of their tour with Quantifier and next month they’ll be back in the area with a stop at Reverb in Reading, PA with Islander. They wrap up the year with an opening spot on this fall’s Fear Factory tour, which starts in November and is mostly a west coast tour with stops in Montana, Colorado before ending in California. I’m so excited for their future and what’s to come. If you haven’t had the chance to see them live, take it and you won’t regret it.
Brotality Set List
Blasphemy
Black Abandon
Keepsake
Wormsign
Salting the Wound
Eat Your Flesh Know Your God
The Bones of God
Animalistic
The Body
