Satyricon – Oslo Faenskap – Vredehammer: Live at Nijmegen, Doornroosje NL

Posted on April 6, 2015 by News Team

The day before Easter Sunday we set out to see the Norwegian Satyricon open their latest European tour, the only one of this year they announced. Supporting their recent Live At The Opera (Napalm) DVD, the band have decided to do things in their own time and their own way this time around.

When we arrive just before the time the show is about to start we’re met with closed room doors and a susurrus of rumors in the waiting crowd. Satyricon arrived later than expected, and now the stage still has to be set and soundchecks done. The time is pushed back half an hour, and both supporting acts, Oslo Faenskap and Vredehammer, were reduced to 15 minute sets.

Oslo Faenskap, Photo by Susanne A. Maathuis

Oslo Faenskap take the stage first with fire and verve, determined to show us 15 minutes can be convincing. The crowd however doesn’t agree and no matter how much the band try to be brutal, badass and ‘fucking” make us move, most people stare at them in polite patience. The fact the band play a mix of more modern metal styles, best characterized by metalcore and nu metal influences, and their overblown stage presence as an opener just don’t strike the right chord today, while their effort is praiseworthy.

Vredehammer, Photo by Susanne A. Maathuis

After a quick changeover we get Vredehammer who are clearly unhappy about the unexpected shortening of their set. It means the band only play two songs, as quipped at by their vocalist Per Valla; “this is the shortest set in history”. The crowd responds to the Norwegian black metal outfit better than they did to Oslo Faenskap, and start to warm up. Both bassist and guitarist of the band give a valiant effort, but less than optimal sound on the drums and general mix mean some of the more delicate atmospheres of the band disappear into tinny drums and a general feeling of potential but too little time.

Satyricon, Photo by Susanne A. Maathuis.

And then for the main course of this musical meal: Satyricon. The crowd who had stayed mostly in the back of the room slowly mill forward, finally giving the venue a cozily full feeling. The anticipation in the front few rows can be felt on your skin as an almost electric shiver passes through the crowd when finally the iconic mic-stand, covered in horns, is brought on stage. The band arrives to the tones of ‘Voice of Shadows’ to loud cheers from the audience and a forest of raised fists and horns. The bar is immediately set incredibly high as the band launch into their two hour long set full speed, playing new and old tunes alike, though favoring their post-Vulcano repertoire. The crowd seamlessly answers front man Satyr’s every suggestion, as they shout on command and are coaxed to throw horns and even form a moshpit. Satyr explains that the few tours the band will do from now on will be special, and tonight they would like to share with us some work in progress ideas for songs, as they launch into three instrumental pieces. Sadly in the second of these jams Satyr’s guitar gives out and it takes half the tune to get it set again, but even that cannot ruin the performance as the fans happily listen to what might become new material. Ending the set on the classic ‘Mother North’, to which the full crowd sing along, the band leave the stage. The crowd waits in eager anticipation for their encore, consisting of hit songs ‘Fuel For Hatred’ and ‘K.I.N.G.’, after which a glowing band thank their fans with one of many bows. We leave the venue at the respectable hour of midnight, to the gentle tones of ‘Natt’ as the outro, happily satisfied that a gig that seemed plagued by Murphy’s Law at first persevered and after a rough start soared to heights only a veteran band and like Satyricon can deliver.

Satyricon, Photo by Susanne A. Maathuis.

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WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY SUSANNE MAATHUIS

Corrosion Of Conformity – Hang The Bastard: Live at Academy 2, Manchester

Posted on April 3, 2015 by News Team

The reunion of the classic Deliverance line up is hotly anticipated with a sold out crowd ready to greet Pepper Keenan and the rest of Corrosion Of Conformity.

Kicking the night off in fine style were London based bringers of sludgy despicable metal Hang The Bastard, and boy were they sludgy. Looking like the Born Too Late-era Saint Vitus (only with less convictions for holding onto Walter White’s stash) and sounding just as punishing, like a wave of grim descended upon the venue. Drawing mainly on their last album Sex In The Seventh Circle the five piece slam through their 45 minute repertoire of heavy lumbering riffs and ear piercing vocals against a constant wall of nothing but uninterrupted feedback. The simple stage set up of red lights throughout added to the hazy almost bleak red room from Twin Peaks feel to the evening, if only instead of weirdest the backwards talking dwarf was replaced by riffs that made your brain want to dribble out of your ears. The fact the PA in the venue was blisteringly loud didn’t half improve the bands’ set, making a hypnotic wall of sound that crumbled each time the bands rumbling bass sound kicked back in.

