DIMMU BORGIR, ENSLAVED & SAHG
LONDON FORUM 21/09/10
Three bands all poised to release new albums on tonight’s bill. The new Sahg is bloody good, the new Enslaved is an absolute blinder (and on sale here prior to release date yoinks) and the new Dimmu Borgir has unfortunately not been heard yet due to restrictions on promo copies. Fair enough the previous one got leaked and a quick search sees no torrents, so for once things have possibly worked out well in that respect.
Sahg were coping with playing 15 minutes after the doors opened but that was not putting them off their stride in the slightest and they were quick to get the attention of those wandering into the venue. Tom ‘Ov Hell’ Visnes bass was deafening in the mix from by the speaker and this resulted in heavy bottom end at the expense of Olav’s glorious vocals which were not shining through as well as I would have liked. Still new songs off album III were great to hear and the shimmering guitar and 70s retro vocals of ‘Mothers Revenge’ had everyone nodding along. Thomas Tofthagen got well into busting out some solos and this was an enjoyable half an hour. Having said that it did feel a bit impersonal and I bet headlining in a much smaller venue with an audience there for them, this lot would have really been on fire. I’m pretty sure they went back to album I with ‘The Executioner Undead’ but it was the new stuff, which I have been playing a lot that really won me over.
Enslaved were the main band for me and no matter how many times I catch them they always seem to play a great set. Tonight was no exception and ‘Axioma Ethica Odini,’ album number eleven is fast becoming a favourite. After a swirling intro and heroes welcome for the band striding on stage it was time for the opening two numbers from the new one, ‘Ethica Odini’ and ‘Raidho.’ Enslaved were instantly on fire and easily got the best sound of the night with shimmering and sparkling keys and guitars really invoking the psychedelic intensity of the new songs. Grutle as ever, powerfully commanded from the front, his craggy rasps thick and gnarly and I thought that the clean parts from keyboard player Herbrand sounded really on form too. The set was varied with one more off the new album, the choppy and infectious ‘The Beacon’ and a couple off other more recent albums such as ‘Isa’ and the slow finale ‘Ground’ from ‘Vertebrae’ sounding particularly majestic. However it was at the midway point that we got the real cleaver blow of an old number in the form of ‘Allfáðr Oðinn’ from way back in 93. True Norwegian black metal did get a look in tonight.
That is something long forgotten from a headline band who are playing many dates on this tour with bloody Korn. Still Dimmu Borgir have always been a band I liked and despite rather odd line up changes seeing half the band suddenly decamped I was more than willing to give them another go. The stage set up was immense with big spot lights, raised drum and platforms for the lesser known live members to lurk on, the new meaningless logos they had littered around were rather odd too. After pompous intro I now know to be new album opener Xibir I was very pleased with the fact that the band came onto ‘Spellbound’ a classic song and one that is an old favourite. Showmanship was tight and professional and Galder in particular was captivating as he pulled macabre faces like a joker having the time of his life. Covered in Narnia looking furs as per their recent photo-shoots the band must have been sweating like mad under the lighting and Shagrath with his tasselled duster coat and skull boots particularly looked the part. Behind me the crowd were pumped singing along the ‘In Sorte Diaboli’ chorus of ‘The Chosen Legacy’ loudly along with the band.
It was moving back into the audience though that I found myself having problems. Put a Pole on the drums and he is going to hit em hard and Daray’s solid battering was obliterating the finer parts of the mix again. This along with a big slab of the set swinging towards the new album made me feeling like a spectator at something I had little comprehension of. I guess I was lucky having heard the two other bands albums a lot prior to the show but it must have been an odd affair for those witnessing so many new songs they had not heard yet from all three bands on the bill. Of the newer songs the one that really stuck out was ‘Born Treacherous’ with its rousing sing-along chorus and as I write this having now heard the album once I anticipate this could be a new favourite for many. The symphonic sprawl was noticeable on the newer material and at times bassist Cyrus was moving towards the front of the stage to join in with Galder and Silenoz.
It was obvious that it was the older songs that people including myself wanted and the last couple of albums were heavily concentrated on once new songs were out the way. The name of Satan was firmly invoked on ‘The Blazing Monoliths Of Defiance’ and ‘The Serpentine Offering’ also got played. Again they were far from magnificent due to the mix and one thing that was completely missed were the soaring vocals from Simen Hestnæs who along with long serving keyboard player Mustis are noticeable casualties. Despite sound the magnificent over the top dictatorial excess of ‘Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse’ was duly noted and following this I was pleased that we went back to my favourite song ‘Mourning Palace.’ After this it did not look like they were going to play an encore as the band strode off as they had entered to more orchestral pomp but I had heard all I wanted and was not sticking around anyway. So in a way it was an odd and not a triumphant show from the headliners, perhaps it would have been better seeing it a month or so after the album release? I had the impression of a band who have slightly slipped off their throne here but there is no reason that they cannot seize it again in the future.
Pete Woods
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