Since checking out the first three albums in their discography, I’d been eagerly, eagerly waiting for a chance to see Portland “black magick” speedsters Bewitcher on stage, and on Saturday night, it finally arrived, in all its full-throated, riff-coated glory, and not without some formidable support too.
UK thrashers Fracture Point, who I last saw supporting Solitary back in 2023, kickstarted the evening’s revelries with a short, sharp, solid set, showcasing notables such as anti-aspersion anthem ‘Cast the First’ stone yet leaving their self-titled theme tune off the list—for shame! Still, they were generous enough to gift me a free EP at the night’s end, so I can’t complain too much.
After their storming Incineration set last year, I’d been looking forward to seeing Derby’s finest blackened speed demons Devastator tearing shit up here once again, and, indeed, once again, they set the same venue ablaze, scorching the stage with such tracks as ‘Black Witchery’, ‘Worship the Goat’, ‘Spiritual Warfare’, and their first album’s sterling title track, ‘Baptised in Blasphemy’. I especially appreciated how they bookended their set with a pair of wiccan-themed numbers, opening with ‘Walpurgisnacht’ and closing with a neat cover of Venom’s ‘Witching Hour’. Between-song antics were kept to a minimum this time, though frontman Thomas Collins made a point of brandishing his huge fuck-off (not a euphemism) at the start and end of the set. Vocally and instrumenally, he and the rest of the band were unrelentlingly on point with the Black Heart’s sound desk doing full justice to their efforts. In short, their best set yet, outdoing even that for last year’s Incineration Fest. Next time they return to the Big Smoke, let it be as a headline act.
Bewitcher matched the standard set by the preceding act, cribbing a rather well curated selection of choice tracks from their four-album discography. Highlights for me included the hard-driving ‘Too Fast for the Flame’, second-album title track ‘Under the Witching Cross’, newer number ‘Out Against the Law’, the succubic ‘Sin Is in Her Blood’, and the one I’d especially looked forward to hearing, ‘Rome Is on Fire’ (with its memorable “AVE, AVE, CALIGULA/AVE, AVE, NERO!” closing refrain—🎵IRON FIST, 666! 🔥🎵) Between the two of them, frontman Unholy Weaver of Shadows & Incantation, AKA Matt Litton, and bassist Infernal Magus of Nocturnal Alchemy, AKA Andy Mercil, did a fine job of inciting, and appreciating, the throng of the audience between songs. With sticksman Aris Wales, they did a fucking great job of inciting such with the material itself, bringing the studio frenzy to the stage without an issue. A first-class set and one I hope I won’t have to wait six years to hear the like of again.
It was also great to finally have a chat with fellow thrash-appreciator Chris Parker and to say hi to fellow black metal—enjoyer Anne Cremin, both of whom I’d been keeping up with on social media. A nice added bonus to a sterling show.
Downstairs at the Dome was hit by a quirky new wave last Saturday thanks to Lene Lovich and her plucky band. They were heralded, once again, by Anglo–Argentinian electropoppers SHH and by an act hitherto unknown to me, percussion-heavy goth-hymnalists The Gospel.
SHH stepped up first, as before when I saw them support Lovich at the Lexington back in 2023, frontwoman Diana Huerte, dressed like I imagine Ann Sterzinger would be were she a rock star, belting out her electro numbers to the keystrokes of partner Robert Heller. Opening confidently with the aptly titled ‘Big It Up’, the two sung, played, and danced the audience through a half-hour showcase of love, lust, and longing in the big city, and, in the case of Diana, even gave me a verbal nod between songs. The likes of ‘City Life’, ‘Sleepless’, and ‘Wonderful Night’ sparkle with an understated synth sheen to underscore the longing sentiments expressed, and the one song I remembered the title of, ‘Do What I Say (or Die)’, added a bit of playful audacity to the mix (as did some of the on-screen animations playing throughoutbthe set!). Twas nice to see them again and to chat to Diana at the night’s end.
Next up came The Gospel, the aptly named troupe described by one nearby member of the audience as “Nic Cave and his five girlfriends”. I remember someone I was once close to likening gigs to vectors of/substitutes. for worship, and she’d have been right in her element with this lot! Jimmy Sweet and his hypothesised harem croon, chant, and chorus their way through some decidedly hymnal-sounding numbers, the instrumental section being especially dominated by the percussive efforts of two members, flanking Sweet instead of being placed in the background per typical drummer tradition. Indeed, after seeing one-time children’s telly star Danielle McCormack (looking strikingly youthful for someone born in ’83!) pummelling away at her kit, I can see why she wanted to ensure that fucker was well and truly secured prior to the set. Special kudos also goes to their new keyboardist for making her onstage presence known in an effective way, particularly on closing track ‘The Pills’. Prior to that number, opener ‘Burning Like a Fever’, the soaring ‘The Only One’, and their cover of Madonna’s ‘Like a Prayer’ stood out, the latter particularly for shifting away from the double-entendre tone of the original to something more aligned with their liturgical vibe. A memorable introduction, even if I wonder if their modus operandi might become a bit repetitive on record.
