live reviews – Invisible Oranges – The Metal Blog https://www.invisibleoranges.com Thu, 18 Jan 2024 17:04:23 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 https://www.invisibleoranges.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/27/favicon.png live reviews – Invisible Oranges – The Metal Blog https://www.invisibleoranges.com 32 32 Horrendous Share Their Favorite Records of 2023 (Plus Live Report 12/29/2023) https://www.invisibleoranges.com/horrendous-best-of-2023-live-report/ Thu, 18 Jan 2024 17:04:19 +0000 https://www.invisibleoranges.com/?p=57534 Horrendous used the last week of 2023 and the second weekend of 2024 to celebrate the release of their latest record, Ontological Mysterium, which was featured on a number of top album lists including Decibel Magazine’s #1 metal album of 2023 [Editor’s Note: also, Jeff Treppel’s list from last year]. These death metal denizens added five East Coast stops to this mini-tour, of which I attended their stop at Brooklyn’s Saint Vitus: a place where I had seen them before and even interviewed the band in the basement, ice maker and all, many years ago.

On this particular night the local opener was local band Battle Emblem. Their lead singer was a hulking figure who dwarfed the already small stage at Saint Vitus Bar and set everything else up for the night with another champion of 2023 death metal, Outer Heaven, following up. One of Pennsylvania’s best, Outer Heaven had also dropped a crushing record of their own in 2023, Infinite Psychic Depths. The album’s otherworldly and interstellar approach to extreme metal allowed them to draw from a different well than the rest of the night’s lineup.

The night belonged to Horrendous, though, whose new and somewhat divisive album was nearly on full display – the band played seven of the album’s nine tracks and closed with one of their best all-time tracks, Ecdysis opener “The Stranger”. The crowd was behind the band from the word go, allowing for their experimentation to continue and go further than their previous record, 2018’s Idol did. Ontological Mysterium is by and large their biggest risk so far, not allowing themselves to rest on their laurels and challenging themselves to be more than where they started in 2009. 

Speaking of Horrendous, the band were nice enough to provide us with a list of their favorite records from 2023 which, as you can imagine, is pretty varied on its own accord. Have a read and make sure to check the band out live when they visit a city near you.

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Horrendous – Best of 2023

Honorable mentions: 

Thantifaxath – Hive Mind Narcosis
Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, Shahzad Ismaily – Love in Exile
Tim Kinsella and Jenny Pulse – Giddy Skelter
Tomb Mold – The Enduring Spirit

The four albums below represent the favorite album of each of Horrendous’ four members.

Dodheimsgard – Black Medium Current

This is one of the few records released this year that hasn’t left my rotation. Layered and dense enough to reward multiple listens, but also balanced with an immediate melodic resonance, this record stuns me every time. I love how they continue to expand the boundaries of their black metal sound and manage to make something that feels entirely fresh and vital after so many years and releases.  -Matt

Peter Gabriel – I/O

Lush, textured, and penetrating, Gabriel’s newest record caught me off guard. In an era when most legacy acts pump out filler, Gabriel’s music remains inspired and relevant. This record is primed for moments of solitude, moving between poignant introspection and unfettered celebration to examine aging and one’s relationship to others and our world. I can’t believe his voice still sounds this good.  -Jamie

Flanafi – sixth night. sleepless. you made the world. wallowing

Like listening to the warmest, saddest dreams I’d ever want to be in. Quiet, auroral, ear-candy drenched. If guitar was ever a thing of synthetic spell casting, it’s in Flanafi’s hands. Possibly one of my favorite releases of the past many years.  -Alex

Vertebra Atlantis – A Dialogue with the Eeriest Sublime

I had never heard this band before and didn’t know what to expect, but I sort of assumed it would be generic and unmemorable. Luckily, I was wrong and the opposite is the case. It’s very enjoyable and thanks to its experimental nature, the album leaves me pleasantly surprised with something new every subsequent listen.  -Damian

]]> Porto’s Amplifest Heralded Seasonal Change with a Tide of Innovative Music: 2023 Fest Recap and Photos https://www.invisibleoranges.com/amplifest-2023-recap/ Mon, 23 Oct 2023 14:24:12 +0000 https://www.invisibleoranges.com/?p=56595 As Europe starts to chill to crisp mornings again, Portugal appears to be the adequate destination to warmly transition into the winter torpor. Packing a jacket or not for that trip is a much harder life decision than electing Amplifest as the proper home for further music geekery. The Amplifest team and its boss—André Mendes—like to refer to themselves as the “Amplifamily,” and under that inclusive title, they want us to join the celebration of the lineup they have curated with a definite passion. The mighty familial recipe combines the experimental ends of each music genre—mainly metal, but not only. 

The festival took place September 22-24, much earlier than in previous years. With its ninth edition, it returned to its regular format after an exceptional two-weekend reunion in 2022. Amplifest remains a weekender and it is essential to consider it that way—as André insisted in our interview [Editor’s Note: to be posted later this week!]. The festival is prepared to enjoy a Porto getaway and to bring back bits of the local culture into our cabin luggage … unless we’re flying out to Porto with enough photo gear to play Tetris (talking about a friend … oh hi!).

A few days before the festival, we received the “final final” running order with an extra hour of Sunn O))) and a few premieres are taking place. Amplifest 2023 is becoming even more concrete. The Hexvessel premiere makes people hop on Bandcamp and Luke’s freshly released interview with Kvohst brings me to much higher levels of inspiration throughout my airport dread.

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Friday, September 22

A day to unpack and to get familiar with Amplifest surroundings. Picturesque. Since its genesis, the festival has always occurred at Hard Club. The venue is in a two-story crimson-red market hall from the 19th century, fiercely standing in the city center. The landmark is also a convenient first stop for Porto discovery: the Douro riverbanks, the quaint restaurants, the narrow streets, the tiled facades, the street art, and the street music. Postcard-like, even better.

This year, Amplifest enriches itself also geographically, setting foot in additional cultural places in Porto, and the festival program first takes 250 attendees to the Serralves Art Foundation. Locals are keen on recommending this spot as it offers a busy afternoon of modern art and nature viewing. In this very environment, Amplifest and the foundation partner for a co-creation combining Rui Chafes’ sculptures and Candura’s experimental music.

The get-together then continues in a bar on a buzzing street. The bar itself swarms with Amplifesters, reuniting and discussing in depth the festivals commonly attended in the past year. After a few drinks and many hypotheses about the 2024 lineup, BIG | BRAVE’s Mat Ball heavily sustains each note against his amps to deliver a guitar-droning experience through a dense red fog. Although announced as a bar, both the stage set-up and the sound are a good surprise: The venue is fit for this performance. 

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photo credit: elulu photo

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Saturday, September 23

Resuming on the amplified notes from the prior day, the BIG | BRAVE trio become an on-edge quartet on stage, opening the first day at 2 p.m. on the Bürostage. They unleash their record Nature Morte, naturally building up on the thick atmosphere punctured by Robin Wattie’s temperamental vocals and infuriated phrasing. 

The Bearfreaks stage later welcomes Ellereve as its first act, enchanting Portugal with her voice for the first time. The initial acts send a strong message: at Amplifest, all artists are considered equal and given comparable, hour-long sets. The running order flows alternatively on the Bürostage and the Beerfreaks stage, and the festival give us 15 minutes between each concert. Amplifest make it easy for us to attend every performance—Who likes thirst and overlaps, anyway?!

Back to the Bürostage. Ashenspire are an open riot, defending their sophomore album Hostile Architecture at the crossroads of genres and social structures—theatrical yet unconventional, weighty yet quirky, exuberant yet poignant. We’re dealing with some glorious fracking mess here that the band is satisfied to acknowledge with a smirk. And with a saxophone, please! 

