ROTTING CHRIST, MALEVOLENT CREATION, INCANTATION AND ROTTEN SOUND
This heavyweight bill started off at a slow crawl but Rotten Sound were just teasing us as they quickly exploded with an intensity akin to being punched in the face and kicked in the balls at the same time. Putting a pint on the stage to take some photos was impossible the grindcore on display here was so bowel shaking and venomous even my glass started doing a samba (luckily I caught it). Rampaging nasty slabs of guttural harshness flew out with a crusty Finnish filth. Numbers such as Perfection were implicitly dexterous in their ferocity. Singer Keijo Niinimaa roared away over the unrelenting instrumentation and it struck me that claims of The Bezerker being the most extreme band in the world were certainly being put to the test here. Having missed every album since their 1998 debut Under Pressure (an album guaranteed to get the cleaning done fast) I guess I have been missing out, but Rotten Sound always impress live. Mass Suicide had the vision of a row of Japanese schoolgirls throwing themselves under a high speed train and it was obvious that the opening band had stamped their mark of authority over what was to follow tonight.
Incantation took to the stage with multi coloured cloaks and pan pipes peeling away to classic hit Catcharpaya. No I'm obviously lying, fuck the soothing sound of the Andes. This was a very hairy band from Pennsylvania and they went off like a grenade straight after an excellent Evil Dead sample, which actually had me wanting to watch the movie for the 1000th time. A grand hoe down of clinical riffing surged into a brutal smorgasbord of rancid horror as I believe Hell Awaits was cast out into the pit. Even with a stand in drummer on the tour this lot were taking no prisoners with their nasty brand of Eternal Torture. Even the slow passages were heavier than most bands achieve in a lifetime. Guttural death grunts from bearded man mountain John McEntee hit the air which was heavy with the scent of fragrant weed and the accompanying scything had heads bowed in worship. Lead To Desolation from latest album Primordial Domination and older numbers such as Oath To Armageddon bullied their way out the speakers and butchered us with an efficient sick gravity.
Damn Malevolent Creation caught me out with their horror film intro sample but they didn't with classic number Multiple Stab Wounds. A title like that kind of sums the band up; they aren't pleasant in the slightest. The one thing that they do keep you on their toes with is their ever changing line ups but the tightness of them here tonight was undeniable. MC had simply won me over with one song here. Brent Hoffman's growling vocals and Phil Fasciana's guitar hooks had kicked things up so that not one but two pits were causing mayhem on the Underworld's dance floor. A few stage divers went over the top and one person stood on stage looking shell-shocked and actually had a brief chat with the singer before being politely ushered off the stage. Slaughter Of Innocence went out like a stuck pig covered in BBQ sauce (wow cant believe that one's 15 years old) and Infernal Desire made it obvious that nobody had told Malevolent Creation that they weren't actually headlining tonight as they certainly played as if they were.
In my opinion Rotting Christ have always been an incredibly underrated band. Something just clicked for me when they changed into a somewhat more majestic riff orientated sound with 1997 release A Dead Poem. It seems as though it has taken until now with new release Theogonia taking the media by storm that they are finally getting the attention and indeed the respect they deserved. Tonight could have gone a bit tits up as the brutality of the 3 former bands could have had people leaving the venue in droves as the more melodic tones of RC swept through the joint. Luckily this didn't happen as the Greek Gods of darkness took to the stage and drenched us in their satanic splendour.
Glad to say that the also spectacular Sanctus Diavolos album was not overlooked either with Serve In Heaven being played. Probably one of the most demonic tracks ever In Domine Sathana from Genesis literally brought the house down. I think if God had been listening he wouldn't have tolerated this and his mighty hand would have had the venue imploding along with everyone in it (well that's if you believe in fairy tales). Finishing with a trademark closer of Non Servium Rotting Christ proved to be a good choice of headliner as far as I was concerned but to be honest any of the 4 bands playing tonight had the potential to do so here in the future (and I believe most of them have at some point). So this was a mighty bill that if you missed you can give yourself a well deserved kicking.
Pete Woods
LONDON UNDERWORLD 10/03/07
One thing instantly noticeable was that the sound was nothing short of perfect. Frenzied guitar strumming forged out the speakers and Themis and his battery were mighty and had heads banging in time. Theogonia has been on non stop since I bought it and I am pretty sure that Enuma Elish and The Sign Of Prime Creation were played from it here. The fast licks and layers of the latter number have to be heard to be believed and the on stage replication of the swaggering mighty songs was pretty much a jaw dropping experience. Older numbers like King Of A Stellar War were not neglected and it has to be said they certainly gave us a good trawl through the back catalogue here tonight.