As for Lene herself, in her headline slot, she once again shines in all of her kooky, quirky glory, maybe even brighter than the last time I saw her. With a setlist chocka full of hits and notables from her first three album, she and her band nailed each and every one of them with the fidelity they warranted, keeping the energy on a constant high throughout. Whether stopping off at the ‘Blue Hotel’, demanding a ‘New Toy’, saxing it up during ‘Monkey Talk’, or decrying the overabundance of “useless martyrs” along the ‘Rocky Road’, Lovich pays time due gratitude for being kind to her lungs, her voice still standing formidable and versatile enough to do said songs justice; her band, once again including Stan Greenwood of Ghost Dance/Skeletal Family fame on guitars, translate their strong rapport with Lene and each other into a performance that honours the new-wave glory of the material, steering clear of any diluting updates. As such ‘The Writing on the Wall’ remained legible and a pleasure to read, the sword of ‘Joan’ remained sharp, and the ‘Angels’ soared with fully feathered wings, with nary a scrimp on the ‘Details’.
So, yes, sterling set, and one that outdid their previous London outing at that. Hopefully, Lene and the gang will see fit to include material from beyond the “Toy Box” years the next time they pass through the big smoke: hearing ‘Make-Believe’ live would blow my mind! Still, the reality of things so far has been nowt to cry about.
I almost bailed on seeing Go West at the London Palladium, two Thursdays ago, partly on account of one of the vocalists, Richard Drummie, having to sit out proceedings due to illness Almost.
In the end, I’m glad I didn’t.
Johnny Hate Jazz put on a nice little support set, standouts being ‘Don’t Say It’s Love’ and, of course, their highest-profile single ‘Shattered Dreams’. Nice work from Clark Datchler and co.
As for Go West, they, too, put out a strong set, aided by the Southbank Sinfonia orchestra, not suffering too much for Richard’s absence. Peter Cox and co did bangers such as ‘Don’t Look Down’, ‘Faithful’, ‘Call Me’, ‘King of Wishful Thinking’, and their most prominent single, and my personal money shot of the night, ‘We Close Our Eyes’ more than adequate justice. The presence of Kelly Barnes, who I usually see on stage as part of Heaven 17, on backing vocals was a nice little personal touch.
So, yeah, a top show despite the absence of a key member, not to mention the absence of two of my favourite first-album deep cuts, ‘Haunted’ and ‘Innocence’. Perhaps this would’ve been even better with a full playthough of said album, given it’s its 40th anniversary and all.
May’s series of gigs kicked off last fortnight with some crossover-thrash brutality courtesy of London upstarts Inhuman Nature, who commenced their Greater Than Death tour with a hometown release show for their album of the same name. Having seen them tear the roof off of the Black Heart alongside High Command back in 2023, I wanted to see if they’d put on a similarly eruptive and relentless show as sole headliners.
Before the answer to that question, however, came a trio of support acts.
First to take to the stage was Under the Ashes, their brand of gritty, dirt-under-the-fingernails death metal already being familiar to me, having previously paid their Bandcamp a visit. That said, their setlist contained a considerably higher number of tracks than the two released on said platform, which ultimately made sense given that these were numbers from their upcoming album, Sacrifices Heaped. If the quality of the showcased songs is anything to go by, it could be one to pick up, the yet-to-be-released material like ‘Shadows on a Wall’, ‘Circling Above’, and the album’s title track stacking up indominatably next to current releases ‘Deus Vult’ and ‘Flash of Light’. A very strong opening set that left me all the more disappointed that I’ll miss their upcoming Helgi’s album-release show due to a date with the Dethklok.
Next came Warpstormer, certainly the most off-script band of the night due to its more colourfully psychedelic doom sound (which makes me wonder if they’ll be supporting Pentagram in July). In any case, they too hit the mark in terms of impact and engagement, frontman Richard J. Morgan full-throated fags-and-booze vocals doing full justice to his bandmates’ more-than-adept instrumental chops. Numbers like ‘Oracle’, ‘Beyonder’, and ‘A Liar’s Crown’ teem with that fuzzy, groovy driving energy that characterises the best examples of their chosen subgenre. Hopefully, I’ll see the South Londoners on stage again sometime in the near future (namely, Pentagram).
Next up came a return to theme with Brummie crossover thrashers Nerve Agent, delivering a brutal seat that set off the first circle pits of the night. The set was also characterised by the continual back-and-forth pacing of vocalist Dan Warren, only occasionally pausing to spit and bellow out the lyrics to such venom-marinated morsels as ‘Government-Issued Violence’, ‘State Control’, and their EP’s title track, ‘Game of Death’, belligerent bangers all. A viciously effective final prelude to the headlining act.
And, indeed, Inhuman Nature put on a set worthy of the slot, showcasing new material like set opener ‘Possessed to Die’, ‘Lines in the Sand, Part II’, and the set-closing ‘Dead and Buried’ with established favourites such as ‘Take Them by Force’, ‘Carnivorous Lunar Activities’, and ‘Taste of Steel’. Frontman Chris Barling, who I’d bought merch off before the start of the night’s events, was less of the night-and-day, Jekyll-and-Hyde presence than he was at the Black Heart show, his onstage intensity punctuated by pauses for song intros and shout-outs, particularly to his mum (who was at the event) and to his aunt who’d gotten him into metal via a certain Black Album. So less the wrathful, unrelenting force of nature and more the spirited but grateful frontman letting his humanity breathe between the brutality, the latter palpably amplified by the formidable crash and chug of guitars and percussion provided by the rest of the band.
Speaking of brutality, there’s nowt quite like getting cannonballed by a stagediver toward the end of the night’s last song, with one’s glasses being knocked off and mangled in the pit as a result. My restorative visit to the optician the next day was certainly interesting!
I’d twisted them somewhat back into recognisable shape beforehand.