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Ashenspire. photo credit: elulu photo

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Likewise, Hetta maintain high energy levels. They are emerging in the Portuguese screamo scene, and they let that be known. The pit doesn’t resist the singer’s fuel long, as he pushes through the crowd. The relentlessness continues with Mutoid Man, as people start to fill in the venue much earlier. Seeing Stephen Brodsky (Cave In), Ben Koller (Converge), and Jeff Matz (High On Fire) sharing the stage is an event in itself. The super trio support their newest record Mutants, released earlier in the summer. Much, much fun on stage. That is so obvious and straightforward that the crowd follows, fists up in the air.

Heading to Sir Richard Bishop after these few mad hours is strange. Dazzling and intimate, we almost feel too close to the stage now. At least, I’d rather enjoy the show from afar, but Sir Richard Bishop breaks the ice and warmly invites us on his journey. As the minimalistic performance unveils a diverse range of genres, the experience increasingly captivates. His virtuosity is soothing before what’s to come.

And what’s to come is quite frankly uneasy, if you’d understand a word of French. The noise of it all surely helps in swallowing the pill of an affirmed taste in the abhorrent. Celeste plunge Amplifest into an uncomfortable space. The visual experience echoes the band’s music: the light show is pulsating; the red headlamps are anguishing, and when the rare moments of beauty emerge, they are cinematic.

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Celeste. photo credit: elulu photo

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Hexvessel break their own codes and leaves the foggy woods in a new hooded arrangement. The band and the audience have not fully experienced the new record yet, but Polar Veil is now honestly revealing itself, somewhere between a tribute and a renewal. The folk elements are now wrapped into a 90s-guitar-powered lo-fi black metal, and Mat ‘Kvohst’ McNerney is the voice warming up our ice-cold lethargy. On my side, I don’t feel like breaking the charm by taking many photos … I guess that says loads.

This ritualistic evening ends with AMENRA. The Belgian band are back at Amplifest in their electric form after an unexpected acoustic set in 2022. “I’ve seen them a lot of times, but it’s so powerful, and the setlist is different each time,” someone tells me at the end of the show. And it’s quite a good summary of their performance that night. I’m surprised at the first notes of “Aorte. Nous sommes du même sang” from the Mass IIII record. I think I had not experienced that song live since 2011?! Their performance is familiar—Their wall of sound is blasting; the monochrome movie is rolling out, and the fists are clenched, but in a much rawer and smokeless delivery. It’s emotionally harsh, yet it’s about good energy—finding the light remains the key message here. 

The evening ends there for me as Necrø Darkwave close this full day of concerts at 1:30 A.M. 

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Amenra. photo credit: elulu photo

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Sunday, September 24

If we survived this Saturday rollercoaster, we now have to pass the test of Aeviterne‘s existential death metal. Behind closed doors, the NYC quartet sound already monstrous. Twenty-something masochistic souls attempt to enter the venue without success: “The concert hasn’t started yet. This is ‘only’ the soundcheck!” 

Their European debut plunges the Beerfreaks stage into a raw soundscape that marches on us without constraints in an effortless-in-facade yet ruthless performance. Like The Ailing Facade, it requires attention, if not repetition, to fully grasp how the four successfully bring this record to the stage—despite Ian Jacyszyn‘s explanations in an in-depth interview. Regardless, it’s a forward-moving machine that impresses and leaves little behind—The show is short, but I’d gladly call it a day there, paradoxically. 

Unfortunately, I can’t. Seeing David Eugene Edwards is next, and returning to sentience levels is a challenge. Being human is a challenge. A spell is cast and we might be back, captivated by the hypnotic visuals enhancing each song. I’m actually mesmerized by what I see and hear. The Wovenhand‘s singer is releasing the new Hyacinth record under his own name, and this very first show holds the promise of a bewitching tour. Is it the result of David Eugene Edwards‘ shamanic presence, of the new set itself or the sonic and visual contribution of Dehn Sora (Throane, Treha Sektori)…? Surely, an elixir of all of that.

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David Eugene Edwards. photo credit: elulu photo

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In a dim room, Hilary Woods runs electronic experiments in anticipation of her self-produced record Acts of Light, due November 3. Divide and Dissolve continue on that experimental flow, challenging sound and social environments. The means of revendication range from a droning wall of amps to a saxophone solo—The sound is big, but the underlying message is love and acceptance. The performance itself is wordless, though words are shared about their aboriginal ancestry and lands. The duo is grateful to be in Porto and it shows powerfully. The singer Takiaya Reed also pays tribute to the third “band member”–Their sound engineer Pedro Subtil—actually from Porto. Next, Esben and The Witch deliver a luminous performance.

KEN Mode up the tempo and the tension. The front rows are getting packed early, and in the pit, folks are sharing their excitement to see the Canadians in Portugal again after 10 years. The band premiere their new song “The Shrike” live, two days after releasing their pandemic-written album VOID, the companion to their previous LP NULL. Their latest release is impacting the noise rock genre again, just like their performance on stage. KEN Mode are visceral. They get us right in our guts, and we shout the lyrics from the bottom of our lungs. It’s urgent, and it needs to get out. “We deserve this!”—talking about losing grip, we totally lost it. Later, HIDE unleash their feral self and reveals a lot of anxiety. The soundtrack to it all is industrial and the show is private—So we’ll consent to keep it there.

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Ken Mode. photo credit: elulu photo

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The festival ends for me with Sunn O))). Earlier in the day, Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley were invited to the Amplitalks, one of the two relaxed Q&A sessions with the crowd on the upper floor of Hard Club. Back into the concert hall, their sound shatters our whole being as the Amplifest soundscape expands further with an exceptional two-hour set. 

The thick smoke sometimes unveils the hooded duo who communicates esoterically with the crowd, who waves back))) in unison. The light orbs and the laser show elevate their soundwaves to an almost metaphysical dimension. Will that ever make sense? No one knows, and who needs to know anyway. The organic entities from the audience surrender one by one, though. Some even return home immediately, “I’ve had enough!” The power of their wall of Sunn Model T amps from the 70s floors many souls, as someone tells me once outside: “I’m out the venue for a while now, and my bones are still vibrating. Can you believe it?!”

–Anne Laure / eluluphoto

Keep scrolling for more photos from the fest. For more information on Amplifest, see their website.

Photo credit: elulu photo

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]]> Cosmic Void Fest 2023 (Recap + Photos) https://www.invisibleoranges.com/cosmic-void-fest-2023/ Wed, 04 Oct 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://www.invisibleoranges.com/?p=55684 I’ll be honest; I never know how to start a review of a live show, never mind an entire weekend of them. Also, should I be writing in the first person? Probably not but let’s throw caution to the wind and see what shakes out. I’ve read enough and done enough of these things to know what’s enjoyable to read and what is a slog, and I’m trying something new. It might turn out alright in the end.

Cosmic Void Festival is still in its infancy, with this being their second edition of the festival, and it has to be said, the overall organization and atmosphere is impressive. Aside from one band (the complex stage setup most likely had something to do with it), the whole weekend runs on time to almost military precision, which is a feat in and of itself. Trying to corral a bunch of musicians is no easy task, after all. The lineup itself is incredibly curated with a huge number of U.K. exclusives and first time shows on British shores for a handful of the bands, meaning fans traveled quite the distance to attend. 

Friday

Personally, I’m coming from Switzerland, and the journey starts very early on this chilly Friday morning, which means sleep catches up with me, and I miss the first band of the opening day. Sorry Trivax. All is not lost, though, as the three remaining bands make up for the faux-pas later in the evening. 

First up is Mephorash, who take over the entire stage with cloaks and banners and a whole host of atmosphere. It’s a shame, then, that the sound at the beginning of their set is somewhat distorted and hard to decipher. As the band settle in and the sound engineer figures it out, their spiritual black metal can begin in earnest. The Swedes are quite the spectacle, as masks hide their true faces, and the words allow the band to open the gates to the netherworld. They play new track “I Am,” and the majestic sounds of the song echo across the crowd, which is packed tightly into the Islington Academy with barely room for breath. 

