AVERSE SEFIRA, SKALDIC CURSE, EASTERN FRONT & NIROTH
LONDON PURPLE TURTLE 30/11/08
It’s been a couple of years since we last caught Niroth in action supporting Primordial. Unfortunately they had to contend with a sparse audience as people were no doubt caught up in the hell of TFL engineering works and stuck getting to the venue. Bass was nice and thick in the mix and along with cutting sharp guitar sound I was reminded of the depressive stance of Xasthur a fair bit. There were occasional moments of jarring discordance, hectic time signature changes and the songs played were long and involving as they were torn asunder by singer Astrosos vile retches. Slower maudlin passages breathed the sweet air of death, splashing it all with a funereal decay. Niroth appear to have a split CD with Wodensthrone and a completed album looking for release. If they can pick up the momentum and play a bit more often they could have a promising future.
www.myspace.com/niroth
Coming onto the theme from ‘Where Eagles Dare’ Eastern Front instantly remind that the aesthetic appearance of black metal when done properly can really add colour to a groups showmanship. With massive spikes, barbed wire microphone stand, intricate paintwork and stark illuminating lighting one can almost forget about the music itself and indeed I pretty much spent so much time taking photos I all but forgot to write notes. This lot are obviously doing something right as they have just played with Lord Belial and Graveworm (although unfortunately not in the UK) and they have some new songs in their armoury too. One of which was aired to night although the two word title was lost in the translation as it was gargled out by singer Metzger. The two words that did spring to mind listening to it were feral and pounding. Last song ‘Blood On Snow’ was announced way too quickly; it was cold, frosty and full of hunger akin to Russian troops dying in a barren icy hell. A solid and utterly commanding performance.
www.myspace.com/easternfrontuk
Guitar riffs sounded like razors cutting wrists as Skaldic Curse slowly eased into ‘World Suicide Machine’ Bursting into flowers of flesh and blood the song exploded and as singer Woundz howled in we were flung into a windswept quagmire of hateful fury. This was full on nihilism and pretty much the stuff of nightmares. The complex arrangement keeps on coming, devolving into fluid tranquil and mournful acoustics and then rampaging back to snap at you just as you start to relax. Few bands have the scope to make music that genuinely sounds scary, Esoteric, Axis Of Perdition and Spektr spring to mind but this was the musical equivalent of Clive Barker battling with HP Lovecraft. With one veteran at the front spreading negativity, thumb pointed down like Emperor Caligula the slash of ‘Again…. The Knives’ concluded this grim tableaux of a performance which really blew me away.
www.myspace.com/skaldiccurse
Whilst patting the UK contingent firmly on the backs it was time to make way for a USBM horde Averse Sefira. The Texans also looked impressive and formidable painted up and spiked. I was slightly confused at one statement when they thanked everyone for coming down from places like Norway and South Africa, there was hardly a huge crowd here but perhaps they were talking about the whole tour they had played over here with Gorgoroth. Fists were flung to the fury of numbers such as ‘Plagabraha’ and it was obvious that they had a few admirers here. The problem was I quickly discovered that I was not going to be joining their ranks. Musically this trio, although doing nothing particularly wrong just did not do it for me. I found them musically formulaic, playing by numbers, lacking atmosphere and to be totally honest pretty damn boring. Perhaps it was because I had enjoyed the other three bands so much and I could be bit unfair but there was little about the music that was going to stick in my mind after leaving the venue. Considering that they have a really interesting lyrical themes and a member of Krieg in their ranks I kind of left somewhat disappointed in myself for not liking them after new song ‘A Shower Of Idols;’ oh well can’t win em all.
www.myspace.com/aversesefira
Pete Woods
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