So yes, another memorable night Downstairs at the Dome, though not for uniformly good reasons this time.
The first show in the Cosmic Insurrection tour on the month’s penultimate Wednesday was the perfect cap-off to my distinctly black-metal April of gigs.
At least that’s what I’m typing in another universe, where things didn’t go arse over tit.
It started off strongly enough with Vestia, last seen taking to the stage in support of Taake just weeks prior, once again opening the show. Although the Black Heart’s smaller stage prevented guitarist Giannis from exhibiting the full abandon he did at the Underworld, he and the rest of the band knocked out another tight set, playing a few familiars (‘Unknown Goddess’, ‘Hex’) plus a newer track, ‘Spirit of Elysium’, which turned out to be the highlight of the too-short four-song set.
Vorga, by contrast, went on for a bit too long. I dug the Teutonic “cosmic black metallers” bringing an industrial aesthetic into proceedings, the members of the band looking like they’d stopped off at Cyberdog a bit further down the road before the show. I also dug tracks like ‘Starless Sky’ and ‘Comet’, the latter, especially, being a highlight of the set for me. The problem was that the standout tracks mainly came from their first album, Striving Towards Oblivion, their follow-up, and latest, Beyond the Palest Star, striking me as rather bland and unengaging by comparison. In the end, after the peak of (the sadly unrecorded) ‘Comet’, the ensuing tracks, mostly from the latest, make for an outstayed welcome. Least I’ll be able to capture the ‘Comet’ when I see them again as part of August’s Doomsday Fest in Brighton.
Then came my biggest draw—and biggest disappointment—of the night.
Having seen Sidious deliver a strong support set for Woe at the same venue back in October, I’d looked forward to another blast of their UKBM brutality, minus the sound mix issues that impeded them last time. The fact that, contrary to official promo, they were the night’s highest-billed band only added to the anticipation.
As such, the announcement, by guitarist Indomitus (Steffan Gough), that vocalist Isfeth (Mark Antoniades) wouldn’t be performing due to a “personal emergency” (hope all is well) was quite the deflation. Sure, the decision for the rest of the band to play a five-track instrumental set was heartening, and Indomitus and co. played their bollocks off with precision and panache, no less, but the absence of Isfeth came across with favourites like opener ‘Blood-Soaked Mist’ and ‘Thy Place Yond the Threshold’. It especially came across with new number ‘Blooodlust Command Infinite’, a blisterer of a track that, at times, ventures into Aussie blackened thrash territory, borrowing some of the bounce and jaunt from Down Under–originated acts like Deströyer 666, Assaulter, Razor of Occam et al, making it all the more disappointing the frontman wasn’t present to showcase its full potential. Guess I’ll have to wait till next year, when the upcoming album and subsequent tour breaks forth.
In short, the London start of the Cosmic Insurrection was a potentially promising one marred by two shortened sets, one stretched-out one, and the unpredictability of emergency. The best laid plans of mice and men….
Good Friday: the perfect day to bear witness to the Suicide of God, not on the hills of Golgotha, mind you, but in the maw of Hackney, more specifically, Helgi’s, which paid host to black-metal triple bill headlined by military-history enthusiasts Stahlsarg. Support-wise, Scottish occultists Nyctopia and Final Dose splinter Coldfall bolstered the ranks.
Shortly after partaking in my usual Helgi’s ritual of downing a pint and crisps, and subsequently relieving myself in their immaculately porn-wallpapered bogs (aptly described as “Narnia for degenerates” by Adorior’s Jaded Lungs), the night kicked off with Coldfall’s performance.
Formed by two fifths of blackened-punk band Final Dose, this duo’s setup counts as one of those rare times that I’ve seen a drummer (Brian Fusco, the mastermind behind both bands) also assume vocal duties, co-vocals, more accurately, sharing such with Jack Thompson, who also took up tremolos. Their “primitive dreg black metal” made for a nice strong opening blast, serving up the no-nonsense frenetic immersion with tracks such as ‘Abyss’, ‘Fog of Darkness’, and ‘Beholden with Flies’. Good stuff indeed.
Nyctopia, who I’d been looking forward to seeing after hearing their album, Full Moon Calling, served up a rather distinctive and memorable set. First came the guest vocalist, friend of the band Merry, who provided additional lungwork for main man Nechtan (David Henderson) on two of the band’s strongest tracks, ‘Malleus Maleficarum (Witch Hunt)’ and their cover of the controversial, absolutely treif band Grand Belial’s Key’s ‘Shem Ham Forash’ (“SO IT IS DONE!”)….
…then came Kamile, Nechtan’s ladyfriend, who enthralled the audience with an elaborate fire dance during ‘Signa Stellarum Negarum’, which I regret not recording at least partially.
There was also guest bassist Nico, frontman of Brighton black metallers Aklash, with whom I had an illuminating conversation sparked by shared Necro Ritual apparel prior to the set. Drummer Telsus provided a solid rhythm section (and, in post-gig corrospondence, names and setlists—cheers for that!), and Netchan, grasping the mic and the axe proved to be an effective storyteller as well as musician, introducing songs with an eye to the century set. My only gripe, and it’s minor, is almost half the set being composed of covers (Death in June’s ‘Little Black Angel’ and a nice one of Darkthrone’s ‘Funeral Moon’, as well as the aforementioned GBK number). Hope to see them again soon, hopefully headlining.