Next are Icelandic horde Misþyrming, who take to the stage as if they own it, spreading across the space, bathed in blood and darkness. Their most recent release, Með hamri, forms the bulk of their set, and the audience hang on to every word bellowed out from the blackness of the stage. 

It’s a different dynamic and one that changes even more once Mare begin to lay out the stage to their liking. Candles form the basis of the lighting rig as frontman HBM Azazil towers at the front as though conducting the darkest sermon known to man. He commands a deep reverence as chants begin and the ritual gets underway. Many black metal bands are want to call their live shows “rituals” and this is certainly one case where that descriptor can be used. Azazil is clad in black robes with a striking red emblem emblazoned across the front, and his stance is reminiscent of a priest conducting a service. The music itself is spellbinding, and Mare, with their live shows already a rare occurrence, cast such incantations as to make this performance a precious memory. 

Once Mare finish, there is barely time to gather our thoughts before the zealous security crew are ushering us out of the door and into the streets of Islington. Friday might be over, but the weekend has only just begun.

Saturday

Saturday is all about the build-up to the live U.K. debut of Switzerland’s Darkspace, and everything that comes before is whetting the appetite for the cybernetic performance that will come later. For me, the day begins with The Sun’s Journey Through The Night, who play for a paltry half an hour and leave many wanting more. 

They are headed up by No One, a kinetic frontman who certainly has roots in at least the hardcore scene judging by his movements and energy. Neither really match the black metal vibe yet there is an earnestness and believability to the proceedings that allow for the band to revel in that difference. They are slowly building up steam in the U.K. underground, and their short set here is enough to prove their worth.

After this adrenaline-filled start to the day, I head back to my hotel. The bands that follow are surely excellent, however not entirely to my taste, and rather than traipse back and forth from the two venues in use for the main bulk of Cosmic Void—The Electric Ballroom and The Underworld—I decide to go eat lunch instead. I’m sure you appreciate this insight into my mind. Anyway, I’m excited for the rest of the day which does involve switching venues a lot, and a girl has to save her strength, you know. 

Another exclusive on the program for today is the worldwide live debut of Australia’s Midnight Odyssey, a one-man band who has garnered much admiration over the years and has finally been convinced to play live on stage. Joining Dis Pater for the live show is Austere’s Tim Yatras on keyboards and Clint of Reverb Springs on guitars. It’s a huge stage for only three people and as Dis Pater takes to the center alone, fully cloaked (there is an incredible amount of cloaks on display this weekend), there is a palpable sense of excitement in the air. 

How will the band sound considering they’ve not played live before? Does it work, even? The answer is, good and yes! At least after the first 10 minutes, which are extremely bass-heavy and take some time to even out. Once the synths can be heard then the audience can fully grasp the aura of Midnight Odyssey, and it is beautiful.

Next are Urgehal, who come armed with two vocalists and more spikes than are probably necessary. Their set is billed as a memorial ritual for a fallen member, and their energy is wild throughout their time on stage as they channel every emotion possible into a tight and frenetic performance. Switching vocalists on a couple of occasions gives the band an unusual schtick, especially if you blink and miss the swap, yet the momentum is never lost. 

It’s in stark contrast to the melancholy beauty of Thy Light, who follow next, their depressive black metal hiding glimpses of elegant melody and rich despair. Originally from Brazil and now based in Scotland, the project of Paolo Bruno are another having their U.K. live debut this weekend. The Underworld was almost at capacity for the event, and many in the crowd were not shy to show the band exactly how their music makes them feel. Arms are raised in supplication to guitars that bend with utter misery while gorgeous passages are given the room to breathe in the darkness. Thy Light might have been unknown at the beginning of their set, judging by some curious conversations that were overheard, yet they rightly gained a whole new level of adoration tonight. 

Heading back to The Electric Ballroom as the night draws in around Camden, Naglfar let us know that they haven’t actually played in the U.K. for 17 years, which honestly sounds bonkers considering how much the audience enjoyed them. The band are ready to go from the second they step out onto the stage, and so are. the crowd. The Swedish crew looked like they were having an excellent time. Their brand of black metal isn’t breaking any boundaries, and that’s OK; sometimes you just need some balls-to-the-wall, fun-time black metal to bring a smile to your face. And Naglfar do that in spades. 

Closing out Saturday were Swiss synthesized black metal aliens Darkspace, a colossal booking for the festival and one which Cosmic Void seems the most fitting descriptor for. The trio are stoic, moving only to step up to their microphones where required and instead communicating with the audience in huge waves of sound and curious effects. There is minimal interaction between the three which only serves to add to the inhuman and bizarre power they radiate. 

Vocals are kept to a minimum, and the music itself moves in such a well constructed rhythm that each beat is felt both through the air and through the structure of the building. Darkspace are unwelcoming in their approach, and that is exactly how their music feels—They transport you to the outer limits, the very edge of consciousness and space, and leave you there in the darkness with no way back home. The driving momentum of the performance is never lost—Even as the band dim the lights and step further into the ambient side of themselves, they allow for constant movement and I, for one, can not stay still. It is breathtaking and a perfect end to the day. 

Sunday

Sunday is a little more relaxed on my side, and I started by checking out the first band on my personal schedule, Anomalie, who played their first-ever U.K. show. Upon arriving at The Electric Ballroom five minutes before the Austrian’s are due to start, it was clear that the venue was not yet open. Kinda weird, if we’re being honest, as they started to play on time at 3 p.m. to what could only be the bar staff and the festival merch crew. 

As we were finally moving forward, the guitars echoed through the queue, and there was a rush to hit the space in front of the stage so that the band wouldn’t feel as lonely playing their own style of post black metal. Anomalie certainly play it well, and as they moved through darkness and light, often in the same song, the audience was both receptive and adoring. 

One of the biggest draws of the weekend was the appearance of Norwegian bizarros Ved Buens Ende…, who play a brand of avant-garde, jazz-infused black metal that has yet to be equaled. They are quite rightly revered and have been missing from the U.K. live scene since 2005. Wild. 

We were lucky, then, that they were here this evening, and we were even luckier to hear some truly magical moments from them. “I Sang For the Swans” and “Mask in the Mirror” are stunning, and the inclusion of “Den saakaldte” is a joyous and mind-bending treat. The band were clearly having a lot of fun together, with the stage banter between Vicotnik and Aggressor often being funny and charming. It’s genuinely a pleasure to see this kind of relationship on stage, and it makes for a fascinating and curious performance. 

At this point, I made the decision to hang around the Ballroom and wait for Cult Of Fire, who started a little later than billed. Once the curtains are drawn, it is clear why. The stage set-up is magnificent with both guitarists sat atop serpent thrones, cross-legged and straight-backed, which fits the Hindu and mystical themes of the band. Adorning the center of the stage was a table stacked with ritual and prayer items which were used throughout the theatrical performance given by frontman Vojtěch Holub. HIs presence was overwhelming as he performed with the most intricate costume seen this weekend. Horns, robes and a hidden microphone all added to the drama, and Cult Of Fire held the attention of the faithful congregation from beginning to end. 

The spectacle continued at The Underworld with Dutch madmen Helleruin, who were out to cause ultimate chaos with a performance so frenetic that it’s a wonder their frontman didn’t fall off the stage at any point. He got into the audience, sure, but that must be on purpose, right? Helleruin are all-out black metal wildness, and with the maniacal Carchost on vocals (and everything on record), the band are certainly tipping the scales into the danger zone. 

