I threw this on expecting some decent Swedish thrash and ended up liking it more than I thought I would!
Repulsion is only five tracks, but it moves fast and doesn’t waste time. Dead Sleep keep it stripped down – no extra layers, no pointless detours, just riffs and momentum. Feels more punk-fed than a lot of newer thrash, which helps.
“Repulsion” opens hard and pretty much sets the pace straight away. Fast, sharp, catchy without softening anything. This track is the one that stayed with me more though. That slower crawling riff in the middle sits differently from the rest of the EP and breaks up the speed in a good way.
“Hell Hath No Fury” goes for a darker mood, while “Leech From Čachtice” tears ahead with a strong speed metal spirit in its guitars and overall momentum. Both are absolute killers, with a healthy dose of spite running through them.
The lyrics caught me off guard too. There’s more going on than the usual thrash clichés – defiance, anger, women pushing back instead of just being written into the violence. Small thing maybe, but it gives the songs their own shape.
Anna Wagner holds the whole thing together. Bass and vocals both right up front, rough enough without turning messy. The whole EP sounds like three people in a room pushing everything as hard as it goes.
That’s probably why it works.
It’s rough, quick, a little nasty, and doesn’t hang around longer than it needs to. Twenty minutes and done.
Went back to the title track twice after the first run!
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Twenty years since Watching From A Distance… That album was huge for me back then, so I went into this one pretty nervous. I kept thinking “what if it doesn’t feel like Warning anymore?”. It does. But it also feels… different. Older.
Patrick Walker’s voice sounds really worn down now. Not in a bad way, just tired, cracked and full of years. On “Stations” and the title track especially, it almost hurts to listen to. You can feel that he’s been carrying this stuff around for a long time.
The music is classic Warning – slow, heavy, bare and heavy-hearted. Those massive riffs that just hang there and press down on your chest. No bullshit, no extra layers, just pure feeling. “Night Comes Down” is the one that’s been messing with me the most. It takes its time and when it finally opens up… yeah, it gets you.
It doesn’t feel like a big comeback record. It feels more like the band had these songs in them after all this time and finally let them out. There’s a lot of sadness here, but also this quiet, tired kind of acceptance.
I’ve spun it a bunch of times now. It didn’t blow me away on the first listen, but it’s the kind of album that slowly works its way under your skin.
I’m really glad they made it. Didn’t feel forced or nostalgic in a cheesy way. Just honest.
If Watching From A Distance meant something to you, you should hear this. It’s worth it.
Welcome back, lads!
Steps into Shadow took me a while to figure out. Not because it’s especially difficult, but because every time it seemed ready to settle into one thing, it drifted somewhere else.
The obvious description would be progressive doom/death metal, but that only tells part of the story. There are death metal riffs all over the album, sure, but they’re constantly interrupted by quieter passages, strange instrumental detours and melodies that seem more interested in atmosphere than impact. Saxophone and flute appear throughout the record as well, though thankfully not in the “look how progressive we are” way that sometimes ruins albums like this.
What I kept coming back to was the feeling that GOLD SPIRE don’t really care where one genre ends and another begins. The heavy parts aren’t there because a death metal band is supposed to have heavy parts. The calmer moments don’t feel inserted simply to create contrast. Everything seems to follow its own internal logic, even when the album takes turns that initially feel unexpected.
A lot of modern progressive metal suffers from musicians trying to impress each other. Endless layers, endless technical details, endless moments designed to make listeners stop and admire how clever everything is. Steps into Shadow rarely falls into that trap. The arrangements are often busy, but the music itself never feels desperate for approval.
The saxophone deserves a mention because it genuinely contributes something rather than acting as a novelty. The same goes for the flute. Neither instrument dominates the material. They simply exist within it, occasionally pulling a passage in a different direction before disappearing again. After a while they stop feeling unusual altogether.
The album’s darker mood also helps. There is very little of the bright, triumphant atmosphere that often creeps into progressive metal. Even when melodies become more prominent, there’s usually something uneasy lurking underneath. The record never becomes oppressive, but it doesn’t offer much comfort either.
If there’s a weakness, it’s probably that the album demands more concentration than some listeners will be willing to give it. This isn’t background music. Let it drift past you and entire sections will blur together. Give it proper attention and the picture becomes much clearer.
What I like most about Steps into Shadow is that it sounds unconcerned with trends. It doesn’t chase modern death metal, doesn’t chase old-school death metal, doesn’t chase prog audiences. It simply sounds like a group of musicians following ideas wherever they happen to lead.