Next came Stahlsarg and a near-immediate sense of disappointment when I saw an absence of tracks from their excellent first album, Comrades in Death, on the setlist—the only printed one(s) of the night—which was instead dominated by a selection of tracks from their second outing, their Suicide of God EP, and their upcoming third full-length. Still, this disappointment was significantly mitigated by the sheer ferocity and dynamism of the performance, with frontman Jhorn (John Hirst) seemingly caught on the faultline between possession and exorcism, lunging, bounding and lurching across the stage with insistent fury, his performance further intensified by the moments of rapport with guitarist Kevin Smey (my main point of dialogue with the band that night). Setlist-wise, highlights included new track ‘Void’, ‘Darkness, My Accomplice’ from the Suicide of God EP, and ‘Burn and Destroy’ from their second album, Mechanisms of Misanthropy, which managed the rare feat of rousing a moshpit at a black-metal gig (a point I raised with Horn after the set to his own amazed agreement), and the even rarer feat of inspiring me to jump in! A tightly performed, kinesthetically memorable set, in summation. Hopefully, there’ll be more CoD material to make it even better next time.
But this gig was not only memorable for its performers but those in audience attendance, with a few recurring faces, most notably Bartuk (Bartosz Jaszsczyszyn), last seen on stage with both Sturmtiger and Inhumanization at Subterranean Manifestation. Turns out, by his account, the “pagan pussyhole Nazi” jibe thrown by Cam from Gorgon Vomit was aimed at *him*—as opposed to randoms wearing Burzum, Peste Noir, or, indeed, Grand Belial’s Key shirts, as I’d first assumed—for allegedly throwing a sieg-heil during the Inhumanization set. Looking back on my footage from that day, all I see are gestures for applause rather than contentious Elon Musk moments, and if my interactions with the band, Bartuk included, are anything to go by, they’re the worst neo-Nazis ever.
Saturday the 12th of April not only marked the day the “Unholy Trinity” of Behemoth, Satyricon, and Rotting Christ, descended upon London’s Brixton Academy but also the first time I’d been to the venue since it reopened a year ago, following the Big Bumrush of 2022 and its ensuing fatalities, not to mention the first time I’d been there in three years full stop. So, yeah, despite the long slog to get there and its location, I’ve missed the venue, and what better reason to return than for a triple bill of black(ened) metal?
That said, this was pretty much a case of one band being *much* more of a draw for me than others, and not the headline band at that. I’m talking about the mighty Satyricon, slap bang in the middle of the bill. As well as enjoying their discography a considerable amount, I’d previously been impressed by their Download set back in 2006, a definite standout on that bill even with only four songs. This one went several songs better, with the likes of ‘Black Crow on a Tombstone’, ‘To the Mountains’, ‘Deep Calleth upon Deep’, and, to my greatest pleasure, ‘Repined Bastard Nation’. Satyr and co put on a blinding show, belting out these favourites with the prowess and powerful I remember from that short Download set. Satyr especially sounded chuffed to be back in the Brixton after a quarter of a century, remarking on it as the best looking venue he’s played at. Here’s hoping he and the band take a tenth of that time to return for a much more fitting headline show.
Prior to Satyricon, Rotting Christ opened the show with their brand of true Hellenic black metal, garnering considerable elation from the audience for the first act on the bill. At first, I wasn’t that taken with the numbers chosen for the setlist, partly because I’m still getting acquaintanced with this band in a general sense with nothing quite hitting consistently when it comes to private listening. However, things picked up considerably toward the end of the set with the tracks ‘Non Serviam’, ‘Grandus Spiritus Diavolos’, and a cover of Thou Art Lord’s ‘Sociatas Satanas’. A momentum-building, ultimately satisfying intro to the night.
As for the headliners, I will first and foremost commend them for knowing how to put on a fucking show! After the, by their own admission, slightly neutered Lordi show at the Islington Academy just days prior, it was great to see a band playing at a venue unafraid to let its guest performers go wild, and Behemoth delivered fully on that count with costumes, pagentry, and pyrotechnics galore.
Musically, I do find their overall catalogue to be quite hit and miss, despite admiring frontman Nergal’s unerring ability to make Christoids cry, especially those at the helm in his home country of Poland; their brand of blackened death is better executed more consistently by the likes Belphegor and Necrophobic, who both maintain a recognisable sound without descending into the sameness that often plagues Behemoth on record.
That said, the setlist served as a pretty decent cribbing of their most memorable and distinctive numbers plus some newer numbers from their upcoming Shit ov God album. Highlights included opener ‘The Shadow Elite’, the epic, soaring ‘Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer’, the pummelling menace of ‘Ov Fire and the Void’, the apocalyptic riffage of ‘Chant for Eschaton 2000’, and the set-closing infernal hymnal ‘O Father, O Satan, O Sun’. I also found it amusing that of all songs, the much maligned title track of the upcoming album got some the loudest applause and fanfare of the night.
An unholy trinity indeed, and a welcome return to a much missed venue to boot! My only major regret? Not getting much closer to the stage.
Fun and frolics at the monster show last fortnight as Lordi swept through the capital once again, this time to promote their new album, Limited Deadition. They brought with them Italian industrial rockers Sick ‘n’ Beautiful, who put on quite the eye ‘n’ ear-catching set themselves, with band members who looked like caricatures of Al Jourgensen, buxom green-skinned stickswomen, a glow-titty frontwoman channeling post-apocalyptic priestess aesthetics at key moments, and, most importantly, strong numbers such as ‘(Human) Is Overrated’, ‘Makin’ Angels’, and a pretty robust cover of KISS’ ‘God of Thunder’ (the original serving as the intro to the headline set). A solid well-presented show, despite some meandering numbers, and I got a nice shot with the band at the night’s end.
