Venue: Rockcafe Sodom Tongeren
Date : Friday, June 5th 2015
Three totally different bands gathered in order to translate a Black Metal night into a demonic party…
Precisely at 9 a.m. Mechelen-based upcoming talent Drawn Into Descent kicked off. This quartet, for 3/4th consisting of members from Galgenveld, will release its full length debut later this year, and based on what I’ve seen and heard tonight, I do look forward! What these guys bring is a straight-ahead self-mutilation orgy of atmosphere and craftsmanship. They perform what sounds so beautifully ‘Atmospheric Melancholic Black Metal’ , and that isn’t that far away from the truth. I suppose that what they did play will be material from the upcoming long player. Ultimately slow and long-stretched, somewhat burzumesque compositions, more than once in a while interspersed by malignant accelerations, bewitch the listeners in a set of about three quarters of an hour. De members are clearly experienced, but I am truly impressed by the drummer, who gives that extra boost in each single situation to the black-metallic violence. The gruesome vocals and string play too interact perfectly harmonious. Drawn Into Descent are a ‘cool’ starter o this evening!
Little later it’s time for French act Sordide (I had the impression they did arrive last minute, but WTF), a band that recently surprised with their first long player, ‘La France A Peur’. Et je comprends pourquoi. Quite a contrast, by the way, seen from musical point of view, with the first band. Initially I wasn’t that thrilled by their wall of sound, but the way the opening track did evolve, the aural part of my brain did dwell more and more, deeper and deeper, within the high-technical experimental and progressive (no, not progressive as in Progressive Metal) spheres of these gentlemen. What a f*cked up energy, what a massiveness! Both string players / vocalists (the drummer too performs on vocals, so there are three vocalists) did act as if they were haunted by a horde of wolves. The strength of these guys is that they know how to keep this sledgehammer of muSICK thrilling, and this by the great variation in speed, amongst other elements. Everything passes through into a coherent totality: from ultra-slow and sluggish Drone passages, over technical mid-tempo parts up to whirlwind eruptions, but whole the time in fine equilibrium with the whole. Structural Chaos, hurray!
Finally it’s time for the band I came for in the first place: Ars Veneficium. Frontman S. is the same guy behind the monumental Immortal Frost-label, and they had quite an impressive merchandise stand out there. My wallet knows… (my wife, luckily, does not (yet)). Anyway, I was quite curious to see and hear their headline performance, because they surely convinced me with their EP ‘The Abyss’, as well as the fact they could do a split with mighty Finnish horde Azaghal. The session starts with an intro that reminded me to (especially American and Italian) cult horror movies from the late seventies and early eighties. The guys of Ars Venificium stand with their backs towards the audience, yet as soon as the intro comes to its end, all sonic Hell breaks loose. Corpse-paint included, this combo slashes and hammers with their traditional and Nordic-styled, yet massive Black Metal. S. pukes out his lungs and he screams as if he means everything he ‘sings’. The four other members convince with their play. I repeat: ‘with their play’, because unfortunately most of them are acting too static, low-energetic. However, this does not influence the quality of the tracks. Especially the second part of the set is memorable (though the necessary chalice filled with blood did pass the revue too). Especially ‘The Hour Approaches’ and ‘Worship The Goat’ are performed as if the Horned One himself interferes. The fresh beer in my hand spontaneously starts to boil. Hailz!
It’s a pity that the crowd is very limited; the combination of three quite diverse yet mighty bands was an aural orgasm for Black Metal fans / freaks / folks (delete as appropriate), and this must bewitch more souls. Anyway, undersigned truly enjoyed this grim event. Horns up and hail to the Underground!