That approach doesn’t guarantee a masterpiece. What it does create is an album with its own personality, which is becoming increasingly rare. By the time the record ended, I wasn’t thinking about genres anymore. I was already wondering whether I wanted to hear it again. That’s usually a good sign.
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With their debut full-length album Failing Light, DROMOS continue to refine a vision rooted in the immersive depths of funeral doom. Drawing on backgrounds that span death metal, industrial, and experimental heavy music, the band crafts a sound defined not only by weight, but by atmosphere, patience, and emotional resonance. We spoke with Sami, Patrick, and Matt about the album’s creation, the role of melancholy and repetition in their music, and the balance between tradition and exploration within the doom landscape.
Hi! When Failing Light began taking shape, what kind of atmosphere or internal state did you feel the album was trying to sustain from beginning to end?
The overall atmosphere of Failing Light follows the path established on the EP and will likely continue into our next material. It embraces many of the characteristics that define funeral doom as a genre: music rooted in sorrow and introspective contemplation. The songs aim to express this not only through riffs, but also through progression, pacing, and dynamics. The intention is melancholy rather than despair, reflecting the idea that sadness is an unavoidable part of life, but not necessarily its final destination, as funeral doom can be felt as uplifting music too. At the end, the album’s emotional impact remains fluid, shaped by the listener’s state of mind. Even for those who created it, the feelings evoked by the music will likely continue to evolve with each return over the years. – Patrick
A lot of funeral doom relies on sheer weight, but DROMOS also leans heavily into immersion and spatial depth – when writing, are you thinking more in terms of riffs or environments?
In funeral doom, riffs and atmosphere are inseparable. As a genre deeply rooted in emotion, the environment created by a piece of music grows naturally from the riffs themselves rather than being added afterwards. Heavy passages alone are not enough; the riffs should guide the listener through a journey rather than simply serve as a platform for vocals. The focus has always been on writing memorable riffs, sometimes simple, but never generic. – Patrick
Having played in projects like Grave Miasma, Final Dose, Mutagenic Host, and Eihort, did DROMOS emerge as a reaction against the immediacy and aggression of those bands, or as a continuation of the same atmosphere through slower and more immersive means?
We wouldn’t say Dromos is a reaction against the music we play in other bands. Dromos emerged more from a place of inspiration, influence and desire to do our spin on the music genre – doom – we’ve all been listening to for a long time. There are certainly adjacent elements in there with the music being heavy and dark in the feel of it. – Sami
The band carries connections to scenes rooted in death metal, industrial, and more experimental forms of heavy music. What aspects of those backgrounds still consciously survive inside DROMOS?
Weightness, immersiveness and somberness. – Sami
The pacing in funeral doom can either feel hypnotic or stagnant depending on execution. What tells you a slow passage is truly evolving rather than simply lingering?
Perhaps it’s a sense of losing sense of time. A slow passage is evolving when you stop thinking about the tempo or the length of the track. Instead of just lingering on a heavy riff, the song actually feels like a journey. It circles back to that idea of being transported, the progression is immersive taking you to a different place. – Sami
Compared to your 2024 debut EP, what expanded the most on Failing Light: confidence, sonic vocabulary, or compositional patience?
Failing Light feels more introspective and patient with its longer songs, a bit less death-doomey whilst still being a heavy piece of music. Because there’s more room in the songs for exploration, we were able to expand our vocabulary bringing in more layers like synths, acoustic guitars and different vocal styles to support the overall shape and feel. – Sami
The music often feels cinematic, but not in a polished or orchestrated sense – it’s more like being trapped inside an environment. Is visual imagination important during composition?
The imagination exercise that you mention, for us, is more towards trying to anticipate emotions rather than by specific imagery. During the writing stage, the focus is on the feelings a song is meant to convey, and that has to start with the riffs themselves. As the composition develops, that emotional foundation expands into a broader atmosphere shaped by the instrumentation, vocals, and lyrics. Studio production also plays an important role, as certain sonic textures and spaces can reinforce the intended mood. While writing and imagining those atmospheres, there is often an attempt to place oneself in the listener’s position and consider how certain passages, dynamics, and moods might be experienced by an audience. – Patrick
Did signing with Argonauta Records change anything about your mindset going into this album, or did you consciously try to protect the project from external expectations?
The album was finished before we signed with Argonauta Records and we didn’t have any external expectations to meet. We’ve generally not had any constraints or pressure from outside – both our releases have been written with full creative freedom. – Sami
A lot of extreme music aims for confrontation, but DROMOS feels more absorptive and consuming. Do you think of the listener as being challenged, overwhelmed, or transported?