Next on the same stage are Sinmara, whom I checked out for 20 minutes. Not because they did  anything wrong; in fact, they are an extremely powerful live band. But, alas, I arrived much too late to grab anywhere near a decent spot, and if you’ve been to the venue before, then you’ll know that it’s awkwardly shaped, and standing anywhere other than down on the floor means you get a beautiful view of the back of someone’s head. This meant that my enjoyment was tempered and it seems a better idea to head out and get ready for the final band on the Electric Ballroom stage. 

BORKNAGAR! have been absent from the U.K. since 1998, which is ridiculous. They are insanely good, and that night, they were incredible. The set leaned a little more heavily into the two most recent albums, Winter Thrice and True North, which was a smart move considering it’s been so long since they played here and a lot of people may have been more familiar with these later songs. 

Either way, the crowd were feeling it on a deeper level judging by the amount of hair being thrown around and the wonderfully out-of -une sing-a-longs that can be heard when “Up North” kicks into its chorus. Borknagar’s strengths lie in their outrageously catchy songs and climbing riffs, and in the phenomenal vocal prowess of ICS Vortex and Lars A. Nedlund. Separatel,  they are powerhouses, and together? Together they are unstoppable. 

The Norwegians played for an hour, and it was far from enough for everyone there who, despite knowing it was over, still hung around for a while in the hope that something magical would happen. For those of us who deemed the weekend complete, we spilled out onto the streets of Camden talking about just how fucking good that was. It was really fucking good, guys. There was another band playing down the road, but, for me at least, Borknagar were the pinnacle and closed out Cosmic Void in the most impressive way. I’m still thinking about it today.

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Photos by Kassandra Carmona

]]> Have a Nice Life w/ Ragana, Stander @ House of Blues Chicago, 8/24/23 (Live Photos) https://www.invisibleoranges.com/have-a-nice-life-chicago/ Fri, 01 Sep 2023 16:46:39 +0000 https://www.invisibleoranges.com/?p=55288

Photos by Vivid Bold Truth/Andrew Rothmund

]]> Cirith Ungol’s Triumphant Return to New York (Show Review + Jarvis Leatherby Interview) https://www.invisibleoranges.com/cirith-ungol-le-poisson-rouge/ Thu, 24 Aug 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://www.invisibleoranges.com/?p=55112 Cirith Ungol returned to NYC on Sunday August 20th, their first time since playing the Defenders of the Old Festival in 2017, as well as their first appearance since releasing the powerful Forever Black in 2020. The album, whose supreme power was snuffed out by the Pandemic, stands as one of the best comeback metal albums and one of Cirith Ungol’s best as well. Joining the band at the excellent Le Poisson Rouge were Brooklyn natives Sanhedrin and fellow Ventura vigilantes, Night Demon, with whom they share bassist/manager Jarvis Leatherby; one of the most instrumental figures to their reformation. After the show review below, we’ve got an interview with Jarvis talking about all things Night Demon and Cirith Ungol, including his unique path to managing a band he didn’t even like initially.

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Sanhedrin. Photo credit: Tom Campagna

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Sanhedrin opened the night as the temperatures inside the humble venue were rising faster than the east coast humidity of August in metro NYC. Playing cuts from their three excellent albums, the most recent being 2022’s Lights On, frontwoman Erica Stoltz crushed the crowd with powerful and gruff vocals while plucking her bass along to some of the band’s best tracks: opener “Wind on the Storm” and “Correction” were some of the standouts. These guys play NYC often enough and they should never be missed if you see their name on a bill.

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Night Demon. Photo credit: Tom Campagna.

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Next up were Night Demon, fronted by vocalist/bassist, Jarvis Leatherby and fresh off of their 2023 album Outsider. That was their first attempt at a concept album and certainly one of the best traditional metal albums so far this year. This trio –and maybe a foursome if you count the later appearance of the masked Night Demon on “The Chalice”–made for a ferociously tight set, one that included a little bit from each of their three albums to date and their self-titled EP from all the way back in 2012. Blasting through “Full Speed Ahead” , “Beyond The Grave,” and “Welcome To the Night”, Night Demon pulled no punches and aside from technical difficulties early, they crushed their set with aplomb.

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Photo credit: Tom Campagna

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Cirith Ungol closed things out, of course. Their cult following allowed them to put out their first album in 31 years back in 2020, fully reformed to continue the mission they started back in the early 1970s. Most of the band’s lineup from their last studio album (and Paradise Lost) is back save for the addition of Leatherby on bass. This is a now well-oiled machine after shaking off their initial rust upon reformation, and no stone was left unturned. The inimitable Tim Baker’s screams remain unique to this day, Greg Lindstrom and Jim Barraza ripped through furious riffing sections, and an eye patch-adorned Robert Garven manned the battery. Classic after classic was played: “Black Machine”, “Blood & Iron”, “King of the Dead”, “Atom Smasher” and even cuts from their first album Frost and Fire in “I’m Alive” and the title track. Everything culminated in an encore rendition of “Join The Legion” which had the crowd in an uproar and for good reason; the band is back!

Below, find an interview with Jarvis Leatherby.

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Sadly, I haven’t seen Night Demon before and I missed a crazy show you did a while back with Crowbar, Ghoul and Carcass.

Jarvis Leatherby: I love doing mixed bills like that. The bands are entertaining and we had a great time. 

You are a pretty busy guy in terms of your own band, Night Demon and a legacy band like Cirith Ungol. What’s it like working with 2 bands even when playing with both bands? How do you balance that?

JL: There are worse problems to have, and I guess I am still young enough to handle it. I manage Cirith Ungol and playing bass with them is a secondary job. I often refer to the band as “them” and not “us”. I didn’t like the band for the longest time, they were a local band to me. I wanted everything to sound like The Black Album when I was young. My ears hadn’t matured to their sound for a long time. Night Demon is very much my personality along with the other guys in the band. I wear a lot of hats in both bands, but fronting Night Demon is very different than what I do in Cirith Ungol. I have done these double header bills, many different times. It can be tiring but it would be worse if the band had played in a different order. I expend a ton of energy with Night Demon singing and all. Cirith Ungol is much easier on me. 

I am still their manager while on stage and they have been around for over 50 years. I have a lot more live experience than they do. Night Demon is about to play our 700th show and I was in 35 bands before that. Cirith Ungol including their reformation has done just over 100 shows. They never toured in their first 20 years. I can be more of a facilitator on stage, kind of like a point guard. I don’t need to slam dunk the ball, I kind of direct traffic. It would suck if I was a manager on the side of the stage in a suit yelling “Guys! Guys!” every time something went wrong.

I half imagined that you had a trucker hat on like Judah Friedlander that had “Manager” emblazoned across it.

JL: [Laughs] yeah the whole thing is really interesting.

How long has it been that the band officially reformed? How did it come to be that you were managing them?

JL: It will be 7 years this year. I was instrumental in reforming the band and I had been bugging them to do it. When they finally decided to do it, I started playing with them to get their chops back up because they hadn’t played in 25 years. I don’t mean they hadn’t played as a band; I mean they hadn’t played at all. It isn’t like riding a bike. They basically told me that I had to manage them, and I had already been managing another band at the time, but somebody needed to take the reins. I even tried to get the original bass player back and it wasn’t happening. 

Shifting gears to Night Demon, Outsider is one of my favorite records of the year and your best yet. What was it like to get back in the studio to put together a full length for the first time in 6 years?

JL: We did 2 world tours for Darkness Remains and did a live album for that as well. We did five 7” singles in 2020 and toured off of those in 2022. We had a forced break due to the Pandemic and with the lack of distractions we got to do a concept record which we had always wanted to do. We made the best out of that bad situation. Even if you say you are taking time off or only doing one-offs it can really throw off the creative flow. 

How many shows have you played with Cirith Ungol to this point?

JL: Around 35 or so. Next year we are going to pick it up a lot. We are headlining festivals and being a bit more selective with our shows. As their manager I want to keep the value of the band high. 