Playing a set comprised of In The Arms Of God and fan favourites Wiseblood and Deliverance this evening has a greatly celebratory feel from the off as ‘These Shrouded Temples’ and the stomping ‘Señor Limpio’ kick tonight into gear.

Keenan grins from ear to ear as fans raise their fists and voices for ‘King Of The Rotten’ and underground hit ‘Albatross’ which threatens to take the roof off. Woody Weatherman clearly enjoys having his fellow riffmeister back in the fold, trading off licks while Messrs Dean and Mullin hold down the groove with an almost telepathic ease. There are plenty of surprises too. ‘Goodbye Windows’ is given its live debut and ‘Broken Man’ is aired for the first time in nearly twenty years. A stellar performance which receives a rapturous reception, the North Carolinians reputation as a jewel in the crowd of underground metal was cemented tonight.

WORDS: ROSS BAKER AND DAN O’BRIEN

PHOTOS BY EMMA STONE PHOTOGRAPHY

Devin Townsend Project – Periphery – The Shining: Live at Effenaar

Posted on April 2, 2015 by News Team

The evening starts off with the dulcet tones of Progressive Black Jazz by Norwegian band The Shining, who fire up the audience with their songs and improv-sections; at least, I don’t recall ‘Fisheye’ being quite that long. The minimalist lighting which features almost exclusively black and white create a great atmosphere, and combined with the thick distortion of their sound it almost feels like everything is covered in a layer of volcanic ash. One of the most impressive feats of this band is how happy and groovy their music sounds, varying from sludgy to peppy within songs. In fact, the parts that don’t sound like prog or jazz are supremely danceable. Then again, with saxophone solos like that I don’t see how they could not be. The audience is a little divided on this opening act. While part of the audience is pleased as punch, the rest have that deer-in-the-headlights look of complete and utter bewilderment that is common among the unwary at a Shining concert.

The Shining is a truly unique band with great stage presence, and their promise of a new album sounds like music to our ears.

The second band of this evening is Periphery, with energetic frontman Spencer Sotelo, who is sporting pink hair and a The Shining shirt. While I love Sotelo’s stage presence, his voice goes a bit thin when he sings in high range, and since he sings almost exclusively in high range this means his voice falls away against the rest of the music. I would have liked to hear lower tones, as he has a very warm and powerful voice in that region. Luckily his screams were very audible over the nice and dense sound this band creates. Some of the songs have no clear ending, and the blackout between songs takes away a lot of the energy and enthusiasm; even the large amount of fans can’t keep the party going throughout all the silence. Similarly, a long and very silent intro halfway through the set detracts from the overall performance. With three guitarists we do get the occasional guitar solo, but although they have a full clean sound, the solos themselves are not spectacular.

While Periphery might not be my favourite kind of band, some of their songs are really catchy, and they obviously have a good amount of fans in the audience. They have the stage-presence and audience interaction parts completely nailed.

There are few people as capable of turning a concert into a complete show as Devin Townsend. As evidence, there is the opening of tonight’s show: Ziltoid The Omniscient. For those of you not familiar with ZTO, this is an inter-medial approach at storytelling with music, lyrics, and webisodes linking together to form a complete narrative. The opening video at tonights show is in fact the first episode of ZiltoidTV videos that led up to the Z² album. It is a sort of SciFi puppet show in which an alien studies earth and humanity. But Ziltoid is not merely an introduction, there are also songs where the projections sing along with the live performance.

Devin Townsend himself may say he’s not very cool, but from the first moment he walks out he is incredibly likeable. Not only is he charismatic, he really seems to be enjoying every minute, and even dons a party-hat he received from a member of the audience.

Tonight we have a special guest, Anneke van Giersbergen, and since Devin has recently had the flu, Anneke takes over on some songs. Since these lines are not written to her voice, some of the deeper sound fades into the rest of the music and leaves mostly sharper edges. However, she still does an excellent job and especially the blend of Anneke and Devin is pure magic. Their voices balance together so nicely in power and tone.

After the first bad segue Devin seems to deliberately make each following one even worse, and the result is a number of hilariously disconnected song-introductions. The music itself is really catchy and has a good variety between soft and heavy while still making sense stylistically. The guitar sound is delightfully heavy and very satisfying to listen to. The songs are from a wide range of albums and by the look of the audience’s enthusiasm every single one was a well-chosen favourite.

