Two of the UK?s underground powerhouses of black metal joined forces for the first time to embark on a three-date tour this March, covering Glasgow, Birmingham, and London. So we decided to head out to their final show on the 9th of March to see what it was all about. These bands are two that deflect the norms and invite in the darkness. They utilise the mystery of having masked band members to conjure up an aura of intrigue from their audience that, in turn, allows a greater illumination of their artistic mission. This translates even better within a live setting, communicated as bellowing riffed rituals surrounded by a strong, varied community of enthusiastic followers. Their immense energy must be witnessed for yourself, but until then, this review will provide you with a glance into their London experience.
Sanhedrin
The task of being first support at an underground show, or any for that matter, is no small feat to triumph and one that Sanhedrin championed that night. Rousing full enthusiasm can be tricky. But one by one, they entered the stage and gave the room the warming up it needed. With many cheers of excitement from the crowd as they requested to play one more song and left everyone wanting more.
Abduction
Abduction is a band on the rise within the UK?s black metal scene. They are set for higher things as they delve into the weights that modern life lays out for us in their spectral fifth album, Existentialismus. Us Londoners were offered the opportunity to be part of this for one night, on the stage of Downstairs At The Dome. As the lights introduced our vessels of catharsis for the evening, the room was struck with an air of excitement and dedication to the performance ahead.
As each of them emerged from the darkness, the crowd were quickly ordained with a performance of gritty, growling vocals, complimented by an array of visceral rhythms and compelling lyrics. The masked vocalist A|V brought a great essence of mystery that kept your attention darting between his intriguing presence and the swings of pace between each instrument. Musically, it didn?t feel like there was heaviness for the sake of heaviness, it felt like there was a real weight to the music?s origins and something larger behind it. The energy of the room and absolutely malevolent performance skills melted together to form an ethereal void of heaviness that you could escape into with ease. It was a theatrical, multifaceted experience and allowed the audience to dissect little details from their performance in a unique way- particularly emphasised by the intimate setting of the venue. It was the perfect set to lead into our next and final band.
The Infernal Sea
If you enjoy striking visuals and a rich demanding presence from your bands, then this was the perfect act to finish off your Sunday night with. The Infernal Sea had a clear myriad of passionate followers in the crowd that night, with one individual fan asking to see the set list just to make sure their favourite song ?Bastard Of The East? was on the menu. Despite ripping the amps a new one with the menacing soundscapes of black metal, they boasted a warm, inviting presence to everyone in the room that would make any new fan feel perfectly settled with their community. With a super infectious energy, the visuals of the band really fed into the message they were embodying. Some bands adorning masks get unfairly labelled as gimmicky and this is certainly an example of a band utilising the masks in a way that does not deserve this negative label. It heightened the experience as an audience member massively and I can appreciate how it takes the ego away of it all. It creates a subtle boundary between the person and the music, so rather than a group of people performing to us, we had entities embodying the genre, the songs and their aura.