As for the horrific headliners, they left a strong positive impression of their latest album, Limited Deadition, and with only four songs from it on the setlist too! The likes of ‘Syntax Error’, which had Mr Lordi hitting some impressive high notes, ‘Retropolis’, and ‘Hellizabeth’, my favourite of the four, stood out in their neon AOR ’80s-inspired glory, even if the latter was somewhat hampered by the band’s insistence on lacing a drawn-out skit through it. It seems as if Lordi decided to settle on a sound not unlike that on Humanimals, the “1989” album in their psuedohistorical anthology boxset, Lordversity (2021). The presence of a song from said album, ‘Girl in a Suitcase’, on the setlist reinforced that perception, as well as reminding me of the missed opportunity for a Lordversity tour.
In any case, the fresh fish sat comfortably next to veteran tracks like ‘Who’s Your Daddy?’ (#ThatsWhatDaddyLikes), the storming ‘Blood Red Sandman’, and my introduction to the band, the ever anthemic ‘Would You Love a Monsterman?’ Sadly, due to cited restrictions at the Islington Assembly Hall, the Monster Squad couldn’t do full visual justice to their songs with pyrotechnics, but Mr Lordi at least brought the demon wings out to play for ‘Devil Is a Loser’, so I wasn’t too disappointed.
As ever, each band member got a segment and/or a skit between songs to flesh out the show, some amusing, others protracted beyond that point. To think that ‘My Heaven Is Your Hell’ could’ve made the setlist if not for the latter!
Still, gripes aside, it’s always a pleasure to see and hear these fiends live, a cause for Hard Rock Hallelujahs even,which delivered by the audience in abundance in response to the set-closing Eurovision-winning number. Good show, Monstericians! More pyros and less protraction next time, though.
Another evening of black metal at the Underworld on Saturday, with yet another Norwegian act headlining the bill, this time, the controversial Taake, marking the 20th anniversary of their third album, Hordalands doedskvad (Death Poems of Hordaland), or Doedskvad for short.
I first heard of the band via their controversies involving frontman Hoest (Ørjan Stedjeberg), particularly the one in which he set out to provoke Germany’s current authoritarian regime by wearing the symbol of the one it replaced and the one in which *others* smeared the symbol on him for daring to blaspheme against the religion of the Paedo of Peace. Impressed, I made a point to check out the actual music, which, language barrier aside, stands up substantially next to, and independent of, the “hype”.
Still, I remained on the fence about attending this one, what with having quite the procession of gigs lined up and only so much time to exploit; it was the inclusion of certain support acts that helped me decide to jump off and grab a ticket.
The first support of the night, London’s Vestia, started things with an eye to epic, their flowing robes complementing their grand-scope, Hellenically informed brand of black metal. Mining from their debut album, The Acheron, the four piece left a potent mark with the likes of full-steam opener ‘Unknown Goddess’, the, storm-to-slow burn of ‘Her Pale Shiver’, and ‘Hearth and Home’, an allusion to the Hellenic goddess for whom the band is named (Hestia + Vesta = Vestia). The whole band sounded crisp, with special mention going to vocalist/rhythm guitarist Elegy’s line of blackened shrieks and to lead guitarist Giannis, who beyond laying down some mean chords and riffs, appeared to be having the time of his fucking life whilst doing so, making something of a playground of his platform.
Still, Vestia’s epic ease-in paled in intensity next to the onslaught of the band that persuaded me to get hold of a ticket. I’m talking, once again, about Croydon’s finest, the crushing Necro Ritual, who delivered yet another blistering aural assault. As I and another audience member agreed, if you’re feeling sleepy or drowsy, this is a band that’ll wake you the fuck up!
Once again, the set opened with the tribal drumming of Talos (Jason Ludwig) ushering in the post-nuke dystopia of ‘Threads’, with each of his fellow instrumentalists following in his wake, slowly building to the crescendo; finally came vocalist Corseth (Rob Driscoll), bellowing out post-apocalyptic proclamations about how we’d be worked “until there’s fuck-all left”, all the while learning to “envy the dead”.
The rest of the set kept up the bilous energy I’ve come to expect and appreciate from them, with highlights including the blistering ‘Black Holocaust’, guitarist Abbatoir (Owen Watkins) exhorting the “fucking cunts” of the audience to bang their heads at the start of ‘Lycanfire’, Rob handing me a beer at the *end* of ‘Lycanfire’ (cheers for that!), and another airing of one of my favourite Necro Ritual tracks, the infectiously riffed ‘Irreligious’ (“Yes, it’s on the setlist!” bassist Void preemptively assured me, prior to doors opening). Sadly, ‘Bastard’, my other favourite, was benched for this outing, so I didn’t get a chance to “check the cunt’s still breathing” in this instance.
As ever, post-show convo was a pleasure, with Jason giving insight into the making of the ‘Threads’ video and Rob commenting more on this Sturmtiger stand-in set at Subterranean Manifestation the week before. However, I forgot to say this to them on Saturday: Get some headline slots, maybe even tours, under your bullet belts, maybe with the advent of the next album—fly that flag of Bysmer higher!
