Czech black metallers Cult of Fire are currently enjoying their favourable status as darlings of the underground black metal scene and with metal enriched by a scarce proclivity for Hindu explorations, their unique interest inscribes them tides away from other black metallers slavishly adhering to unremarkable formulas heard innumerable times. The attention has clearly penetrated profoundly into the London metal scene as long before the headliners take the stage, the Boston Music Room is uncomfortably rammed, even the more casual black metal appreciators curious about the UK's Cult of Fire debut.
Sweden's Saturnalia Temple are also making their maiden sojourn to the country. Their interpretation of stoner doom metal features gritty guitar tones and wandering melodies,peppered with a hint of psychedelic trappings imbuing the sound with something more substantial than other artists of a similar ilk. This year saw the trio release sophomore effort 'To The Other' with prime cuts, such as the title track, represented in this live sphere. Repetitive riffs encased in lengthy compositions appear to struggle to retain the rammed venue's attention and conversations coherently dominate some of the quieter passages of the music. Nonetheless, songs are heartily applauded and some heads bang towards the front of the stage for a commendable performance. They are certainly a formidable modern stoner band but perhaps not the most complimentary support for the headliners.
The stage is metamorphosed into a Vedic setting as colourful shrines at either side of the stage are erected, sporting candles, statuettes and pictures among other trinkets. A striking poster of the Hindu deity Kali is on display, the goddess whom occupies the theme of their breakthrough second album 'Ascetic Meditation of Death'. Two crossing scythes adorn the microphone stand and before the members even grace the stage, cameras and phones bathe the display in fluorescent light as fans capture these novelties on to their memory cards. By now the venue is heaving, making securing a good vantage point an arduous task.
Draped in cowls bearing ornate imagery on their chest and with faces obscured by masks with matching patterning, Cult of Fire waste no time launching into the frenetic beginning of 'Gruesome Dance of Death' and educing a violent moshing maelstrom,dragging in more unwilling participants than consensual ones and scrambles the black metallers less used to this kind of fury. Tremolo-picked melodies are more intricate and memorable than the usual use of tremolo riffs in black metal while the vocals are rasped growls or thinner yet somehow more hateful shouts, all kept afloat by obstinate blast beats.
Borrowing the epic black metal spawned by fellow countrymen Root and Master's Hammer, Cult of Fire devote their set to evocative melodies, large soundscapes and all-round enthralling metal with a contemporary sound while providing a ritualistic stage presence. There is an emphasis on the beloved album 'Ascetic Meditation of Death'; the luxurious unwinding riffs in 'When Death is All' are masterfully twinned with undulating brutality while the more restrained 'Khanda Manda Yoga' slows the tempo to birth musical opulence. Admittedly these live renditions do not possessed the thicker sound of their recorded counterparts even with backing tracks. The elder 'Testament to the World' and 'Satan Mentor' are also executed tonight, still tuneful yet not as ambitious as the creations that Cult of Fire would grow to engineer. Nevertheless they still conserve the ferocity of mosh pits that makes it challenging to concentrate on the members on stage and are gifted with applause as they finish. Closer, the ceremonial 'Kali Ma', substitutes the vigor for a melodic calm that washes over the audience, quelling mosh pits and allowing all to focus on the breadth of the band's musicality. As soon as the song concludes, the black metallers egress immediately and wordlessly, the fans' desire for more left unfed as the house lights appear.
Cult of Fire's debut appearance on these shores is undisputedly an event each attendee will securely commit to their memory but they would have benefited from a roomier location and resultantly fewer invasive mosh pits. Still, tonight was a fantastic demonstration of a visual and aural spectacle. The appetite is there for these Czech masterminds to return and with a new album in their near future, hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later.
FUTURE GIGS
sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.