WATAIN, SHINING & AOSOTH
LONDON GARAGE 06/03/11
Getting to support two of the most renowned bands around at the moment was no doubt great for Aosoth but the French horde are not without pedigree of their own and quickly set about destroying those early through the doors with the very apt ‘Rebirth By Fire.’ Thunderous drums and a very meaty sound illustrated that there was plenty of power about this and it sounded as though the percussion was sledgehammers battering into concrete. MkM’s vocals ripped out through the speakers and the mid paced tumult picked up going into a blur of speed, whipping some very drunk spectators into a fury in the pit. At times their assault had almost a punk filled vomited and gnarly demeanour about it and at others we were left to revel in the majesty of glistening guitar work ‘Ashes Of Angels’ was a highlight and as they finished with Antaeus cover ‘Inner War’ the band had certainly stood their own and left their mark.
A beefy death grunt chundered off the stage and Shining were off in unmistakeable fashion. Flying headlong into ‘Besvikelsens Dystra Monotoni’ we were taken straight into a wild ride which really got blood flowing and fists pumping. If like me you are particularly a fan of album ‘V Halmstad’ you were well catered for tonight as the majority of the album was played and it sounded absolutely fantastic. As this was in essence a co-headlining show there was plenty of time for a wide array of other material too with Shining getting a long time on stage. This included new songs from that delayed album number VII, which I had actually heard numbers from live three times now. ‘Människa o'avskyvärda människa’ was introduced about people and what Nuklas thought of them, naturally it was not much as the line “You believe in life, I believe in death” illustrated. Guitar work shone through and this was another number with plenty of melody about it and word was given out to new bassist Christian Larsson who was having no problems fitting in. I was slightly surprised to discover that previous drummer Ludvig Witt was back in the fold, playing slightly different material from his time in Spiritual Beggars and Firebird. Niklas seemed on good behaviour tonight occasionally glugging from a bottle of red wine or JD and spitting a bit. The reason for this was perhaps due to him keeping a concerned eye on manager Patricia who had, had an accident outside the venue, dedicating the excellent ‘Ohm - Sommar Med Siv’ to her was a nice touch and the chorus seemed really sung from the heart. Perhaps as I was slightly (although working on it) more sober than the last time I saw Shining I really enjoyed them a lot more this time round and as they finished with a favourite ‘Låt oss ta allt från varandra,’ the thought “follow that you stinky bastards” was my final note of the set.
Of course the stinky bastards were one of the few that could but thankfully the stench was not as bad as it could have been and there was no blood for the group to throw around I am very relieved to say. Still the candle holders on stage had fleshy heads from something or other (probably sheep) stuck to them so I guess they found a butcher shop and the smell of blood was wafting around the front, naturally worse in the photo pit. I had laughed loud on leaving the loo earlier and seen a sticker on the door declaring “Watain are sissies” but it would have taken a brave and very foolish person to tell them that to their faces. Musically they are just as formidable and we were told that this was a journey that would continue till the end of the world (well maybe not unless it was just an hour away) but the apocalyptic theme was thrust in front of me as I was snapping pictures. There was lots to look at too and not just the skittering lunatic figure of front-man Erik. The grizzled Pelle Forsberg on guitar looked like any child's worst nightmare and Set Teitan striking intricately designed red face paint looked pretty damn spectacular too. It took me a few numbers to actually concentrate on what was being played but the Antichrist was most definitely storming by now. The band exude a ravenous air and this stage suits them better than at a smaller venue like the Underworld and they utilise every part of it making things all the more dynamic. Older songs like ‘Rabid Death Curse’ flirt with ‘Reaping Death’ pillars of flame igniting from unexpected pyrotechnics at the fiery lyrics. It’s both a spectacle and spectacular and designed with the stench to assault as many of the senses as possible. I particularly enjoyed ‘Wolf’s Curse’ and its full moon madness and the band pretty much covered all aspects of their career keeping everyone happy. I would not like to have to choose the band of the night but this pairing was an incredibly good one and as it concluded with ‘Satan’s Hunger’ there is no denying the devil has all the best tunes.
Pete Woods
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