Speaking of headline slots, I’d expected Taake to do a straight-ahead playthrough of the Doedskvad album, maybe with some added songs from elsewhere in their discography to bulk up the set. A glance at the playlist disabused me of the former notion—it turned out that they’d pressed the shuffle button on the spotlighted album, throwing the number order in to disarray! As a result the set kicked off with ‘Hordalands Doedskvad VI’, the albums instrumental track, effectively buying Hoest some extra prep time before making his vocal introduction for ‘VII’ (the album’s closing track). A tall figure possessed of a piercing gaze, mask-like corpse paint, and an Aura Noir hoodie he certainly made a memorable visual, as well as vocal, impression. Every number of the album was done justice by the band, with ‘III’, ‘I’, and set closer ‘II’, my favourites from the album, really benefitting from the crisp instrumental work, particularly those tight tremolos. Of course, as I alluded to earlier, Hoest’s vocals certainly weren’t lacking, his native Norwegian rasps holding court formidably, even if I couldn’t understand a single lyric (unlike certain audience members who’d done to great pains to get a grasp on it—hats off to ’em!). That said, he wields the English tongue well enough to address the audience between songs, coming off as rather gracious (“We wish we could visit more, like we used to.”) and lamenting the Underworld’s clubnight curfew (“We’d play three hours if we could.”)
As things played out twas another top night of black metal, with the sound mix of the venue really doing justice to all three bands showcased, especially the headliner’s commemoration. Come back soon, you blasphemous bastards!
Saturday’s shenanigans were certainly memorable for multiple reasons.
Where to start? I suppose the beginning’s as good a place as any.
I was kinda worried when the opening time for the fourth Subterranean Manifestation arrived with no doors opening. Not that doors not opening on time is an unprecedented gig-going event (hello, Underworld and Islington Academy!), but seeing as this was an eight-band event, I started to wonder if one or several of them had taken an abrupt leave of the bill, which would’ve be in line of the series of dropouts/replacements leading up to the day of truth.
Anyway, after an extra 35-minute wait, the doors opened, and in I went, wondering if the lapse would have knock-on effects.
All started off well, however, with Polish blackened death troupe Inhumanization setting the tone for the day’s proceedings. Air-raid sirens introduced the menacing ‘March of the Burnt Spirits’, the first song on their setlist, a dirgier number than others in their catalogue. Nevertheless, the throat bellows of PanzerSpekktr and distinctive guitar tones of PanzerKkunt (AKA Mateo Zabawa, last seen by me as part of Black Altar, supporting Carpathian Forest at the Underworld) remained a constant throughout this and the more immediately, relentlessly aggressive numbers like ‘Cold Steel Jaws’ and the storming ‘All Hail Fear!’. A strong start, with not a setlist song skipped.
The knock-on effect of (and possible reason for) the late start started to take effect with the next band, war metallers Sturmtiger. I was disappointed to see that my two favourite tracks from their inventory, ‘War Is Eternal’ and ‘The Baron’, were absent from the setlist, only to hear that the planned half-hour set would be trimmed down by ten minutes; however, in something of a pleasant surprise, none other than Corseth/Rob from Necro Ritual balaclavaed up to assume last-minute vocal duties for the set, the band’s normal vox, PB, AKA Petr Alexandrovich Burov, being, according to Rob, “stuck in Russia” (perhaps the reason for the entry delay?). From my vantage point, I thought he did a respectable job given the circumstances, unlike the sound mixers, who turned gasmasked bassist SB’s instrument of choice so high up in the mix for opening track ‘Armoured Spearhead’, I started to wonder if I was listening to a war-metal remix of the Seinfeld soundtrack! Things got fixed toward the set’s end, however, with numbers like the excellent ‘Imperium’ getting the chance to make their intended mark.
Next up came bestial death-metallers Gorgon Vomit, who I’d first and last seen leading the opening strike for Diocletian at the Cart and Horses last year. A lot’s changed since then, with new albums and collabs added to their discography, plus some interesting unreleased numbers like ‘Melted’ and ‘Slew Dem’, which both made appearances on the setlist alongside more familiarly feral favourites like ‘Evangelise Satan’ and ‘Vomit ‘Pon the Icon’. Unfortunately, the late running of the proceedings had the band skipping over many a song on their scrawled setlists, eventually culminating in the sound team cutting the set short (much to the vocal displeasure of a Certain Member of the Audience, who I’ll return to later). Nevertheless, the band succeeded at leaving an impression, and not just with the tracks that made the cut: frontman Black Mane, AKA Cameron, brought his characteristic banter to the stage, taking a jab at the “pagan pussyhole Nazis” assembled in the audience; bassist (and ubiquitous gig presence) Diabolical Mocker, AKA Daniel, gave the audience some characterful low-end licks, approaching dub territory at certain points, very much in keeping with Cameron’s patois patter; Ballistik Undying Master, AKA Francis, showed no mercy to his skins and cymbals; and it was great to see axeman Omar shredding on both feet after his leg mishap last time.
Things took a turn for the better in terms of set times from the following set onwards, with Belgian black metallers Heinous being allowed to play out their full set, which was just as well given that it was a definite standout of the whole night. This was especially welcome as they’d grabbed my attention the least out of all the bands on the bill in terms of studio output, however the tight, precise performances from bullet-bonced frontman P.F Hraesvelg (Thibault Lampe) and his instrumental section (some of whom’ll show up on stage again later in the night) sounded sterling, with full-throated shrieks, tumultuous tremolo riffs and ballistic blastbeats. Especially standout moments included ‘Last Days of the Apostates’ (during which, I caught the attention of that Certain Member of the Audience I mentioned earlier) and ‘Seven Sins of the Light’, great examples of why this set persuaded me to give their discography another shot.