I remember a few years ago there was that Defenders of the Old festival that I couldn’t make it out to. Now you are playing a stellar spot in Le Poisson Rouge in lower Manhattan. How did you go about curating which venues would be best for you?

JL: Like you said we hadn’t been back to NYC since Defenders and I thought it was time for the band to return. People kept reaching out to us to try and make it happen. They are playing their first show in Los Angeles since 1988 and it’s only an hour away from Ventura. 

Beyond the live dates, what’s the plan for the rest of 2023 and 2024?

JL: There is a new album coming out and it will be announced really soon.

Really looking forward to the follow-up to Forever Black because that was my album of the year when it initially dropped in 2020. 

JL: I don’t get involved in their songwriting and then I executive produce it. I try to look at it objectively as a Cirith Ungol fan and can let them know what works and what doesn’t. We work well together overall. 

To somebody who doesn’t know the band very well, what makes Cirith Ungol unique?

JL: First of all let’s look at Tim’s vocals. I have never heard anything like it. Whether you love it or hate it it’s unique. I think with the prevalence of extreme metal these days there might be more people out there who can enjoy this. Tim was one of the first guys to really scream like that back in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Rob also has a unique drumming style. Even the late Jerry Fogle had a unique soloing style. That would really sum it up for me. The unique individuals make for a similar sum. 

Pulling stuff from The Orange Album for Half Past Human was an interesting move. How did you go and draw from that well?

JL: Pretty cool. Those are songs that nobody had ever heard. When a band hasn’t made music in so long, it can be tough to live up to expectations. There have been a couple of great comeback records in recent years like from Angel Witch and Van Halen when they did that last album with David Lee Roth, both had something in common. They both feature songs that were written and not previously released from back in the earliest days of those bands. New “old” stock if you will. 

We wanted a way to do something during the Pandemic and with the album having come out it had stifled the band. The only reason we did “Brutish Manchild” for Decibel was because they wanted something for their Flexi Discs. All 4 of the songs were demos from the ‘70s. 

In terms of the artwork going forward, are there any Elric of Melniboné covers left?

JL: Yeah the album covers used by the band are from the Elric of Melniboné series from Moorcock and Michael Whelan did the artwork. With the new album we are completing the series, we have them all. 

Is there anything else on your mind?

JL: If anybody is interested in seeing the band, the time is now. We reunited them when they were all turning 60 and that was 7 years ago. The horizon is in sight, there is no definitive plan to end this thing, but we don’t want to run it into the ground either. This may be the last time we ever come to NYC. 

I think about a similar unsung band in the same way, Manilla Road. Mark “The Shark” Shelton was finally getting to do what he always wanted. 

JL: I was with him the day he died and was a dear friend of mine. One good thing that they did in their last 5 or 6 years was that they toured. Everybody finally got to see them. We never know when our day is going to come. Shark went out there and left it all on the table.

I remember seeing the band the day after and they were crushed. 

JL: They were devastated. It was a rough time for them. They were stuck in Germany and had seen Night Demon 6 days afterwards and had to get his body home. 

Even Ozzy Osbourne is getting to the point where he had to be honest with himself and say that he can’t do it like this anymore. 

JL: The band do not want to be a parody of themselves. It is their decision to do everything they can before it gets to that point. In the next 18 months you are going to be getting a lot of live performances, more so than ever. 

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Night Demon released Outsider on March 17 via Century Media.

]]> Heaviness Perfected: Yob, Cave In, and Yakuza at Thalia Hall 6/6/2023 (Live Report + Photos) https://www.invisibleoranges.com/yob-cave-in-yakuza-6-6-2023/ Fri, 09 Jun 2023 18:42:55 +0000 https://www.invisibleoranges.com/yob-cave-in-yakuza-6-6-2023/
Yob. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yob. Photo credit: Ted Nubel

Yob, Cave In, and Yakuza performing together? On the same bill? If it wasn’t at Chicago’s Thalia Hall (a large, independent venue), I’d ask what year it was. To that point, Yob frontman Mike Scheidt even reminded the crowd of a time in which Yob and Yakuza played together at long-defunct venue The Note at a show which started at 2 AM. I am glad this show started at 7 PM!

Hot off the release of their newest album Sutra, their first in over a decade, was Yakuza. Performing choice cuts from said album, Yakuza’s blend of metal, free improvisation, and, most importantly, jazz (frontman Bruce Lamont is a prolific saxophone player) took the unsuspecting crowd by storm. Though it could be said that this long-standing band’s heyday was back in the 2000s, watching this newly reinvigorated band, with new bassist Jerome Marshall in tow, was like seeing Yakuza “back in the day.” The band exuded energy, power, and creativity throughout their set, and a lengthy tribute to the late Kenneth Anger ventured through Yakuza’s sound kaleidoscope.

While Yakuza’s set was a serious piece of art, Cave In‘s rocking riff worship was simply about having fun. After finishing their first song (which was incredibly heavy), bassist Nate Newton raised his fists in the air and let out a loud “FUCK YEAH!” setting the tone for the rest of the set. Cave In’s spacy, low string riffery was a perfect middle ground between Yakuza’s headiness and the soon-to-be-onstage Yob’s suffocating heaviness, but by far the most interesting part of their set wasn’t even an original song. “This song is where we got our name,” said singer and guitarist Steve Brodsky, leading into a sufficiently doomed rendition of Codeine’s “Cave In,” complete with a massive guitar solo. All in all, having never seen Cave In before, I’d definitely see these guys again.

Now, it had been a while since I last saw Yob and it was at a much smaller venue (the Empty Bottle, owned by the same folks who run Thalia Hall), but this larger than life doom metal band’s sound traverses stage and venue size. Yob could play a small bar or a huge festival and it would make sense in either simply due to how intimate of an atmosphere frontman Mike Scheidt and company create in a live setting. Yob is love, after all. Opening with “Molten Ball of Lead,” I knew I was in for a treat, and throughout their set Yob adventured through their discography, even going so far back as to revisit a song from the recently reissued Elaborations of Carbon (their debut). Yob also played a delightfully long set. Scheidt even joked that the set would be “Five songs, 90 minutes,” and it honestly came mildly close (and without a dull moment). What sets Yob apart from their peers is their stage mastery. Thalia Hall isn’t a small venue, and bassist Aaron Rieseberg owned a good portion of the stage, headbanging and moving about with an energy which matches Yob’s heaviness. Scheidt even made his way to the front of the stage to ecstatically yell and howl with the crowd. Having not seen Yob for a very long time (maybe ten years or so), they didn’t miss a beat, even with the latest addition of new drummer Dave French, who fell right into place and performed exquisitely.

-Words by Jon Rosenthal, Photos by Ted Nubel

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Keep scrolling for photos below.

Remaining Yob (w/ Cave In through the 12th, then Pallbearer):
June 9th – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts

June 10th – Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub

June 12th – New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge

June 13th – New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge

June 14th – Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry

June 15th – Asheville, NC @ Asheville Music Hall

June 16th – Atlanta, GA @ Hell at The Masquerade

June 17th – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues New Orleans

June 18th – Austin, TX @ Oblivion Access Festival 2023

June 20th – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Bar

June 21st – Mesa, AZ @ Nile Theater

June 22nd – San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick

June 23rd – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom

June 24th – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Metro

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Yob, Cave In, Yakuza - Thalia Hall 6/6/2023

Yakuza. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yakuza. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yakuza. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yakuza. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yakuza. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yakuza. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yakuza. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yakuza. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yakuza. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yakuza. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yakuza. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yakuza. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yakuza. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yakuza. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Cave In. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Cave In. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Cave In. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Cave In. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Cave In. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Cave In. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Cave In. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Cave In. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Cave In. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Cave In. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yob. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yob. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yob. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yob. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yob. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yob. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yob. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yob. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yob. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yob. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yob. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yob. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yob. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yob. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yob. Photo credit: Ted Nubel
Yob. Photo credit: Ted Nubel

]]> Insomnium’s Melodic Death Metal Shines – Both on “Anno 1696” and Live In Concert https://www.invisibleoranges.com/insomnium-anno-1696/ Fri, 02 Jun 2023 17:00:30 +0000 https://www.invisibleoranges.com/insomnium-anno-1696/ Insomnium - Anno 1696

Returning to the U.S. for the first time since their COVID-shortened Tour Like a Grave lasted one Philadelphia show in March of 2020, this spring marked the first New York City Insomnium show since 2018. They embarked upon a North American tour that spanned almost the entire month of April, this being the first night, and they brought Black Anvil and Enslaved along for the entire ride. The tour supported their new album Anno 1696, a powerful new chapter for the band.

