CHTHONIC, ABGOTT & IMPERIAL VENGEANCE
LONDON GARAGE 31/10/09
Ah Halloween, how about a nightmare? Catch the tube then that’ll do nicely but seeing as a band had managed to get all the way here from Taiwan we could hardly let the incompetence of TFL stop us really. Getting to the venue I discovered this was on at the small part upstairs as the main stage was being built up for a secret Green Day show the next day. This meant two things, rammed and sweaty and when everyone was present in the sold out venue that was the case. At first it was not bad and we wandered in and saw a row of Oriental lanterns hanging in front of the stage and around the merchandise table. Before we got to the main event though, there was the matter of the support acts.
Imperial Vengeance had not really done it for me on album but I was interested to catch the band due to their intriguing mix of orchestral blackened metal and love and apparel of the bygone days of The British Empire. They were quite a spectacle wearing a mish-mash of military garb and goggles, I was not aware that their guitarist was Elle Torry who has shredded in various UK underground acts such as Worms Of Sabnock in the past. I was by appearance reminded a bit of my old muckers in Stuka Squadron but at least this lot were not undead and after air raid sirens sounded, we could hear that musically there was plenty of power on display here. Singer C Edward Alexander has in the past served in Cradle Of Filth and his vocals bit with a nasty snarl behind them. The sound was not fantastic and the speed of the musicianship had everything flying out in a bit of a blur but any criticism was discounted when I was informed that this was actually the groups first ever show. With that and a bit of lack of familiarity on their material I made the most of enjoying the rest of the show with a much needed beer. It seemed that as it went on the group gained confidence and the audience gained in appreciation. I was suddenly flummoxed as I realised that the last song was a cover of one I knew well Madness ‘Night Boat To Cairo’ and was even more surprised that it worked in such a brutal style. Must go give the album another try methinks.
Well no lack of familiarity about the next act, I thought it made perfect sense when I learned Abgott had been added to the bill and always enjoy catching them. This was the first time I had seen new bassist Triserial in action not that any of them were particularly recognisable at first due to the sinister masks they were wearing. Cheekily coming onto ‘Hall Of The Mountain King’ it even sounded like they were playing part of it along with first song Krono’s Cosmic Throne but we were by now literally fevered with heat and it could have been naughty spirits confusing me as well. It was all fun and games darting around trying to snap some shots of the ever photogenic vampiric crew, Thanatos in particular seemed attached to his mask and was not removing it for the duration of the set. It has to be said they got a huge response from the audience and gave it back with intensity on the likes of ‘Obscure Renaissance,’ the musicianship spurred on by Agamoths evil rasps. I laughed my head off at the bar as ‘Lustmord’ was dedicated to sex and how good it was, and as the serving ladies (dressed as zombies) shouted ‘no it’s not it’s rubbish’ I offered them proof they were wrong…for a free pint, but was charged double for my cheek (the old ones are the best ones). Candy was thrown out to the crowd and an oozy eye bounced off the rim of my pint, I was glad of the sustenance of it on the long ride home but as for Abgott they finished in true style with a cover of Testament’s ‘Into The Pit’ and new album title track ‘Godfather In Black.’ great.
I had really kicked myself not catching Chthonic first time in the UK and since then have enjoyed both the new album and those I have picked up from the back catalogue so was looking forward to this. The maudlin sound of the 2 string violin cut through the air and we were instantly dropped into the mystical and somewhat alien sound of the band from the other side of the world. They looked the part and would have won awards for style no matter what Halloween party they had attended. Keyboardist CJ and drummer Dani’s masks particularly caught attention as, I have to apologise for saying, did Doris’s fine legs. It took a while for the sound to gel and the audience to settle down from fever pitch to just manic but as it did we were introduced to the excellent ‘Bloody Gaya Fulfilled.’ I have to admit that this all sounded a lot more fiercer and violent live than on album but I suppose without an up front production the symphonic aspects are not quite as prevalent. There was a feel of even chaotic punk here at times fused with black metal of course and it all worked well in the live environment. Singer Freddy is a natural front-man both during and between songs. His passionate and well respected dislike of China is well known and screams of ‘fuck China’ were bantered between him and the audience. They needed no set-list on stage making a reviewers job that bit more difficult but there was no mistaking ‘Blooming Blades’ drawing flowers of flesh and blood from new album ‘Mirror Of Retribution.’
During the course of the set we learned how to attempt to take photos without getting the backs of heads in the packed in crowd, we were given a lesson in how to shout out ‘Kill, Fuck China’ in Taiwanese as well as how to keep hold of a pint of cider and a camera in a sudden pit outbreak when the crowd were really riled up. Older numbers like ‘Grab The Soul To Hell’ were flung out in deliriously manic fashion and really hit the spot. It was only on the last song that I really noticed Doris’s backing vocals coming through but apart from that and the stickiness of the venue I totally enjoyed the show. It really looked like Chthonic did too so hopefully they will be back soon. My tip is that they would be an excellent addition to next years Bloodstock festival, so I will keep fingers crossed for just such an announcement.
Pete Woods
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