French *mort noir* merchants Vortex of End weren’t too shabby either, presenting a sliver of their black catalogue to the audience in formidable fashion. Set opener ‘Perdition Whorl’, ‘Transvbstantiation’, with its vocal interjections from bassist ÖberKommander666 (Youenn), and penultimate track ‘Fvlgvr.Lvx.Terror’ did the band especially proud. Vocalist-axeman NGH (who’d show up in the next set in a purely instrumental role) made a memorable work of blending wailing vocals in amongst the expected blackened shrieks, lending some extra character to his lungwork.
Speaking of whom, the latter took to the stage in purely instrumental role as part of Italian-originated infernalists Fides Inversa, who put on an absolutely fucking ferocious set that showcased but a fragment of their formidable back catalogue. Prolific frontman Wraath lived up to his *nom de guerre* staring down the audience with a stern, steely gaze very much in tune with the material showcased and taking to the stage’s edge to engage with those further back in the crowd, his flailing of the mic stand threatening to twat me in the face at certain points. Especially strong numbers were arresting opener ‘Pillars of the Adversary’ and the epic, defiant negation of ‘Transcendental Lawlessness’, an excellent pair of tracks in terms of both performance and lyricism.
Slaughter Messiah stepped up to bat next, bringing something of a party vibe into proceedings. Frontman Lord Sabathan (Franck Lorent) and axeman Rod “Iron Bitch Desecrator” (Rodrigue Soudant), last seen bassing and riffing it up in Heinous hours prior (prompting a cry of “Not you again!” from that Certain Audience Member), returned to the stage for some blackened thrashing mayhem, joined by sticksman John Berry and second axe-wielder D. Horse (Romain “Cheval” Delfosse). I was especially chuffed to hear ‘From the Tomb into the Pyre’, ‘Pouring Chaos’, ‘Black Speed Terror’, and ‘Bells of Damnation’ live for the first time, though it rankled me that they skipped over their self-titled theme tune, which I’d been especially looking forward to; nevertheless, the singalong to their cover of Bathory’s ‘Die in Fire’ was definitely a fine set-closer as well as a highlight of the fest. A thunderously strong set.
Finally, Swedish black/thrash metallers Unpure did a solid, seamless job of bringing the day’s proceedings to a close, leaning heavily on material from their latest album, 2024’s Prophecies Ablaze, with a sprinkling of songs from elsewhere in their arsenal. Personally, I would’ve liked to have heard more stuff from Coldland, the album that put them on my radar, but given the strong material from their latest—opener ‘Megalithic Gateways’, closer ‘Endtime Dictator’, and ‘The Witch of Upsala’, which got a Certain Audience Member especially (and violently!) animated (“This is what the fuck I’m talking about!” they cried, seconds before punching me in the chest)—it’s a minor gripe. A sturdy showcase from Kolgrim and co.
Still, that wasn’t *quite* the end of the night, as that Certain Audience Member and I capped the night off with a nice chat. Who the fuck am I on about? None other than Melissa “Jaded Lungs” Grey, frontwoman of “fist metal” pugilists Adorior. After spotting her at gigs prior to hearing the band, attending their album-release show, and providing footage from said show for the vid to ‘Scavengers of Vengeance’, it was great to finally have some in-person interaction with the woman. It kinda felt like the missing, jagged piece of the Adorior-gig puzzle being found, especially since both that and this event took place at the same venue (Downstairs at the Dome). Twas an exchange characterised by effortless rapport and cameraderie, mutual appreciation, dark humour (“Sweating like a rapist!”), and good-natured banter (“You’re an idiot but one of the good ones!”). Call it the cherry atop this Subterranean Sundae.
So, yes, as you can probably gather, my introduction to this particular showcase of extreme metal proved to be a Saturday to remember for a multiplicity of reasons. Will next year’s outing be as volatile and notable as this? I’ll let you know if I put in an appearance.
Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain Jun 11, 2025 In the midst of an escalating global standoff over its nuclear program, the Iranian government this week claimed to have scored a major intelligence coup that could transform its relationship with its regional and international rivals. Over the past several […] The post Iran Claims Historic Espionage […]
Week XXIV, MMXXV Recently, in The Signal: Why is China building so many ships? Brian Hart on its plan to turn overwhelming commercial advantage into military power. Today: Why are American states banning lab-grown meat? Hanna Tuomisto on the technology, economics, and politics of a new industry. + […] The post Meat without murder first […]
Gavin Francis What Do You Expect? The surprising power of placebos demonstrates how the mind influences both the experience of ill health and the evolution of illness. Michael Kazin Bridging the Gap Nick Witham’s Popularizing the Past portrays five American historians who published popular books that sacrificed neither intellectual depth […] The post Sugar Pilled first appeared […]
Hidden deep below the headquarters of the United Nations’ aid agency for Palestinians here is a Hamas complex with rows of computer servers that Israel’s armed forces say served as an important communications center and intelligence hub for the Islamist militant group. Wall Street Journal. ($) Part of a warren of tunnels and subterranean chambers […]
Three days ago the Muslim media outlet 5Pillars expressed doubts about the Labour candidate for the forthcoming by-election in Rochdale: “The troubling backstory of Labour Rochdale candidate Azhar Ali” What was it about Mr Ali that troubled them? The fact that he advised the government on counter-terrorism during the premiership of the hated Tony Blair. […]
This catchy Chinese-language song “People of the Dragon” by Malaysian filmmaker and recording artist Namewee has had 7.5 million views since it was posted two weeks ago. For centuries the Chinese have used puns and wordplay to poke fun at the powerful, and it seems Namewee’s song is so full of coded uncomplimentary references to […]
(An extension of a few points I mentioned in this video concerning education.) So-called educational systems teach young students what to believe, how to behave, and perhaps skills deemed necessary—not to question. (To a considerable degree, teaching what to believe … Continue reading →
A brief excerpt taken from Book III of Volume I of The Constellation of Man. These metaphors, like others I use in the book, introduce realism concerning the novelty of our personal appearance on preconstructed stages of history and human culture, atop mind … Continue reading →
Two things amaze me, again and again, about American enthusiasm for rancor in politics. I. Vengeance welcomes and relishes any opportunities to humiliate or oppress one’s opponents, but shows no foresight of how this creates a precedent—a legal and cultural … Continue reading →
by John Grauerholz Your medical record is something that will always be used against you. Your medical history only exists to record your physical humiliations. A doctor is not there to cure you, but to cause you as much consternation as possible. A physician’s role is not to heal a patient of your ilk, but […]
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} by John Grauerholz It is the future that persecutes us. The communitarians would have us break […]
One might think that few people were more annoyed by the 2019 British general election than the conservative author and commentator Ed West. Here he was, preparing to publish his book Small Men on the Wrong Side of History (Little, … Continue reading →
The first time I met Andrew Sabisky we walked through central London for hours and neither his energy or my interest flagged. This is a rare combination. There are people who can talk for a long time and there are … Continue reading →
I began this decade in London, a physical wreck, mentally ruined, almost friendless and facing the grim realisation that not only was “creative writing” a titanically stupid course to pick but my writing sucked. As bad as all this was, … Continue reading →
Despite having a WordPress site, there are no WordPress comments, so I could only send a message that might disappear into the void, so I decided to copy it here as well (with some added links to my blog posts): I started listening some months back after some listener started spamming various places about the […]
In advance of the commentary on bloggers reading Middlemarch, I myself had already read Harold Bloom on what makes it one of the “canonical novels” of the 19th century (but I still haven’t actually read any George Eliot that wasn’t someone else quoting her). I had gotten the idea to read Bloom’s famous book (not […]
The subtitle of Milorad Pavic’s book is “A Lexicon Novel in 100,000 Words”, but I wouldn’t say it qualifies as a dictionary/lexicon or novel. Instead it consists of three fictional encyclopedias, with supplementary sections not placed into that tripartite division. There are actual fictional dictionaries like Ambrose Bierce’s “The Devil’s Dictionary” and L. A. Rollins’ […]
Like the uncollapsed quantum state holding Schrodinger’s cat in a state of simultaneous life and death, whether a school is “teaching critical race theory” or not seems to depend entirely on whether the inquiring person wants them to. Are you anti-CRT? Then, you may rest assured, American schools most certainly aren’t teaching CRT. (If you […]
Wisdom has built her house; she has set up its seven pillars. — Proverbs 9:1 T. E. Lawrence is the Lawrence, of Arabia, and Seven Pillars of Wisdom is his autobiographical account of his time spent serving in the British and Arab armies during World War One. If you’ve seen the movie, you’ve got the […]
Scott Anderson’s Lawrence in Arabia is, quite obviously, about the famous T. E. Lawrence “of” Arabia. The book ranges significantly wider than Lawrence’s personal account, however, shifting between the perspectives of Ottoman officials, German spies, American spies, Zionist spies, and of course British spies. I read this book concurrently with The Berlin-Baghdad Express, so my […]
We boldly claim to change the world, with one simple dogmatic rule! TOTAL HONESTY, and intolerance for deception, can change the world for the better. One simple rule! Honesty is the #1 necessity for a modern scientific society PC deception and lies are the CAUSE for the downfall of Western civilization. Total honesty and full disclosure are […]
HIgh school teen faces 10 years in prison for sexting female classmate Teen sexting case highlights severity of N.C. sex offender laws A North Carolina teenager faces felony sex crime charges after police discovered sexually explicit photographs of a sixteen-year-old girl on his cell phone. Cormega Copening is a seventeen-year-old high school student at Jack […]
Formerly honest and unbiased vote counting is another institution infiltrated with and taken over by leftist activists. Leftists think deception is virtuous to reach higher goals. Dishonest partisan election officials “cured” problem ballots. This must be exposed, opposed, reversed. Continue at Sincerity.netWait, there is more! This article continues! Continue reading »Vote counting corrupted in USA, […]
On December 31, 2023 the Berkeley anarchist publisher and distributor Little Black Cart / Ardent Press closed shop after many years of the project producing fascinating and challenging work, often finding it brought them at odds with many in the anarchist milieu they operated in. After the Underworld Amusements edition of The Unique and Its […]
Dora Marsden was born in the village of Marsden in 1882. In 1900 began teaching at Owens College, where she met Christabel Pankhurst and other suffragists. Dora joined them and became a leader in the Women’s Social and Political Union (WPSU) by 1908. The following year she resigned as a teacher and became a full […]
The Union of Egoists website was announced April 1st of 2016 with the release of Max Stirner Bibliography by Trevor Blake. Happy anniversary to the royal Us. The idea for this site and much else was crystalized in a chat of February 2nd, 2016 between Trevor Blake and Kevin I. Slaughter. This chat was printed in our […]