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Photo credit: Tom Campagna
Photo credit: Tom Campagna

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Black Anvil’s black metal opened what was essentially a hometown show as they played a set of tracks that was exclusive to their 2022 release Regenesis. I was not able to get there in time due to a hectic evening with train delays galore, but was able to show up in time for Insomnium’s set. Progressive black metal legends Enslaved closed out the night. The set heavily featured their new album, Heimdal, and previous record Utgard, which wasn’t able to be toured extensively due to COVID. The set even went all the way back to their Yggdrasill demo from 1992 with “Allfáðr Oðinn.” All in all, Enslaved brought the house down after a night of epic music at the beginning of what was to become a very cold transition to spring in the Mid-Atlantic.

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Insomnium’s live set gives some clues into what makes their newest album, Anno 1696, magnificent. Album and set opener “1696” starts slowly and gives way to riff sections that speed up and crash into layers of beauty. Powerful dynamics dominate Insomnium’s sound, allowing for it to become more fully fleshed out. The album features two guest spots, the first of which made it onto the setlist (guest-less, however): “White Christ,” which on tape boasts Sakis Tolis of Rotting Christ at the outset of the song as mid-paced riffs crash around an emotive atmosphere. On the record, this track is followed directly by “Godforsaken,” featuring vocalist Johanna Kurkela, a native Finn who is the wife of Nightwish’s Tuomas Holopainen, who, aside from her own solo career, has appeared on albums from her husband’s band and Sonata Arctica. She adds a layer of beauty that Insomnium usually reserve for guitar parts, instead allowing the riffs to be more crushing and bombastic juxtaposed against her elegance, with some Middle Eastern sounds thrown in for good measure.

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Photo credit: Tom Campagna
Photo credit: Tom Campagna

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Insomnium love to keep balance a central theme on Anno 1696, never allowing for it to become too much of one sound. “Lillian” opens with acoustic guitar before the drums dial up the speed off in the distance, ever so often coming in to join the heavy riffs, and “The Witch Hunter” is a late album contender for best song. Right out of the gate, you are hit with crushing riffs and mesmerized by the ethereal in what is one of the most straightforward songs on the album, acting as a great track to get new fans a foothold on the record as a complete whole. The three-guitar attack serves the band well here, keeping all of the separate pieces together and making for a whole that is more than the sum of all its separate parts. Across the album, the heavy riffs they deliver can transition to beauty and counter the rough vocal sections.

The night’s setlist wasn’t just the new album, though, as the band inserted tracks from Above the Weeping World, Shadows of the Dying Sun, and closed things out with the title track from Heart Like a Grave, digging deep at times but allowing for the sounds of their sonic evolution to be felt across their time as a band, never deviating too much from their core sonic beliefs. The show was a great return to New York City for the reigning masters of Finnish extreme metal, on the heels of an excellent album.

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Anno 1696 released February 24th via Century Media Records.

]]> Getting the Band Back Together: Mr. Bungle at LA’s Palladium (Live Review + Photos) https://www.invisibleoranges.com/mr-bungle-live-la-palladium/ Thu, 18 May 2023 19:00:22 +0000 https://www.invisibleoranges.com/mr-bungle-live-la-palladium/
Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack

If there’s one tour that earns the overused distinction of “not-to-be-missed,” it’s this one. Serious fans of thrash, punk, metal, and all things Mr. Bungle will forever kick themselves for passing on this lineup.

The highly acclaimed Ipecac Recordings tour package, known as The Geek Show, which includes the audio punishment of The Melvins and equally ruthless Spotlights, is causing a frenzy as it quickly sells out across the remaining dates in the U.S. and Canada. And it’s no wonder why.

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Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack

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The recent show at LA’s Palladium was a welcome return on many levels beyond a simple post-pandemic celebration. Singer Mike Patton marked a triumphant return from a mental health break that took many fans by surprise, as he is often considered superhuman. Just seeing him at full strength vocally and in command of the stage in front of endearing (albeit gray-bearded) fans was reason enough to remember why this band has been hailed by critics and musicians for over thirty years. True to form, this Mr. Bungle reunion would have nothing in common with any other rock rehash.

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In a stroke of genius, Patton and the visionary Bungle founders Trevor Dunn and Trey Spruance decided that a reunion would be best served by revisiting their thrash demo from 1986, entitled The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny. But they didn’t stop there. They enlisted the heroes of their own youth to re-record it, and fortunately, these heroes happen to be avid fans of Mr. Bungle themselves.

One such legend, Dave Lombardo, is considered by many to be drum royalty. Rumor has it that Miles Davis once commented on the Slayer drummer’s skill. He has had a working relationship with Patton for many years, so being asked to play on a recording inspired by Slayer was a bit of a no-brainer. The results speak volumes.

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Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack

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Joining the ranks of this musical powerhouse is none other than the esteemed Scott Ian from Anthrax. As members of Bungle have referenced Reign of Blood as one of their biggest influences, getting Ian onboard was a bit like snagging The Hulk for your new superhero club. A longtime Bungle fan himself, Ian jumped at the chance to play and now wears a new Mr. Bungle tattoo as a ribbon on the gift. On stage, he just could not hide the child-like grin he had simply to be in this band.

Die-hard fans of the 1992 Warner Brothers’ first Bungle release who are expecting a cornucopia of stylistic mashups might be a bit disappointed. This is a thrash/metal/punk show and is billed as such. Expecting anything other than the unexpected from this band is rather naïve. But there are some truly Bungle-esque fun ones, such as the pitch-perfect rendition of Spandau Ballet’s “True” and the theme to Welcome Back Kotter (for those old enough to remember the pre-Saturday Night Fever, John Travolta). But the real reason to attend this show is to witness an unparalleled collaboration that defies comparison.
These so-called “supergroups” often disappoint because the idea is better than the music. In the case of Mr. Bungle, their superpower-level disregard for business worries has, once again, brought into focus the only thing that has ever mattered: the music.

So go because live music is back. Go because your mates are going. Go because you want to headbang. But most of all, go because you will never hear a band like this again. It is an “I-was-there” moment that will have deep meaning years from now.

Keep scrolling for more photos from the show.

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Setlist (Hollywood Palladium, May 11, 2023)
Welcome Back (John Sebastian cover)
Bungle Grind
Eracist
Spreading the Thighs of Death
Territory (Sepultura cover)
Hypocrites
Speak English or Die (Stormtroopers of Death cover) (changed to “Speak Spanish or Die”)
Glutton for Punishment
Anarchy Up Your Anus
Methematics
Hell Awaits (Slayer cover)
True (Spandau Ballet cover)
Cold War (Siege cover)
Raping Your Mind
World Up My Ass (Circle Jerks cover)
Sudden Death

Encore:
Loss of Control (Van Halen cover)
My Ass Is on Fire
PEP

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The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo was released on October 30th, 2020 via Ipecac Recordings.

