Review by Richard Henry for MPM
Well, here we have two of the bands on here, Vader with 40 years being marked by this tour and Sweden’s Vomitory well into 30 years as well! It’s going to be a night of brutal Death metal, that’s for sure! Rounding up tonight we have Skapos from France and openers Aetherian from Athens!
Aetherian
Army of Gaia – Opening with an almost like appropriate Vader style (Darth Vader) to the start of this one, these guys show their intent straight away, although they have a real melodicism to the sound, almost reminds me of Paradise Lost a good few times tonight or indeed Moonspell, the black metal parts of this are really cool with twin guitars intertwining amongst the chaos, it’s an epic voyage of a track as well, it flows beautifully, great live sound as well, and to give whoever it weas on the board last night, all the bands sounded really clear, loved this track!
Pyr Aenaom – It’s a one two punch from the new album “At Storms Edge”, an almost Maiden style riff to the start of this one with the melodies, then the slow grindy riff with the double bass after it, the drummer has feet, he is super accurate and really fast, but it’s the songs, they are so well put together, the parts meld seamlessly into each other and they never lose the melody despite as heavy as the songs are in parts, that thrash riff has serious At the Gates vibes, I’m loving these guys and I’m only two tracks in, great melody solo part comes in over the slow grooving double bass, lovely track!
Starlit Shores – Nice start to this one with the guitars trem picking out a melody while the band stabs in the chords, slow builder on this with a slow driving double bass part, verse is a syncopated part with the guitars and drums playing off each other before the tempo kicks up into an almost old school black metal vibe, but as heavy as it gets that guitar part is holding down the melody, that chorus is so good, that’s as catch and hooky as you will get, love that almost djenty riff section before another counter melody comes in on the guitar again, such a good track!
The Rain – Now we move to the album “The Untamed Wilderness”, defiantly a real melodic black metal vibe to the start of this one, love the melody that comes in on the guitar, then the tempo quickens up and it’s like a proper slap round the face, but as heavy and aggressive as it gets there is still underlaying melodies intertwining over the heavy riffs and it just gives so much depth to the overall sound live, again these guys do epic tracks and its right up my street, just excellent
Primordial Woods – The crowd that are here are really enjoying these guys, I just wish they would have given people a bit more time to get in before these guys went on cause anyone who wasn’t here, really missed out! This one has again that really deliberate slow driving double bass thing with one guitar playing melody against the other guitar, the vocals are intense and powerful over the top of everything and despite them obviously being aggressive they too carry another dimension to the sound working with the guitars to fill the sound, love that pull off riff part that comes up, then into a really cool riff just before the solo, and just like that these guys are over!
Go check these guys out, they have CDs and shirts for sale on Bandcamp, I was very impressed, great band! https://aetherianband.bandcamp.com/
Skaphos
Bathyscaphe – Straight into the blast beats, although straight away I was getting Gojira crossed with black metal vibes as they mix it up where it’s not just straight blasts, there is some technical stuff in there as well, the verse shows that, I love the use of the dissonant chords over the driving double bass sections, good use of both the black metal highs and a more death metal growl on the vocals, the song weaves through all these different forms but never loses the drive, that old school black metal blast beat section before it cuts into the double bass is just so god damn heavy, the stage is a spectacle for sure and it’s nice to see a band using both the front and the mics to create a vibe as well, it’s like you’re at sea, again there is just all these different sections flowing into each other and then you realize that this one is way over the five min mark, well-crafted to be that length and never lose focus or interest, great opener!
Us Oh – Staying on the band’s previous album “Bathyscaphe”, driving droning double bass with a riff that’s dancing about, the crowd are starting to come in during these guys and the reaction is pretty good, again I love the way these guys set up the songs, switching back and forth from blasts to double bass and the same as the vocals, from the screams to the growls, when it slows down into the grindy part nearly two mins in it gets really heavy before slapping you back into place when the blast beats hit again
Tormentia – Going between blasts and a slower tom groover at the start of this one, mad tempo shifts going on along with the trem picked guitar riff, an atmospheric middle section to this one, that drops the tempo down a bit which is a nice break in the song, the use of the two guitar players playing different parts really comes to the fore in this one with more traditional riffs meld with more dissonant parts for the other guitar player, again this reminds me of Gojira mixed with a black metal band, it’s really interesting!
Hypoxia – Kicking off this one with a heavy grinding riff, almost like a slow Napalm type of riff before we hit some blasts and then back into that riff again, I love the next part with alternating between a real slow riff straight into blasts, and the vocals do the same, switching all the time during the song, the musicianship is on point with these guys, the drummer is putting in a proper shift back there, another absolutely slamming track!
Abyssal Tower – You only realize how long these songs are when this is the last one of the night, another slab of massive brutality hits with this one, I love the way these guys mix everything from tempos to vocals all thought these songs, I must admit I hadn’t heard these guys before tonight, and I was really impressed, they went over well with the crowd who were starting to fill up the place a bit more by the times these guys hit the stage, again much like the openers, go support the guys! Merch | Skaphos (bandcamp.com)
Vomitory
All Heads are Gonna Roll – Kicking off with the opener from the new album, its full force attack from the first notes, the perfect mix of Swedish Death metal crossed with some grind core elements, brutal track that just does not let up at all, then the tempo doubles and you hit the blast beats, that is a sledgehammer of a riff that comes up just after it as well, if that isn’t a statement of intent I don’t know what is!