The Devin Townsend is phenomenon. The combination of SciFi, geekery, bad jokes, and a front man with a personality that goes on for miles makes this a truly one-of-a-kind experience.

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WORDS LORRAINE LYSEN

PHOTOGRAPHY: SUSANNE A. MAATHUIS

On The Road with… Battle Beast

Posted on March 20, 2015 by News Team

Battle Beast, by TJ Fowler

Helsinki’s epic heavy metallers Battle Beast have started out strong in 2015 by releasing a new album, and touring relentlessly. On the road supporting Unholy Savior (Nuclear Blast) which dropped in January, the band has been supporting the likes of Sabaton and Delain among others. They are just getting warmed up, and the live arena is where they flourish as a group. Catching them in a more intimate setting close to home, TJ Fowler shot the band at Henry’s Pub in Kuopio for this dynamic photo set for Ghost Cult.

Battle Beast, by TJ Fowler

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PHOTOS BY TJ FOWLER

Marduk – Belphegor: Live at Effenaar, Eindhoven NL

Posted on March 18, 2015 by News Team

On a rainy Friday evening, Febuary 20^th 2015 we head to the Effenaar’s small hall in Eindhoven. We’re in for a night that will hopefully make the rain outside seem cheerful, as Belphegor and Marduk, presented by Eindhoven Metal Meeting, chilled us to the bone while pummeling us with blast-beats. Joining them today are Bliss of Flesh, a French black/death outfit and the Dutch melodic death band Spartan, who’re a bit of the odd ones out and have the challenge of opening.

Sadly Friday night is also the one evening the stores are open in Eindhoven and this added to the rain create a bit more traffic than expected, meaning Spartan are just launching into their last tune when we enter the partially filled room. The band’s happy and merry stage presence and party atmosphere with which they deliver what they call power deathmetal is admirable, but definitely not fir the crowd that has come to see Marduk, and while they come across as sympathetic their sound is a little confused and definitely not hitting the spot for the current audience.

After a brief changeover and a few more arrivals, the French Bliss of Flesh take the stage. They’re a lot more in line with the rest of the lineup in atmosphere they try to create. Unfortunately there seems to be something disjointed about the band. The singer has clearly studied Gaahl’s stage presence and attitude extensively, but doesn’t pull off the calm overbearing threat that man manages to present himself with. Instead it feels more like a trick. Added to this is the fact that two of the band members seem to be inclined to a more Deathcore or even nu-metal side of musicianship, with many scale running solos and posturing, while the drummer, other guitarist (who has his own solos, and adds to the somewhat messy sound in that way) and vocalist seem more black metal inclined. Added to this are near constant hi-hats and a almost complete lack of low regions in the mix and even the elaborate mic stand and growls don’t come across as particularly menacing. The drums being slightly sloppy and a near constant rumble add to the general feeling of not quite it, and I’m left with a particular sense of “nothing special”.

The room is now nicely filled, but no where near capacity, as two stands covered by black tarp are carried on stage. The Austrian Belphegor sets up their stage while the room socializes and the beer flows. When the first intro music starts everyone moves forward and looks up. Clearly Marduk aren’t the only reason people have come and in anticipation the audience waits for the band to appear. One intro tune passes, and the band doesn’t appear, the stands at the front of the stage stay shrouded in their black veil, and we wonder what the wait is. After a second intro starts and a roar from the audience a crew member quickly walks onto the stage and unveils two impressive bone and skull totems flanking the gasmask encased mic-stand. Shortly after an artificial fog rolls onto the stage and figures appear in it. The band is in a completely different league to the previous two from the first notes. The mix is suddenly clear and balanced and vocalist/guitarist Helmuth is a man who looks almost possessed while on stage. Though the glances at his hands while growling distract focus a bit, the general atmosphere the band creates is incredible. The more Deathmetal inspired song structures and differences in tempo and dynamics allow for breathing space in between the onslaughts of blastbeats to enjoy the more melodic layers under the onslaught. The layered nature of the compositions also gives the effect of a ghostly extra melody behind the vocals, even when the second set is yelled in by guitarist Impaler and drums fill the background. A thoroughly enjoyable performance finally warms the room up for the main attraction of the evening.