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Mr Bungle Live

Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack

Mr Bungle at Palladium

Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack
Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack
Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack
Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack
Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack
Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack
Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack
Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack
Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack
Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack
Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack
Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack
Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack
Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack
Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack
Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack
Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack
Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack
Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack
Mr Bungle at Palladium
Photo Credit: Jimmy Monack

]]> Roadburn 2023: A Definitive Look Back (Festival Review + Photos) https://www.invisibleoranges.com/roadburn-2023-review-photos/ Wed, 10 May 2023 18:00:47 +0000
Julie Christmas @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto

The city of Tilburg is into Roadburn, and it’s not even trying to hide it. They’ve had a compellingly close relationship for years, but something definitely changed in the build-up to 2023’s edition of the highly respected heavy and experimental music festival, and now they’re practically inseparable.

See it in the Offroad program, pulled together by the festival organizers and local businesses to offer Roadburn-approved club nights, free gigs, and ice cream flavors(!). See it in the redeveloped Koepelhal area of the city, which sprang into life in 2019 as a skate park and stage-come-building site, now teeming with redeveloped spaces alive with social activity. See it even in the local businesses who don’t receive the official festival stamp of approval, but get in on it anyway—the city center bars mystifying local teenagers with playlists of Alice Cooper songs in a sort of “Are ya winning, Son?” display of solidarity and reassuring attendees that this is their weekend.

The to and fro discussion regarding the festival’s line up ahead of time restated the same phrase repeatedly: “new direction.” This was true of both the festival’s own announcements and social media posts, and those who bounded into the comments to respond to them. It was actually quite fun to try and work out what anyone meant, and on evidence one person’s excitement at broadening their musical palette is another person’s misery at being encouraged to do the same.

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Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto

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The phrase remained, and remained open to interpretation until a Q&A four days into the festival in which Roadburn’s artistic director Walter Hoeijmakers passionately surmised the intent of the usage: in a post-pandemic world, touring is unavoidably more expensive at every point in the supply chain, and as a result, it doesn’t necessarily make sense to book one act playing music that the audience has potentially seen live a number of times prior, when they could instead use an equivalent investment to showcase five newer acts across a range of styles and give the audience a chance to explore something exciting. This leads to more acts across more stages and naturally creates room for greater diversity in the bill.

Hearing this felt less like the big splash of “new direction” and more like drifting into the current of “existing direction confirmed.” Part of the joy of attending the festival year on year is witnessing the shifting sands of taste and curation and seeing the huge majority of attendees coming along for the journey. Recent years have seen tentative toes dipped in new artistic directions and genres that the festival is now completely at home with, and it makes complete sense: you can’t un-have an adventure; you can’t un-feel an experience; and to reverse the clock on the expansion of Roadburn’s imagination and lineup would be an exercise in nostalgia that its key players have no interest in. In 2023, the tagline for the festival remains “Redefining Heaviness.”

It’s impossible to watch everything you want to see in a lineup like Roadburn’s by any metric, your voyage of discovery, your bucket list bands, and your old favorites all set off under the same starting pistol, and your lived experience ends up a cocktail of meticulous planning, snap decisions, and missing things because you forgot to check the time. Covering the event, therefore, should reflect this: to offer the experience of being there as a list of bands, stage times, and set lists would resemble a third grader’s ‘what I did on my summer holidays’ regurgitation of the facts. Instead, we’re going to begin by taking you through five of the most significant performances of Roadburn 2023.

Ashanti Mutinta, aka Backxwash had been a long time coming. Initially set to play last year’s festival before being denied a visa, the Polaris Music Prize-winning industrial hip hop legend’s European debut took the format of two career spanning sets, her first (MA NYIMBO YA GEHAN) leaning into metallic intensity and featuring an appearance from Pupil Slicer’s Kate Davies.T o command an audience the scale of which turned out for Ashanti is no mean feat, and over the course of the weekend her confidence first builds, then erupts, with syllable perfect renditions of “VIBANDA” and “Black Magic” during NINE HELLS, providing a crescendo for the whole of Saturday. Ashanti’s music is intense in every sense, yet the image everyone goes away with (sorry!) is the look of obvious joy on her face at the reception to the performances, and the realization of exactly what a big deal she is at the festival.

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Backxwash @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto

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The first set of the weekend that Spirit Possession played, they sounded a lot like Bo Ningen. This is because they played in the Hall of Fame, currently the smallest of the festival’s official venues, and does it ever fill up, in this case sending us back to the Terminal stage. Over the course of the weekend, people learned to be at the door ahead of time to ensure entry, meaning that getting into some of its most exciting prospects (Antichrist Siege Machine, SIERRA, the Chat Pile secret set) was a game of patience, and the numbers simply don’t favor everyone walking in—Bo Ningen nailed it though. The second set of the weekend that Spirit Possession played was riotous fun that tasted like victory because we actually saw it. In addition to simply being mesmerised at the pickless guitar acrobatics of S. Peacock as he and A. Spungin stomped through their songs of heavy metal marinated in blackened bile, the set was also a part of the previously mentioned Offroad programme, meaning it was free to anyone who happened to be in the area. As a result, it took place in a bar named Cul-de-sac, which several years ago was an official stage of the festival, and so returning to the fondly remembered “pit” in the back of the tiny venue held definite nostalgia value for many; sound problems and all, it was definitely a Cul-de-sac set.

If any one act crucially epitomized the personality of Roadburn 2023, it was Elizabeth Colour Wheel. Heavy in a way that slips through your fingers as soon as you pick it up to take a closer look, with the ability to seamlessly slip through musical cracks and between styles, they played twisted contortions of songs from 2019’s Nocebo that encompassed fun, love, and rage, with the opening verse of “23” becoming one of the dance-along highlights of the weekend and offering a glimpse of a new song titled “Alien With Extraordinary Ability” (the title of the visa singer Lane Shi Otayonii required to travel) as the set opened. For anyone who has only ever heard ECW on record, it was fun to bear witness to their unexpected metal chops: For a group who told us they’re not a metal band, they sure do sound like one at points in the show, with Lane parting the audience to scream at the crowd an inch away from their faces. The band would go on to leave ripples over the surface of the whole weekend, with Lane’s solo Otay:onii project fusing performance, costuming, and music in a way unlike any other act of the festival, and the band’s commissioned collaboration with Ethan Lee McCarthy of Primitive Man providing a simultaneously crushing and ecstatic mass to begin Sunday with.

Wayfarer’s frontier black metal feels fresh, in spite of spawning an entire sub genre in its wake, so the idea of their having enough of the road behind them to perform a retrospective seems out of this world (or Invisible Oranges is getting old, and it can’t be that)—but here they are, discussing their heritage and sharing a little of their future. Frontman Shane McCarthy talks us through the bands love of Western gothic and David Eugene Edwards, and how with the advantage of hindsight, it’s clear that the “Denver sound” was always destined to be a part of their music, no matter which direction it ultimately took. Black metal is often obscured: awash with noise, feedback, musical as well as physical anonymity–This is not Wayfarer’s approach, their melodies are taught and defined, and a joy to follow. After a break in the set in which a short film is played—all rocky crevasses and drifter monologuing—the band returns to play a run of entirely new material from their forthcoming unannounced album. Premiering work live can be anticlimactic if the music doesn’t hook people immediately, but Wayfarer don’t face this problem, with the bright lead melody of the first song played in particular ringing through our minds on the train home the following day.