Stray Bullet Kill – Heading back to 2004’s Primal Massacre album, Tobias kicking this one off on the drums, more mid-tempo double bass riff to kick this one off, a slow Salyer like section with lots of fills before the double bass kicks in again, then 1,2,3,4 and we are into full on Swedish Death, there are lots of cool little parts in that riff, both guitarists shredding away all night on opposite sides of the stage, by the time you get to the blast beats at the end the crowd has woken up a bit and we get a pit going!
Terrorize Brutalize Sodomize – Off to the title track of the guys 2007 release, more mid-tempo thrash to start this one with hauling double bass, it’s a nice pace from the first two songs, but then bang we are straight into a full-on Napalm style section, the one thing these guys do so well that a lot of bands don’t have are the massive gang style vocals, the chorus of this one is a prime example of that, absolute banger of a track!
Piece by Stinking Piece – Back to the new album, and this one is a proper mid-tempo headbanger of a track with driving double bass propelling it along, that main riff is proper catchy as well, love that middle section with all the drum fills before the blast beats are back and the dead have arisen in the pit, bit of movement in there, surprisingly no crowd surfers, nice solo comes up in the one, before the double kicks come back in to round this one off!
Revelation Nausea – All the way back to 2001 for this one, the title track of the album, this track is an absolute banger, a proper kick to the head, full on blast beats to start it off before into a furious thrash attack on the verse, before slamming back into the blast beats, that section with one guitar playing straight chords and the other playing a melody is fantastic just before we hit a really cool solo followed by a unison harmony part before the tempo comes down into a breakdown section, then bang, tempo back up again, brutal!
Ode to the Meat Saw – Back to the new album again for this one, slower start to this with some nice harmonies going on with the riff at the start of this, before the trem picked riff comes in and the double bass onslaught starts hitting you, I love the next section with that old school hardcore d beat riff comes in, that slow middle section starts to get the bodies moving again in the place, another solo comes in, it’s almost a welcome break in the set from all the blast beats as this one sort of stays more in the mid pace section for the whole song!
Regorge in the Morgue – Off to 2011’s Opus Mortis VII for this one, I remember the music video for this one being played all the time on Scuzz, starting off with Eriks distorted bass, before the guitars come in and the tempo hits breakneck, lovely d beat section before we hit the blasts, its full on after the break of the last song, again that’s a chorus a good few people know and are singing along to, solo into the double bass and harmony guitar riff, before it picks up again, its straight to the point and in and out and the song is done!
Rebirth of the Grotesque – Getting through the back catalogue we are off to 2009’s Carnage Euphoria for this one, this is a proper grindy riff, again this reminds me so much of Napalm and that’s never a bad thing, another great solo kicks in, loads of shredding on the left-hand side of the stage tonight, another absolute slammer of a track!
Redemption – I saw the guys on this tour in 2000 in Dublin in support of 1999’s Redemption album, they were amazing that night and tonight they are even better than that, this one just drives hard with the pounding double kick work, the riff is just classic Swedish death, there is a section in this reminds me of Obituary, slow and deliberately grinding and the picking up with the slow double bass coming into, then it picks up in the middle section where it just flies, lots of fills, blasts, I love the riff in the middle section of this, it’s just so damn good!
Raped Strangled Sodomized Dead – Back to the new album, again nice amount of every era of the band covered tonight, the only album not covered is the debut “Raped in their own Blood”, almost black metal in a way, that’s how I hear that riff at the start, I just think Dissection or a band like that when I hear it, then we pick up into the verse, do death metal songs have big choruses, in these guys case they do, all the guys doing backups to Erik, it makes for a massive wall of sound, that middle riff as well that turns into the blast section, so well done and into that massive chorus again!
Chaos Fury – The last track this evening is from 2001’s Blood Rapture album, last song of the night and we aren’t letting up at all, blast beat central, its straight to the point death metal, the riffs are solid, the drumming is outstanding, these guys just deliver on all levels, and I expected nothing less!
Go support the guys – Vomitory | Official Website of Swedish Death Metal est. 1989
Vader
Decapitated Saints – All the way back to the Necrolust Ep, this really is a great concept tonight, starting at the start and working the way through the albums in chronological order with a bit of a story coming in between tracks to explain what was happening at the time in the band, you can hear where the guys start on the journey, this track reminds me more of old school Sepultura first album or a faster Kreator, more high speed thrash than death metal!
Wrath –The new drummer is an absolute beast back there, really nailing everything tonight and super clear, I said it before, but the mix was exceptional where I was at right in front of the band, the crowd has certainly turned up for Vader as this is the first time, I have really seen the pit open up all night!
