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 jabbing 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 I kept mentioning pulled me aside for 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 on 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 exchanged characterised by effortless rapport and cameraderie, mutual appreciation, 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.
~MRDA~
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