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Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto

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Who is Mamaleek? At this point, you’re never going to know, and hey that’s fine. The path to the festival has been a convoluted one for the band who seldom play shows as it is. Scheduled to play the Flenser showcase at the cancelled 2020 festival (that showcase essentially took place this year in an unofficial capacity), they were subsequently booked for 2023’s show in light of Këkht Aräkh’s inability to travel, before suffering the death of band member, keyboard player, and multi instrumentalist Eric Alan Livingstone. The band had said in a statement that they would play to honor Livingstone, and his presence defines the set: He is represented on stage by an empty stool, and the space it leaves takes a visible toll on the band, to the point that cheering and clapping the songs feels like an unusual or trite reaction, but it’s the only lever the audience has access to, so we cheer and we clap in the intent that the band is assured the decision to play for Eric was the right one. The set is largely culled from Diner Coffee and Come & See, and on stage, the air that Mamaleek weave into their jazz-and-skronk black metal tales make so much sense, there is a dynamic range here that few other heavy bands are brave enough to attempt. The songs are delivered with conviction, and the room is transfixed. In the wake of the set, there was a sense that a subset of the audience had arrived Mamaleek-curious, and left as converts.

Elsewhere (huge intake of breath…), Chat Pile covered “Bulls on Parade” and you watched seven videos of it on Twitter; CROUCH played a refreshingly stripped-back take on sludge, John Cxnnor nailed their Godflesh-by-way-of-John-Wick vibe to open the festival; Predatory Void pulled in a huge crowd to debut their album; Esben & The Witch confidently said the loud parts quiet; Deathless Void made a case for best traditional black metal act of the weekend (plus points for four out of five band members in biker jackets and growling their between-song chat); Julie Christmas made everyone in the room cry with a beautiful look back at her work to date; Bell Witch debuted The Clandestine Gate; Storefront Church declared themselves the “Coldplay of the festival” but were so much more; Candy got a pit going from 30 yards away, Ad Nauseam showed us Krallice-esque black metal does actually go with brunch; Imperial Triumphant’s Metropolis esque visuals dressed their performace suitably, Oiseaux-Tempete played a string of apocalyptic arrangements, Boy Harsher literally told everyone to dance or gtfo, Giles Corey provided catharsis through sheer sadness, SIERRA was the most oversubcribed set of the weekend, and BIG|BRAVE pulled the equivalent of a pop-in part way through their tour to play to the biggest audience of their career and got straight back in the van (plus points for tour lifer energy).

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Julie Christmas + Johannes Persson @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto

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This year’s festival had decidedly fewer secret sets than 2022, and it worked. Presented initially as puzzles, posters appeared on site overnight simply stating lyrics or other clues, a stage name, and a time. People walked past these a number of times before it clicked, principally because no other announcement was forthcoming, but sure enough there we were in the Next Stage, with a room full of other people about 60% confident we were about to watch Have A Nice Life, and then we did. This continued throughout the weekend, with enough of a sense of treasure hunting and fun that you couldn’t really be sore about missing some of them. If you were lucky enough to catch Duma on the last night of the festival, you felt like you’d been a part of something cool. That’s what secret sets should do, not have people walking around in a state of semi permanent FOMO, checking their phones every five minutes.

Given shifting tour rosters, audiences, and festival priorities, it’s always worth examining the role nostalgia plays in drawing people to events like Roadburn. The key takeaway in 2023 was that nostalgia only works when it’s your nostalgia. It can be difficult to critically assess certain anniversary shows and retrospectives if you just weren’t there the first time around, and as a result, sometimes the crowd response is more apt than your own, a realization we had trying to reconcile the loving response to Burst’s set on the main stage (the notes here say “Converge dads playing Mastodon covers”), and Deafheaven’s full album set of Sunbather, which felt like an outpouring of emotion first, and series of songs second. It’s fun to take a detour into the past with a room of like-minded people, but it’s both impractical and limiting to stay there for too long. This year’s celebrations, anniversaries, and album sets seemed strategically targeted at different parts of the audience, and were spaced out enough that the focus remained instead largely on the present and future of heavy music. It’s a relief when the bands playing those sets don’t feel like hostages doing so at gunpoint, however, so the energy with which Deafheaven threw themselves into the songs from Sunbather was a pleasure to watch.

As a visitor, it’s difficult to measure where an event the size of Roadburn lands each year in terms of representation both on and off the bill, but it’s with happiness that we note the event seems more diverse with each passing year. New voices bring new ideas and new ideas are the lifeblood of experimental music, we hope that trend continues. It also still feels like one of the friendlier live music events in the calendar. This doesn’t mean that you’ll be making new connections in every room you enter, but it does mean someone will compliment your t-shirt, or you theirs, and that the pervading atmosphere is of respect, allowing people to get on with the real business of watching bands and eating frites with too much mayonnaise on.

Part way through the festival, taking a break in the newly renovated LOC brewery (which also hosted some free shows—Terzij de Horde played there!), we sat with some Tilburg residents who weren’t attending the festival, but had come along to soak up the vibe. They told us that the city takes on a new identity for one weekend every April, and that they enjoy being around the sense of creativity it brings. That a festival hosting some of the most hostile, abrasive music in the world can draw in not only fans of that music but other people entirely based purely on a reputation for inventiveness and artistry illustrates perfectly the appeal of the event the team has spent years defining and redefining. New direction? Sure, but the guiding philosophy is steadfast, for now we’re left to wonder just what that definition will include in 2024.

Keep scrolling for more photos.

Photo credit: Anne-Laure (@e.lu.lu)

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Roadburn 2023

Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Roadburn 2023
Backxwash @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Backxwash @ Roadburn 2023
Julie Christmas @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Julie Christmas @ Roadburn 2023
Mamaleek @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Mamaleek @ Roadburn 2023
Ad Nauseam @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Ad Nauseam @ Roadburn 2023
Antichrist Siege Machine @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Antichrist Siege Machine @ Roadburn 2023
Backxwash @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Backxwash @ Roadburn 2023
Bell Witch @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Bell Witch @ Roadburn 2023
Bell Witch @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Bell Witch @ Roadburn 2023
Boy Harsher @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Boy Harsher @ Roadburn 2023
Boy Harsher @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Boy Harsher @ Roadburn 2023
Burst @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Burst @ Roadburn 2023
Burst @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Burst @ Roadburn 2023
Cave In @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Cave In @ Roadburn 2023
Cave In @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Cave In @ Roadburn 2023
Deafheaven @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Deafheaven @ Roadburn 2023
Deafheaven @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Deafheaven @ Roadburn 2023
Deafheaven @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Deafheaven @ Roadburn 2023
Elizabeth Color Wheel + Ethan McCarthy @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Elizabeth Color Wheel + Ethan McCarthy @ Roadburn 2023
Elizabeth Color Wheel @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Elizabeth Color Wheel @ Roadburn 2023
Elizabeth Color Wheel @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Elizabeth Color Wheel @ Roadburn 2023
Have a Nice Life @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Have a Nice Life @ Roadburn 2023
Imperial Triumphant @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Imperial Triumphant @ Roadburn 2023
Imperial Triumphant @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Imperial Triumphant @ Roadburn 2023
Julie Christmas + Johannes Persson @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Julie Christmas + Johannes Persson @ Roadburn 2023
Julie Christmas + Johannes Persson @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Julie Christmas + Johannes Persson @ Roadburn 2023
KEN Mode @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
KEN Mode @ Roadburn 2023
KEN Mode @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
KEN Mode @ Roadburn 2023
Mamaleek @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Mamaleek @ Roadburn 2023
Oiseaux Tempete @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Oiseaux Tempete @ Roadburn 2023
Spirit Possession @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Spirit Possession @ Roadburn 2023
Wayfarer @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Wayfarer @ Roadburn 2023
Wayfarer @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Wayfarer @ Roadburn 2023
Wolves in the Throne Room @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Wolves in the Throne Room @ Roadburn 2023
Wolves in the Throne Room @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Wolves in the Throne Room @ Roadburn 2023
Zola Jesus @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Zola Jesus @ Roadburn 2023
Zola Jesus @ Roadburn 2023
Photo Credit: eluluphoto
Zola Jesus @ Roadburn 2023

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