With London being comparatively sparse with metal gig attendees compared to significantly smaller continental European cities, luring enough black metallers to the capital's Underworld on the first night of the week would never be an easy feat. So the somewhat underwhelming turn out this October night is hardly a shock. Nonetheless, those who began their first evening of the week eager to absorb a night of Germanic black metal should be commended.
Openers are Switzerland's Schammasch, a quartet formed in 2009 and with two full-length albums to their name. In recent history, Switzerland have become tremendous at birthing creative extreme metal bands, including Blutmond, Bölzer and Darkspace, in addition to their rich heritage for black metal with Celtic Frost, Hellhammer and Samael. Schammasch tread in similar unorthodox paths, weaving their occult strains into an unholy hybrid of death and black metal, packaged in lengthy tracks. Guitars are both abrasive and clean, equally contributing to a dark and ceremonial atmosphere not too dissimilar from Necros Christos. The appearance of the Swiss band corroborates this soundscape with faces entirely daubed in black paint and clothes with intricate patterns of gold thread as embellishment. This modern approach to black metal is quite alluring but something feels missing in the live environment surrounded by so many rather in the solitude of the listener's own home.
German black metallers Secrets of the Moon are no strangers to London and the flock of punters to the stage illustrates this. Having performed in this very same venue two years ago, this band is one of the more underrated modern black metal acts despite consistently progressing since 1995. Opening with 'Serpent Messiah' from their last album 2012's 'Seven Bells', the four-piece wrap the venue in their multi-tempo black metal, pouncing between the foreboding and calculating to blastbeat-focussed brutality. Guitar melodies inscribed into the music unravel with a horror film score style sinister ambience that is idiosyncratic to their take on modern black metal.
Their stage presence is almost ritualistic and combined with well-timed headbanging. Hammering through tracks from the tail end of their discography, Secrets of the Moon gift to the audience such dark hymns as the multi-faceted'A Million Suns', the austere 'Lucifer Speaks' and the agonising 'Nyx'. The crowd support is strong with solid ovations after each song concludes and headbanging during the heavier and rhythmic moments. The title track from 2004's 'Carved in Stigmata Wounds' is the final song of the night with Secrets of the Moon leaving behind an excellent display of black metal to rival Scandinavia's.
Headliners Dark Fortress have quite an act to follow as they take the stage donning corpse paint. They start by opening with 'Betrayal and Vengeance' from new album 'Venereal Dawn', a catchy number steeped in a variety of black metal atmospheres with attention-grabbing drum fills. These Germans employ a clinical sound with their black metal, melding it with tasteful melodies and keyboards. Songs are lengthy and packed with no shortage of varying musical textures to promote a poignant sense of dimness. The audience certainly appreciates their music as heads banging throughout t heir set.
With seven albums shouldering the Dark Fortress name, the band smartly concentrate on the second half of their repertoire tonight. Of course promoting 'Venereal Dawn' is the priority and prime cuts from this full-length include the title track, 'I Am the Jigsaw of a Mad God' and 'Chrysalis'. Older tracks are 'Poltergeist', 'The Valley' and 'No Longer Human', performed faithfully and withan energy that maintains the crowds' attention throughout the show. With seven members on stage, there is little room for galloping stage antics but this does not prevent the band from remaining visually entertaining. 'The Unflesh' sees Dark Fortress abruptly vacate the stage but an audience that stays put is rewarded with a two track encore: 'When 1,000 Crypts Awake' sees the fans headbanging furiously and this assault is followed by the caustic 'Baphomet' that truly ends the show with a bang.
Tonight's display of Teutonic black metal was perfect for an October evening and those in attendance undoubtedly hope for the swift return of Dark Fortress and Secrets of the Moon. Those convinced that the black metal scene offers nothing new nowadays and its best days are confined to the past should certainly look at the most recent efforts of these two bands to be proven wrong.
FUTURE GIGS
sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.