The Swedish quartet Marduk have a long history in their mix of black and death metal, and are currently touring their lastest album Frontschwein, released this year on Century Media. The wall of sound hitting you is utterly breathtaking, but unlike many bands Marduk know how to change the pace now and again, allowing for short periods to gasp for breath before the next wave of blastbeats and growling hit you. The utterly impressive and repulsing vision of front man Mortuus set the tone while changes in tempo and utterly catchy bass lines and tom rolls keep the music from forming an impenetrable wall and instead feels like being pelted rhythmically by different sized rocks. The sound in the venue is crisp, clear and heavy, but easily endured without any ear plugs. The minute Marduk take the stage a relentless moshpit is formed, which only subsides to throw horns of appreciation at appropriate times, but whirls and pummels all the way through the well over an hour set, peppered with both work from their latest album, and many classics judging by the ecstatic crowd’s reaction. Never does the pace let up, except for a brief moment in which a piece of intro music is played, after which the onslaught continues. The only minor errors I could detect were the switches in tempo not always being as tight on the drums as would have been preferable, but the impressive and almost offhand drum solos thrown into several other tunes well make up for that minor chink in the armor. In short Marduk live is the musical equivalent of being water boarded. The constant rush water taking your breath away let up for brief moments as you get pulled back only to be shoved straight back into that pummeling experience all over again. An excellent end to a slightly divided line-up, and more than worth the money.

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WORDS AND PHOTOS BY SUSANNE MAATHUIS

Weedeater – King Parrot – Tombstones: Sound Control, Manchester

Posted on March 10, 2015 by News Team

Nothing like a sunny day to visit the bowels of the basement of Sound Control for some grimy sludge and hardcore from a bunch of miscreants. First up today at the ungodly early hour of 4:30 PM are Bury’s own Pist who impress early on with their mixture of Eyehategod swagger and Mancunian grit. Guitarist John Nicholson churns out slabs of metallic blues while David Lee Rowlands shrieks manage to shake up the early goers.

Unfortunately Siege Mentality completely fail to capitalise on Pist’s momentum. The ex-Iron Witch mob trade in generic hardcore punk with plenty of spit but no polish. The quintet’s interchangeable throwaway compositions all follow the well-worn post Discharge hardcore punk template and are forgotten straight after they are aired.

Thankfully Tombstones get us back on track. Sticking to the tune low and play slow ethos the Norwegians win the audience back with their primordial slabs of noise ‘King Of Daze’ and a storming cover of Melvins classic ‘The Bit’ which have the audience eating out of their hands.

King Parrot are aptly named because they have plenty of squawk but so little of substance. Their performance ignites a decent size pit but the irritating screeching of vocalist Youngy is greatly off putting, as is his moronic stage banter and insistence on soaking the first couple of rows with water. Their warp speed racket sounds allows some to get their mosh on but the band come across as sexually repressed Neanderthals’ with no memorable songs to speak of.

Weedeater do not fuck around. These deranged Louisiana rednecks slam into their set with a frightening vigour. Dave “Dixie” Collins is a cross-eyed lunatic screeching out his lyrics while drummer Travis Owen slams his kit tossing his sticks around and kicks his high hat all while continuing to play without missing a beat. Numbers like ‘Weed Monkeys’ are impossible to resist such is their reckless delivery and visceral delivery. These trailer park titans came to throw down and impress with a watertight set of potent sonic hits which leaves the audience deliriously happy and hungry for another fix.

WORDS BY ROSS BAKER

PHOTOS BY SUSANNE A. MAATHUIS

Primordial – Winterfylleth – Malthusian: Live at Sound Control

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Steve Tovey

On an ever-poignant date for Manchester, and in a venue situated within a small area of the city known as ‘Little Ireland’, it seems apt for the morose, blackened death of Eireann quartet Malthusian to be laying waste. Through the bloody annoying strobe effects, impressive frontman Pauric Gallagher stood behind his bass like a colossus, his Lemmy-style stance and ferocious, deep scour complementing the blackened rasp of co-vocalist Andrew Cunningham. Brutally savage yet with added elements of crushing doom, this was a huge assault on the senses and a delicious aperitif.

Minor issues blighted the early Winterfylleth sound but old favourite ‘Ghosts of Heritage’ had the floor bouncing. Emotive new track ‘Careworn Heart’, from the band’s The Divination of Antiquity (Candlelight) opus, was led in by a beautifully taped acoustic intro; the more subtle yet crashing, almost mournful feel which displayed the new expansion and versatility of the band grasping the room in the palm of its hand. It’s this creative freedom, embodied by much of Dan Capp‘s delicate, post-style leadwork, which has propelled these local boys-next-door to hero status. Crowd favourite ‘Defending the Realm’ was greeted with unfettered joy, yet there was more an awed reverence rather than a pulsating throb for this adored outfit.

