review by: Jez Andrews
There are some black metal gigs that have really stuck in the mind. The speed, the fury, the passion, the all-out fucking evil. This particular one hasn't so much stuck as been forever scorched on my memory. And on this particular night, your humble reporter (in a truly unprofessional lapse of concentration) left his fucking camera at the hotel. And for that, I will NEVER forgive myself...
There was a goodly sized crowd in the Metro club on this Saturday night, with a fair few underground black metal die-hards in attendance. The venue itself was a strange choice given its location in the small, out-of-the-way town of Panningen in southern Holland. From the sale of CDs and t-shirts, it was clear that many of the locals had turned up primarily to see Cirith Gorgor (by the end of their set, only a small handful of 7 inch singles remained.
Show openers Walpurgisnacht put on a most commendable performance of grim, frostbitten black metal. Copies of their new Moerasghesomp demo were shifted to the appreciative crowd, and I could already see that this was not the kind of show you'd find back in England.
Some bands keep their live talents under wraps until the moment they begin their set. Then there is Mor Dagor drummer Torturer (also bashing skins for Belphegor), who gave an awesome display of blastbeats and double bass drum excellence during a brief soundcheck. The set itself was a total blinder. Despite the more death metal appearance of the band, they burst forth with some ballistic black metal that finally got the heads a-banging. The sound was nigh on perfect and the band was a well oiled machine that delivered exactly what the people wanted. The cuts from the 2001 album, Human Execution, were very well received, and as Mor Dagor drew to a finish, I rested easy in the knowledge that the €5.00 entrance fee was something more than just a bargain.
Perhaps Cirith Gorgor were the odd band out on the bill, being signed to well-known label Osmose, but with such a bludgeoning live show, not a single person in the club was going to be worrying themselves about that. Apart from anything else, the Cirith Gorgor section of the merchandise stall was like a cornfield after the locusts, and from the numbers of fans screaming the lyrics, it was clear that I had thus far been missing out on something special. The fire breathing, the relentless metallic battery and the primal rage that radiated from the stage was an experience to be cherished. Vocalist Nimroth had an appearance and stage presence that reminded me very much of Legion with a dose of Abbath.
Every song was an entrancing blast of hate, with “The Firestorm Apocalypse,” “Conquering the Shadoworld” and “The Declaration of Our Neverending War” being particularly effective. The only downer to the set was the fact that one of the bass drum channels wasn't anywhere near the level of the other, giving a slightly distorted impression of the band's live potential. But believe me, Levithmong's feet never missed a single beat. And it gave my neck something to think about...
I think it was well past midnight by the time Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult took the stage, but nothing short of sudden death could have torn me away to sleep. One of my all time favourite black metal outfits were standing right in front of me. With such an incredible vocalist as Onielar fronting the band, and such brutal backing from Horrn, Velnias and Grigorr, the live show was nothing short of spellbinding. Seething with a hatred for all humanity, they rampaged through “Follow the Calls for Battle,” “Pestillential Deathride,” “Hora Ruid,” and a fantastic new track called “Through Rotting Stench the Light Is Won” (if I remember rightly). As blood was spat upon the crowd and devil horns were raised, I realised that it was only right that we traveled all the way to southern Holland for this... it was an experience that had to be earned.
No matter how well the preceding bands performed, tonight was all about the final hour, with the most unrelenting, merciless, and venemous live black metal I had ever witnessed. Many thanks go out to all the bands for putting on such a great night, to the club staff for their hospitality to the three English strangers waiting for a taxi, and to Onielar for giving me a translation of the Latin on the back of my DNS t-shirt and for being so passionate in her sentiment. All hail the Slaughtercult!