We lean more toward immersive and reflective. That’s especially prominent on Failing Light because the longer song structures naturally lend themselves to that. If we had to pick from your three words, ‘transported’ fits best. We didn’t actually set out with an active goal to transport people to a certain space or force a specific feeling but if the atmosphere of the album ends up doing that organically, then that’s a great outcome. – Sami
With members coming from more aggressive and immediate styles of underground music, did slowing everything down require a different kind of discipline creatively?
Playing slow music is sometimes surprisingly difficult and becomes more of an exercise of restraint and memory. The long notes and passages can be unforgiving especially when played live. For example the feel of how hard you pick a string becomes more prominent, speeding up can lose the tension and impact the heaviness of the music. – Sami
There’s often a ritualistic feeling in the repetition and progression of the material. Is repetition something you view structurally, emotionally, or almost physically?
All of the above, really. Repetition definitely brings structure but I can also be what makes the music feel physically heavy. When you lock into a progression and just let it repeat and build, it stops being just a riff and starts becoming an emotional, hypnotic experience. Like you said, it becomes ritualistic drawing the listener in. – Sami
How important is silence, or near silence, in music this heavy?
It tends to give the music more space to breathe. There’s a balance where just enough breaks and near-silence supports the music and makes the heavier parts feel even heavier, we find, without losing momentum. – Sami
As DROMOS becomes more visible through events like DesertFest London, do you feel connected to the traditional doom lineage, or more aligned with the experimental fringes of heavy music?
Not to equivocate too much, but the connection is clearly there on both sides – obviously we’re an offshoot of the family tree that comes from Sabbath, Vitus, down through Skepticism, Asunder and so on, but we don’t have any particular interest in being a pure genre-exercise; where the listener knows exactly what they’re going to get as soon as they pick up the album, or a band that sounds exactly like another band.
Since you’ve brought up Desertfest, we shared the bill with a couple of cracking ‘straight-up’ metal bands – Smouldering Tomb and Coffin Mulch – as well as a couple more outre acts in IAN and Liquid Shit. It felt like we fit in pretty comfortably there, so perhaps that’s the answer to the question. – Matt
When someone finishes listening to Failing Light, what emotional or psychological residue do you hope remains after the final moments fade out? Thank you!
We hope people are able to immerse themselves to the music in this often hectic world with a short attention span. We appreciate our music may require some patience, with layers opening up even more with multiple listens. There’s a lot of darker lyrical themes on the album; burden of past actions, regret, loss and isolation. The connection between the mind and the body, the feeling of collapse with a glimmer of hope. – Sami
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Well, better said a tribute to Sarcofago by the band The Laws featuring Gerald Incubus, one of the longest-standing members of the band, and he was pretty much included in every other tribute to the aforementioned band. You work with what you got and we got plenty to work with: a triple solid dose of blackened thrash metal bands for tonight which means we are gonna see a lot of guys in skintight black jeans down to the chromosome level, which included Croatian bands Buzzsaw and Bezdan. Not bad for a Tuesday.
Since it was Tuesday at exactly 19:00, the first band started. I know this because the damn organizer showed me on his wristwatch and it was 18:59 and 58 seconds moments before that riff came in, fucking psycho.
Before I start about Buzzsaw, I must highlight how the atmosphere was different than few days ago with Possessed. For starters, there were many more people in numbers even before the first band was on the stage and to my surprise, a shitload of young attendees along with older ones. Such generational thing is always awesome to see.
Buzzsaw had their premiere to the audience in Zagreb that night, a quite young band formed in 2022 with one EP Lead to the Head behind them. Right from the get-go, I must mention despite the band being a bunch of 20-something-year-olds, this is a very promising act. Wearing their early Sodom influence like it’s their personal pledge of allegiance. Even their bass player wore the red executioner hood during the whole performance, but to be perfectly honest, that idea maybe seemed cool only on paper, especially if you got reading glasses on them. Despite this fashion hiccup, Buzzsaw took the crown of moshpits for that night as this genre of metal is made for this. They even had a wall of death, which I think is the first time I saw it in this venue. Their vocalist, although a bit green at times, stood his ground and had excellent audience interaction. For the last song, they did Sacrifice by Bathory, which is always a winner in my book. In 45 minutes, Buzzsaw showed that they are a band you should look out for in the coming years.
Next were a bit of the veterans in this genre: Bezdan. I think this is my third time seeing them in this venue, so it’s business as usual. Musically speaking, they are one of the tightest Croatian metal bands I have ever seen. As far as I’m concerned, they are our version of Sarcofago with bits of early Slayer and Venom, despite my minor grievance about their arrogance on stage which happens sometimes.
