Review by Richard Henry for MPM
Death metal royalty hits Belfast tonight, these guys out in support of the new album “Hymns from the Apocrypha”, 33 years I have been listening to these guys so I am just a pinch excited about this tonight! First up though is Distant from the Netherlands!
Distant
Deathcore from the Netherlands, now I have to be honest I actually hadn’t heard of these guys before tonight but wow, they where crushingly heavy, really good stage presence and I know they had tracks as well but it was a huge wall of sound, really impressed with these guys, a lot of the blasts and breakdowns you would expect, absolutely worth checking them out!!
Suffocation
Seraphim Enslavement
Starting straight in with one from the new album, and from the off it’s blast beats and dissonant chords, the two guitar players head banging and and Derek in stance in the middle with Ricky foot up on the riser in the middle staring at the crowd with intent whipping the place up, when that sliding riff comes in with the double kicks it is absolutely savage, then it really slows down to a proper staple of this band, a real slam section in the track, then its back and forth for the two guitar players just effortlessly pealing off solos between each other then straight into a dizzying fast guitar riff and straight back into it again, absolutely crushing!
Thrones of Blood
Off to “Pierced from Within” for this one, breaking the tempo down a bit for the start of this, not much action from the guys behind in what should be the pit, that slow riff with the double bass part rising with it, so god damn heavy, then when it breaks into that triple riff about two mins in and the tempo picks up again, love it, did someone say slam part, yeah there it is and then onto the tapping and the solos, both guys are watertight on each side of the stage, I positioned myself in front of Terrance all night, absolute legend, this track takes me right back, banger!!!
Jesus Wept
A bit of a let up as it doesn’t start with blast beats, back to Human Waste or Effigy as it’s on both, I love the way they have done the set with a balance of old and new, not that we didn’t know Mike Smith was a beast of a drummer but watching Eric he’s all over it with the fills and the changes, beast mode, Ricky just left to right all over the stage, Charlie is near breaking his neck over there and Terrence and Derek are a blurry of dreds and hair, the crowd is to be fair pretty quiet and not a lot of action really happening, but the band are absolutely on fire, so tight and the sound mix is spot on, absolutely crushing!!!
Dim Veil of Obscurity
Back to the new album again for this one, your getting slapped in the face with that double bass and then the growl as this one kicks in, it’s a whirlwind of speed and aggression this one and as sharp as anything, the two guys yet again just pull of blistering solos and there is a bit of action in the pit, fair play to the guy in the yellow safety vest, he’s been leading the charge in there, it’s only at the end of the song you get a reprieve from the speed, well slightly and then back into it again, brutal!!
From those opening cymbal chokes to the barrage of blast beats, I think I air drummed half this song, Ricky cuts an imposing figure up there prowling the stage, when it hits that slow section in the middle it is absolutely crushing, the solos Terrence and Charlie absolute shredding machines up there, hearing this one live just takes me back, there is nothing but energy coming off that stage, what an absolute beast of a track!!
Perpetual Deception
Back to the new album and I am loving the set list, really well balanced, but bloody hell, it’s straight into getting pummelled in the face with blast beats again, this gig is like getting in the ring with Tyson, and I love it, the energy off that stage is contagious and is just so razor sharp up there, no space to breathe at all, you know a band at the peak of its craft and these guys are absolutely on it tonight, that break before the riff comes in and the blasts come in again is just pure savagery, all the slam comes up next and it slows right down, that end part though with the slow chords and the double bass under it is just sublime!
Funeral Inception
You know what it is when you hear that spoken word intro hit and then bang your in with the double bass led riff at the start, circle pit time, yeah I air drummed that snare roll before the blast beats hit in, it’s just an absolute onslaught this one, crushingly heavy and all the changes and stuff, there are a lot of tech death bands owe these guys so much, Eric back there on the drums is an absolute portrait or no wasted motion, unbelievable drummer nailing all the Culross parts on this one, savage!
Hymns from the Apocrypha
Title track from the new album, it’s just a flurry of notes to kick this one off but when it does slow to the double bass part and then slow down again it’s done to great effect, there’s a lovely counterpoint riff part as well the two guys are splitting between them as well that’s actually pretty melodic, then a really cool almost classical sounding riff with Eric playing drum fills all over and then the shredding begins, I could go on about the solos but Jesus these guys can play, then more grind and blasts, it’s just absolutely glorious!
Clarity Through Deprivation
Only track from the “Of The Dark Light” album from 2017, yeah right back into it, the tempo has not dropped all night and again the intensity is just nuts, and for the drummers out there the different types of blasts beats is crazy, even when it comes down to the slower part, the double bass is still driving it along, circle pit action is starting to motor along, I was about to say an almost deathcore slam part, but realistically these guys are the guys that started this sort of thing, lovely delay laced solo to close out this one!
Catatonia
Here we are hitting three in a row of classic Suffocation songs, the first ever song ever written from these guys, this one just twists and turns, with the starting lower part to the odd time riff and then all the tempo changes, it’s a template a lot of other bands took and ran with, Derek is just a frenzy of fingers, playing a load of intricate lines and you don’t realise how much is going on bass wise, the crowd is still a bit quiet as they have been all night, but it’s not diminishing the intensity coming off that stage, I just love Ricky’s stage presence, we have the Frank chop for the blast beats in full effect all night as well which is a really cool tip of the hat to previous vocalist Frank as well, classic track!
Liege of Inveracity
Triple punch from Effigy of the Forgotten album continues with this beast, 4 cymbal chokes and straight into the blasts, Eric just looking like he is loving life despite blasting away at that tempo, Derek head banging away and then slamming the bass into the floor to play in his legendary almost upright bass position, again within the first minute you switch from blasts to skank beats it’s just constantly flowing, you want sweeping, speed picking, neo classical elements in your solos, you are in the right place with these two guys, I have never smiled as much at a death metal gig watching these two guys, incredible!
Infecting the Crypts
Last song of the night and last of the three from Effigy, the cymbal choked intro right into blast beat armageddon, the intensity is the same from the first song to the last song these guys haven’t let up all night, then when it changes to that lumbering double bass groove we have a bit of movement from the crowd, then the break into the riff and back to full pelt again, the two guys are just peeling off solos at a furious pace, Ricky is a menacing ball of sweat just commanding the crowd to give their all on the last song, and just like that all those songs later that’s us done, blistering set!!!
That was as surgically precise a show as I have heard in a long time, it was absolutely savage, note perfect, really good set mix as well getting through new tracks and some absolute classics, the crowd unfortunately was pretty quiet bar a few souls throwing themselves about (cmon Belfast) there are a few dates left in the U.K. and If you have a chance get yourself down and see these guys tear it up!
Photography by Paul Verner for MPM