By the time I get to Wolverhampton’s Slade Rooms I’m so ready for a death metal gig. Rush hour traffic on the bloody M6 has meant that I’ve missed the first act, Liverpudlian black metal, Ethereal. Disappointed, I down a pint of Hobgoblin and head to the front for HATE.
Hate
Established in 1990 by guitarist/vocalist Adam the first (Atf) Sinner, blackened death metallers, HATE, have become one of the leading acts in the Polish underground. It is hard not to compare them to their more successful kinsmen, Behemoth. Both bands share a strong anti-Christian sentiment. Perhaps this is unsurprising given that Poland is one of the most devoutly religious countries in Europe. Atf Sinner’s deep guttural vocals are also reminiscent of Nergal.
The four-piece take the stage with understated corpse-paint. Kain really punishes his bass, virtually pummeling it into submission, whilst Pavulon inflicts a brutal attack on the drums. As a frontman, Atf Sinner is quite passive. Rarely does he engage the audience or demonstrate any showy displays, which the metal audience has come to expect from its musicians. But his vocal ability is so great that any other shortcomings are soon forgotten. Kain and Domin (lead guitar), on the other hand, do a good job of engaging the audience. Making some truly fearsome faces, headbanging in unison and getting everyone to raise the horns. Some highlights from their set included ‘Crvsade:Zero’ (2015) track ‘Valley of Darkness’ and ‘Sadness Will Last Forever’ from the 2013 album ‘Solarflesh’.
VITAL REMAINS vocalist, Brian Werner, takes a hands-on approach to his frontmanship. His first death growl hasn’t finished before he launches himself off the stage, over the barrier and into the crowd. Shoving them, large leather clad blokes drop like skittles. Throughout the set he has this look on his face like the grumpiest toddler in the world and roars; “I expect a certain level of violence, this isn’t a Maroon 5 gig!” Later on he asks, “Is this a death metal show or a library?!” But this Wolverhampton crowd are too good natured on this school night to start tearing up the place. Instead they stand around and politely bang their heads.
The Rhode Island band make up for the crowd’s subdued performance with some of the most brutal and punishing death metal out there. Some notable tracks include; ‘Scorned’ from their 2007 album ‘Icons of Evil’, their new track ‘In A World Without God’ and the closing anthem ‘Dechristianize’ from the 2003 album of the same name. Brian spends this last song in the crowd, screaming in their faces. They giddily dance around him, like imps around a burning pyre, before he makes his way to the back of the room to serenade the merchandise seller with the last few lines. Highly recommended, they put on a show you won’t soon forget.
Belphegor
The stage is set for our headliners. A large goblet-like censer of burning incense is bought out and placed on the stage, along with an uncorked bottle of red wine. The incense is intoxicating as Austrian blackened death metallers, BELPHEGOR, take the stage. They treat each gig like a ceremony, a satanic ritual. Their faces drip with blood, sweat and concentration.
They are an intense band to watch; particularly vocalist/guitarist Helmuth who makes eye contact with every member of the audience as he plays and shows approval with a slow nod of his head. He introduces each song with an insidious snarl before the wall of sound hits you. Right before they launch into the crushing title track of their latest album, ‘Conjuring the Dead’, Helmuth growls “Fuck you England, fuck you England, fuck you England…” over and over in his harsh Austrian accent. It goes on for so long that it’s clear he’s really enjoying himself. During the pre-encore lull the incense becomes so powerful that the smoke alarms go off. They close the ceremony with their new song ‘Totenkult – Exegesis Of Deterioration’ (see video below).
An astounding display from some of death metal’s finest. Every band brought their A-game to this Wednesday night, ‘hump day’, gig.
Review by Rebecca Collins