Chaos– Ultimate Incantation album is up next, and this one is straight away heavy in with the kicks, just a real driving riff, that’s a real Slayer type section on the verse like early Hell Awaits style, then we hit the blast beats, and like the title of the song, that’s what is happening behind me with a good circle appearing in the crowd, I love that slow breakdown almost part in the middle before it kicks back up to that section that starts the song off!
Vicious Circle – Still on the same album, but this one comes in with a real slap to the face, aggressive from the off, the blast beats are in, and the tempo is just nuts, the guys looking like they are having a blast up there on the stage, faces being pulled at everyone, Piotr and Marek are ripping out solos all over the place, definitely the Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman vibe going on between them!
Dark Age – Off to the Sothis album now, the riff at the start I would say is now classic Vader, the trem picked riff over the double bass groove, slow and deliberate then before you know it a couple of cymbal chokes and we are back in blast beat land, then into skank beat, it’s so simple in a way but yet it just works, these guys had their formula worked out way back on this album and much like Slayer have made it work through their career!
Silent Empire – Now onto De Profundis for this track which opened the album, and it’s just a full-on assault from the off with the blasts slapping you round the face, before we get a slower double bass section before Michal absolute rips it to double time on the drums, this guy is incredible to be fair, this one just doesn’t let up, lots of fills and parts in there but the tempo is just crazy and a good bit of slamming is happening behind me!
Sothis – Staying on the same album, I am pretty sure this is the first track I ever heard by these guys and that slow chuggy riff over the slow drum part is just epic live before you hit the section where the riff and drums start to follow each other, before it breaks and then bang, blasts are back, your back and forward between Slayer beats, breakdowns, blasts, its unrelenting!
Back to the Blind – Off to the album of the same name now, this was the last track on that album, and we kick off again in that familiar thrash tempo land, the evolution of the band is really interesting when you hear the progression in a set like this, the songs just keeping getting more and more laser focused, all the songs are very familiar in terms of arrangements and parts but they just keep getting more and more focused!
Carnal – I meant to add what a cool touch it was to have former guitarist “Mauser” up for the songs from the era he was part of and seeing the three guitarists onstage at the same time was quite a sight to behold, I love the opening riff to this one it’s just so slow and deliberate sounding, but you just know what is about to happen, yeah it changes to the blasts, I always loved the spoken vocal part in the verse of this, it works so well live, brutal short track!
Wings – This is my favorite Vader song, with the choked cymbal riff at the start of it before Piotr shouts, “spread you wings” and all hell erupts as the blast reign down on us all, it so fast and so brutal and it just doesn’t let up for the whole track, as short as it is its just unrelenting, that end part with the fast double bass under the slower trem picked riff is so heavy live!
Cold Demons – Sticking to the same album as the last track, 2000’s Litany album, again its brutal, your straight into thrash tempo and then switching to blast beats, the whole time all four guys onstage are headbanging away, there is no drop of energy coming from the stage for the whole performance tonight as the guys gave their all!
Epitaph – Revelations album for this one and this was the opener to the album, this is a bit of a welcome break as we have a more mid-tempo riff to start this one giving everyone a break from the speed of the rest of the set so far, solos all over the place and there are faces again being pulled on this, Piotr really beating the crap out of his Floyd rose on most of his solos, really chaotic solos, only really picking up near the end of the song and a few more solos come along from the guys but a nice break from the tempos for sure!
Dark Transmission – We have made it from 1983 to 2004 now with the Beast album up next for this track, slower start to this one, a lot slower and again it gives the guys in the pit something to swing about to as they start it off on this, more of a driving sort of start to this one, more reliant on a constant double bass groove than all out speed and again it’s a great flow in the set to put something like this in and not lose the intensity that has come before it!
This is War – Off to the Art of War album now for this track, syncopated drum and guitar riff, and more double bass at the start of this, just a heavy riff to start it off, before it kicks up a bit and the blasts are back and definitely you can hear how the tempo has gotten even quicker on this one, screaming solos back and forth in the middle of this, and back into the blasts, this one just doesn’t let up!
Helleluyah (God is Dead) – I always loved this track from when I first heard it, the slow tom build up in the verse before bang, it just slaps you round the face with the chorus, a good fw people singing away on this one as well which was nice to see it wasn’t just me singing along, that middle section is a really bouncing double bass groove, then into the blast for the chorus and we are over and out!
Triumph of Death – Last song of the night and we are on 2014’s “Tibi Et Igni” album, that’s a solid riff at the start of this one, more mid-tempo again, it sort of has a Celtic Frost vibe to it for me, some nice solo playing from both the guys in this, Marek in particular was sweeping and tapping his way through that solo, some great playing!
Shock & Awe – Solitude in Madness we hit the 2020 album, it’s just a bombardment of blast beats and comes full circle on the band, the sound has been there from the start, it’s just gotten more refined and more focused as the years have gone on, I think he only album not played tonight was 2016’s The Empire album, I think we got something from every album apart from that! An amazing spectacle to get a proper chance to hear a band from inception to now playing and seeing how they have progressed, fantastic gig, tight as anything and solid!
Photography by MPM
