The Forge in Joliet saw a slow burn of a Saturday night as metal fans trickled in after VIP doors. The overall vibe was more introspective than explosive, a fitting warm-up for an evening of melodic death metal. By the time they closed with “Unfinished Tapestry,” stretching a 30-second handshake bit between Wisniewski and Gutierrez into absurdity, the Forge was fully alive. Solemn VisionThen came the headliners: Be’lakor, finally bringing their layered, melancholic melodic death metal to a North American stage. By the end, The Forge felt transformed, exhausted, and a bit sweaty from a night of heavy metal debauchery.