That being said, this performance was different; gone are the messy eyeliners and antics from the bass player, which are down to a minimum. Although the band was a bit late because the drummer needed to take a piss, I bet the organizer was very thrilled about that. Joke aside, this must be their most mature performance and I might add the best one. A real contrast to the previous band, although beign are on right path they are still finding their footing. Bezdan, in that case, had done a marathon on the path and then some. This is their tightest performance layered with confidence and great sound in the mix. Although the crowd was less animated and did not have the novelty factor, Bezdan did another great live performance and is one of the few local bands I had no issue seeing again. This is old school black/thrash metal on a high level.
Around 21:45, Bezdan finished their round and now it’s time for the main event: The Laws performing Sarcofago. Pretty much the grandfathers of this subgenre, visually and sonically speaking. Personally, I was never a huge fan of the band; I totally did understand their significance and how the ’90s black metal bands from Scandinavia could not shut the fuck up about them. It just never clicked with me that sound from South America. But last night it did.
Despite being a cover band with one original member, to be brutally honest, they did Sarcofago justice. It is a tribute done right in front of a full venue of Močvara. The setlist was spot on, combining the best tracks of their discography but mostly was picks from their first two albums I.N.R.I. and Laws of Scourge.
Midnight Queen live was majestic and was accompanied with keyboards, which 50% of their performance was awkwardl just standing there, but just for this song it was worth it. It’s odd to have such an instrument in this kind of genre; in this case, I cannot imagine the song without it. The audience was fully immersed and joined the band during the choruses; it was a sight to see.
The whole performance was a great presentation of the enduring legacy of Sarcofago. The Laws did them justice last night.
Photo soul capture by Noa Moskaljov.
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Turmoil in the Northern Limestone Alps…
I remember writing about how Dea Artio was a project brimming with lush, atmospheric soundscapes atop a black metallic backbone, with aggression and extremes being dialed back to let said ambiance shine on 2022’s Zurück in die Waldwacht, but after digging through the agitated mountainous badlands of 2026’s Alpenwut, things turn out to be quite a bit different this time.
The speed and fierceness of the barraging riff constructions on this record have been amped up to quite an extent, highlighting the more dangerous and life-loathing aspects of the mountaineering experience. The symphonic elements are quite prominent, often scaling toward the center stage above the piercing guitar patterns. I’m also hearing a rather frequent, deeper roar uttered from mastermind Kvein’s throat, taking a more death-metallic approach to bringing forth his excellent lyricism about secluded life (and its negation of societal standards) in the Alpine highlands.
Guitar action is mostly bound to more conventional rules of black metal artistry, but woven into sonic constructions that are required for such a backbone, with the symphonic grandeur easily finding its place atop the traditional approach. At first glance, this record appears much less inviting for the atmospheric/ambient-leaning type of listener compared to earlier material, as the old-school direction is a lot stronger here. I’m still not sure if I’m entirely on board with that, as Dea Artio‘s strengths lie well within the more outlandish aspects of their work, and the comparatively brutal songs don’t seem to stick with me quite as well.
At its strongest moments, Alpenwut takes cues from Limbonic Art‘s earlier material, though without being nearly as dark and gothic, in this here more nature-based variant of the genre, with the calmer sections – like the whole of “Trauer” – being more medieval-sounding and introspective, quite at home in the same ballpark as Kveldssanger was three decades earlier. Indeed, the strongest songs off this opus are actually those which are not entirely shy of retreading some of the older paths trodden on by the band, meaning that the material focusing on variations in atmosphere, a more dragging overall tempo and calmer passages act as new highlights in the Dea Artio discography, with the title track and “Des Gipfel’s Schwere Last” using said elements more elaborately to upgrade their catalog with qualities previously unmatched by the band’s earlier efforts.
Maybe Alpenwut will prove to be some kind of crossroads for Kvein’s project, perhaps a “Where to go next?” moment? I’ll certainly be here to find out.
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I put this on expecting exactly what you’d expect from a new Nunslaughter record – fast riffs, blasphemy, a bit of chaos, maybe a couple songs I’d forget by the next morning New Nunslaughter always gets the first spin immediately. Been that way for years.
At this point Nunslaughter have been doing this for so long that you almost stop thinking about “new” records from them. They just exist. Another album shows up, Don of the Dead is still barking about Satan and desecration, and life goes on. But Satanic Chaos Legions actually feels sharper than I expected.
The first thing that hit me was how immediate it is. No dragging intros, no filler mood-building, no wasted space. The title track gets straight to work and by the time “Jesus Fucking Dies” kicked in I already knew this was going to stick better than I even thought. It’s got that stupidly simple hook that only Nunslaughter can get away with.
