review and photos by: Alisa Z

Located near the famous Moulin Rouge, La Locomotive is one of the best concert venues in Paris. While it can get crowded, it offers fans the possibility of enjoying music without having to arrive seven hours in advance. In general, if one asks kindly, it is almost always possible to find a spot right by the stage, even if you arrive well after the beginning of the show. As with most events, there is at least one flaw. The first was that I had under-estimated the amount of time before the concert, and was forced to sit in a bar for about five hours, drinking way too much Jägermeister. The second was that the doors has opened not at 8, like promised, but closer to 9.

After finally getting into the club, I made way to the front of the stage to watch Angmar (above), a French black metal group from Normandy. They’ve got two albums under their wing, Metamorphosis (2005) and Aux Funérailles Du Monde (2005), and they managed to excite the audience. Although the trio might seem as though they are not as qualified, seeing as both the bass-player and the guitarist have to divide their time between their instruments and their singing, their songs exceeded my expectations. I silently congratulated the organisers, since Angmar perfectly fit the running order. Their music has a pleasant medley of rawness and orientation and of course, the French crowd reacted to the music the way it normally does: with enthusiasm and support.

Norway's Vreid were next, their music a demented mixture of rock 'n roll, black metal and thrash metal. I ran through the multitude of people in order to reach my favourite spot by the left side of the stage, just seconds after I heard the familiar tune of "DD Draumen Rakna." The stage itself was simplistic, featuring the backdrop with their logo. What was going on through their heads, I do not know. Perhaps, it seems unjust to say that they seemed angry while on stage but that is what appeared to be transmitted. Playing songs from both Kraft and Pitch Black Brigade, Vreid had a powerful aura that hollered "You don't like us? Tough shit!". With dynamism, they played "Pitch Black," "Wrath of Mine," as well as a Windir cover. The was full of black 'n roll masterdom and talented musicianship.

I waited in anticipation to see and hear Enslaved's (below) splendour. At last, the Norsemen entered the brightly-lit stage, which bore a screen with eerie and somewhat subliminal images. With a kaleidoscope of rays bathing their forms, they began the spectacle with "Entropy" and "Path to Vanir," the first and second tracks from their latest masterpiece, Ruun. They are skilled at curing boredom, integrating not only their newer material, but also a decent quantity of older songs. In addition to that, a large majority of their songs make use of atmosphere, as the keyboard player puts his heart into invoking the sound that has come to be synonyous with their music.

As I sang along to "Isa," I noticed that the members of Enslaved were genuinely joyous to be playing in front of the Parisian flock of metalheads. Enslaved stupefy me, in all of their brilliance, and I am sure that I wasn't the sole person to glare at them with my jaw wide open in awe.

All the minor difficulties aside, the evening went well. With minimal technical problems, the bands accomplished their goals of satisfying the thirst that most people had accumulated prior to the gig.