A stirring Irish lament played Primordial to the stage, whence the unmistakable figure of the painted, hooded Nemtheanga roared “Are you with us?”. Generating rapturous, impassioned crowd accompaniment, one of Metal’s truly great frontmen stared wildly and prowled like a possessed madman through the rousing ‘Where Greater Men Have Fallen’, sorely apt given tonight’s close proximity to the site of the 1819 Peterloo massacre. Fiercely expressive, yet allying the bitter anger to a dark humour, the spokesman for The Committed announced the outrageously powerful, emotive ‘Babel’s Tower’ as “my confession”; whilst the ‘skipping bullet’ guitar line of ‘As Rome Burns’ is introduced to ecstatic roars with the tagline “This is the United States of Europe – you have the right to hate who you want”. The constant wall of resonant riffs were part of the defining proof that this is no mere backing band, subtly and skilfully producing a thunderous swell of sound, the rhythm and drums a colossal thunder. Tolling bells blending with brutality, classics ‘The Coffin Ships’ and ‘Empire Falls’ were greeted like old friends and closed not merely a scintillating night, but the most passionate, moving, Herculean live performance I have ever seen.

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Primordial on Facebook

Winterfylleth on Facebook

Malthusian on Facebook

Words by PAUL QUINN

Photos by LUKE DENHAM

Monolord – Salem’s Pot – Wizard Fight: Live at Camden, Black Heart (London)

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Steve Tovey

As my esteemed colleague said to me, you can’t really go wrong with a name like Wizard Fight. They’re right: you can’t and, fair play, to a half filled room on a mid-week winter evening in London Town, this rambunctious trio do their level best to live up to their fabulous moniker. Wizard Fight are loud, fuzzy and grungy in the best way. Observing the well-trodden view of respecting the riff they come over a bit like Mastodon’s pissed off younger brother: it’s all snarls and gruffing but there’s also a tongue placed firmly in cheek especially when you call one of your new song ‘Witches Tit’. Kid you, I do not. Scuzzy, head nodding fun.

I’ve read a lot of press about how well rated Salem’s Pot supposedly are. It usually involves an absurd number and level of adjectives and adverbs and a spectacular level of hyperbole that you’re left wondering whether the band can ever live up to the written hype. Arriving on stage in their best Eyes Wide Shut Venetian ball masks they conjure a sound and experience that is part theatre, part Sabbath tribute and all doom laden, acid drenched majestic heavy metal. There is a genuine frisson of excitement around how genuine and authentic they are. Admittedly there might be something of Electric Wizard in what the band do, but I think this is more of a shared aesthetic than any attempt at facsimile. Across a frankly glorious set list, their smart wordplay, hypnotic riffing and brilliant songs had me lifting my not inconsiderable jaw off the beer soaked floor. Thrilling, transcendent heavy fucking metal. Very special.

We are all here for one thing though, if we were being honest with ourselves. You know, there is something extraordinary about Sweden’s latest doom kings, Monolord. Yes, we know they are heavy. Yes, we know it’s all in B. Yes, we know it rattles the teeth in your gums. But, let me tell you this: let me tell you straight. This is pure, elemental heavy metal from the gut and from the heart. It is headbanging, heart racing, spirit-lifting stuff. It’s a band that are more than the sum of their parts; it’s a band for today and for all times.

Watching a packed and sweaty room go absolutely mental for a punishing and triumphant ‘Empress Rising’ is thrilling; who knew such miserablism could drive such happiness? A midset introduction of new song ‘We Will Burn’ is greeted like some sort of long lost friend, such is the anticipation for the new album, not due to drop for another month or so. It is absolutely brilliant and begets a synchronised bout of head nodding throughout the room. The rest of the set is equally thrilling, a compelling blend of swirling riffs and titanic rhythms. As I pointed out to my Twitter feed, they nailed it.

They absolutely nailed it.

Monolord on Facebook

Salem’s Pot on Facebook

Wizard Fight on Facebook

MAT DAVIES

On The Road…. Avatar

Posted on January 19, 2015 by News Team

Hailing from Sweden we have Avatar a twisted combination of dark circus theatrics and heavy metal. Being a fan of their music but not having witnessed them live I wasn’t sure what to expect.

