This looked like the perfect opportunity to start going to gigs again, after staying away for a few months to focus completely on the launch of The Metal Deck. After all, it was about time that we published some more gig reviews and what better way to start than with a load of fierce black metal.
So, in an extremely good mood, I headed towards Het Bos, one of Belgium's nicest venues, grabbed a few drinks, looked through a heap of records, cds and merchandise before the actual concerts would start. I don't know how some reviewers always manage to show up too late for the first bands. I'm always too early...
So, in an extremely good mood, I headed towards Het Bos, one of Belgium's nicest venues, grabbed a few drinks, looked through a heap of records, cds and merchandise before the actual concerts would start. I don't know how some reviewers always manage to show up too late for the first bands. I'm always too early...
Shrine of Insanabilis
From the first seconds of Germany's Shrine of Insanabilis' set I knew this was going to be a harsh but awesome night. They immediately kicked off with everything that makes the black metal scene so interesting: trenchant riffs, eerie screams, some death growls and plenty of variation. I really enjoyed their hypnotic passages but I was always a bit disappointed because the songs (and especially the slower, almost psychedelic parts) were a bit too short for me. By varying between fierce blast-beat driven passages and slower, hypnotic ones, these guys definitely convinced me of their abilities. On a side note, I really enjoyed the stage presence of the guitar player on the left side of the stage. At times he looked at the audience as if he was getting ready to smash the skulls of anyone who was not headbanging. He's quite a big dude so I'd definitely start headbanging if he looks at you.
Slidhr
Irish trio Slidhr suffered some technical issues in the beginning of their set which clearly harmed their entire concert. After the guitar fell out a second time, I could see the disappointment and frustration in their eyes, but nonetheless they stubbornly went on with the gig. The audience didn't seem to mind and enjoyed the whole thing anyway. And why not? After all, Slidhr came up with some awesome blackened sounds, brutal enough to slash your eardrums and immersive enough to remain interesting. I enjoyed most of their set from a comfortable couch near the merchandise stand. I quickly discovered I was tapping my feet along with the music and shaking my head in approval. So yeah, I think Slidhr definitely deserves another shot in Het Bos.
Sinmara
Icelandic horde Sinmara won this evening, at least for me. Their black metal sounds and their stage performance were everything I needed to make this a successful event. Highly varied black metal, a bleak and haunting atmosphere, eerie screams, gut ripping and dissonant riffing and arguably one of the best drummers in the scene today, this was a damn enjoyable concert. In fact, this might have been one of the best black metal concert I have seen in years. At one point, there were two women dancing in front of my and I though "why the fuck not". After all, Sinmara came up with some highly danceable passages, along with some of the best blast-beats I have ever heard in a live setting. The stage performance was quite static, as if the musicians were in some kind of trance, and that perfectly fitted with the whole atmosphere of this gig.
Acherontas
But of course most people were there to see the international cult of Acherontas and their dark ritualistic art. The smell of incense quickly filled the venue while the intro blasted through the speakers. When the quartet finally climbed on stage, they immediately drew all the attention towards them in a highly charismatic stage performance. At one point I thought, "if Gurdjieff would have started a black metal band, it would probably have sounded something like this". An Acherontas concert is an occult ritual, driving on layers of distorted noise and accompanied with screams and epic chants. To me, obviously, it still was a black metal performance, a solid one nonetheless, one that easily kept the audience in its grasp. Many bands play black metal and behave like a black metal band on stage. Acherontas is different, they add a dark mystique to the whole thing, noticeable mostly in the massive charisma of the vocalist.
Serge
Serge