The room grew silent as I waited for Avatar the tension slowly growing within the crowd. The silence was suddenly broken by the sounds of anticipation and one by one approached the stage silently greeting the crowd with a cold malicious stare from the centre of the stage robotically and dutifully moving to stand in their place. Waiting like a caged animal upon the call of their master and then came on stage greeting the crowd like a ringleader inviting them all deeper into their circus of madness and all that tension in the crowd, all that malice within the band exploded into one.

And it didn’t stop there followed by ear piercing guitar solos, and an impressive vocal range drawing you in with a soft almost frail voice. But smashing into a powerful bone shaking shrieking tearing its face off in front of you to reveal its true nature.

And at the end of the show each band member silently as before walked to the front of the stage and one by one thanked the fans. After they gathered together placed their arms around each other and took a final bow, a class act. To me it was more than a genuine and heartfelt send-off great things are rarely made of one thing, it’s when you have all the elements whether it’s Kungen and Tim Öhrström’s rock and roll sound the technical solos and hard hitting riffs. Henrik Sandelin’s rhythmic and groove inspired bass. John Alfredsson’s smashing the drums providing the heart attack rhythm to the machine. And Johannes Michael Gustaf Eckerström’s impressive vocal range entertaining and almost sadistic showmanship. Only by combining all these elements together you can only produce something as unique as Avatar.

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Avatar on Facebook

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY LUKE DENHAM

At The Gates – Triptykon – Morbus Chron – Code Orange: Academy 2, Manchester, UK

Posted on January 14, 2015 by News Team

At The Gates last show in Manchester was with celebrated Black Metallers Dissection back in 1996! It is little wonder that tonight there is an almost palpable air of expectation in this University debating hall. The presence of Thomas “Tom G. Warrior” Fischer and Triptykon and to high touted younger acts only serves to whet the appetite for this feast of darkness accordingly.

Unfortunately the bands are up against the clock from the off, with Morbus Chron having being involved in an unfortunate road accident which delayed their arrival. Never the less Metalcore upstarts Code Orange deliver a tight if slightly monotonous opening set. Their thuggish take on Converge style metallic hardcore is delivered with power and aplomb but rarely incites more than polite applause.

When Morbus Chron finally arrive, time constrains only afford them a measly three song set to make an impression. Thankfully tracks from ‘Sweven’ show much promise in the brief outing they are given. Evoking the technicality of acts such as Death and Obscura, this is their first major tour outside their homeland but it certainly won’t be their last.

“That is what happens when you play with a young band full of testosterone” Quips Thomas Gabriel Fischer following the onslaught of ‘Altar Of Deceit’. Due to the aforementioned road accident Triptykon also have to keep it tight but overcoming adversity is what Fischer has excelled at doing his entire career! Tonight’s monolithic performance still manages to shoehorn the bombast of Celtic Frost number ‘Circle Of Tyrants’ into the set for the devoted and devastating epic ‘The Prolonging’ sees bassist Vanja fixing the crowd with her thousand yard stare while her instrument The kohl eyed, frontman may joke between songs but Triptykon’s music is unfathomably nocturnal and terrifyingly hypnotic.

Following such strong support would be a tall order for many but death metal veterans At The Gates clearly thrive on such a challenge. ‘Death And The Labyrinth’ kicks their vitriolic bombast into gear with Tomas Lindberg looking on gleefully, as the circle pits breakout like the first waves of a tsunami.

Adrian Erlandsson delivers an effortless performance behind the kit savagely pounding out ‘Cold’ and ‘Raped By The Light Of Christ’ with surgical procession. The Björler brothers look far more comfortable with their old colleagues than they have as part of The Haunted for a number of years. To say the chemistry between this masterful act had only grown stronger with age sounds almost incredulous but it’s an accurate description of this fantastic outfit.

‘Nausea’ threatens to take the roof off, a stream of punters fling themselves towards the stage with total abandon screaming the lyrics like their lives depended on it. It’s an oddly celebratory feel for a Death Metal gig but then At The Gates are far from just an average Death Metal act.

Much like the complex intricacies of their new opus, these Gothenburg masters are an enthralling experience, defying expectations of age and relevance to cement themselves as true leaders in their field.

WORDS: ROSS BAKER

PHOTOS: LUKE DENHAM

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