That’s always been their strength. Not complexity, not technical playing – just knowing when a riff is enough.
“Unsacrament” and “Peukharist” are probably the ones I kept coming back to most. Both have that old rotten feel, like something that could’ve fit on Goat without sounding out of place. Then “Cathedral of Stench” turned out to be the one I kept going back to most too. It drags more than the others, slower in parts, almost like it’s trying to crawl instead of run. Didn’t think that would be the one sticking in my head, but here we are.
Don sounds rough as hell on this thing. Maybe rougher than before. Works for me. Never wanted this band sounding sharp or polished anyway. Half the charm is that it feels like it could all fall apart if you pushed it too hard.
Same with the sound. Guitars are filthy, bass is buzzing underneath, drums cracking loud enough without taking over everything. You can hear what’s going on, but it still sounds dirty. That’s enough.
What I noticed after a couple spins was that nothing here feels mailed in. That’s the main thing. Plenty of old bands keep going because that’s what they’ve always done. This doesn’t feel like that. Feels like they were actually into it.
That’s usually what sticks with me anyway.
And yeah, it’s not Hell’s Unholy Fire. Didn’t expect it to be.
Still played it again!
Sarcófago (Black/Thrash Metal, Brazil)
Geraldo Minelli – Vocals / Bass
Necrolsky – Vocals / Keyboards
Igor Podrao – Guitar / Vocals
Cesar Pessoa – Guitar
Morto – Drums
Sarcófago was established in 1985 by Wagner “Antichrist” Lamounier and Geraldo “Incubus” Minelli. They rapidly earned a reputation as one of the most aggressive bands in the South American underground scene. Notably, I.N.R.I. is a cult classic, remarkable for its time and place of creation. However, the lives of these musicians, who shared a city with Sepultura, took different directions. Wagner departed to focus on his academic career at Brazilian universities. For years, there was little news of a reunion or performances of their legendary tracks until Gerald invited a few more enthusiasts to form The Laws. Under the full title: “Gerald Incubus Minelli & The Laws performing Sarcófago,” this ensemble revives the fierce legacy of the iconic Sarcófago, one of the most influential extreme metal bands from the late 1980s. Led by bassist and founder Gerald “Incubus” Minelli, they assemble experienced musicians from the Brazilian metal scene, delivering raw, authentic, and energetically fresh renditions of classics like INRI and The Black Vomit. I.N.R.I. is recognized as one of the most pivotal albums of the early black metal movement, featuring intentionally raw production, a blend of fast thrash and primitive black metal, extreme blast beats, and chaotic lo-fi sound that later became a hallmark of black metal, complete with its iconic cover. Despite limited distribution, the album became a cult classic through tape trading and significantly influenced the second generation of Norwegian black metal.
Bezdan (Black/Thrash Metal, Zagreb/Ludbreg)
Tomislav Baranašić – Guitar / Vocals
Filip Vučković – Bass / Vocals
Filip Horvat – Guitar
Baja Bajrović – Drums
Bezdan is back with us! This Croatian black/thrash metal band was founded in 2012, known for their aggressive thrash riffs, dark black metal atmosphere, and raw energy, drawing inspiration from bands like Possessed, Death, and Sepultura. Initially named Desecrator, they adopted the name Bezdan in 2012. Although their discography started slowly, their determination earned them recognition, culminating in the release of their first full-length album, Upon the Altar, in 2025, which garnered significant attention in the metal community. There’s never a dull moment!
Buzzsaw (Black/Thrash Metal, Split)
Krvnik – Vocals
Nekrosijak – Vocals / Guitar
Defiler – Guitar
Masna – Bass
Lepi Kale – Drums
A rusty saw that never rests! Emerging from the warm, musty basements of Split, Buzzsaw brings a sound as sharp as steel from a defunct shipyard! Formed in 2022, they have released Lead to the Head (2023) under the domestic Black Steel Worship label. Before recording their debut album, they infused their sound with the first wave of black metal, interwoven with thrash metal influences. This is their first visit to us!
Provided and delivered by Nasty Abyss.
]]>I can still vividly recall standing outside Mocvara three years ago, in disbelief, waiting to see the band Possessed. If you’re looking to credit the origins of the death metal genre, you can point to their album of the same name. Now, here we are again, this time in front of the larger venue, Boogaloo, ready to see Possessed once more.
However, tonight places a strong emphasis on local support with Haxanking, Corpsegrinder, and Serpentslain. While they may not have been my first choice for opening acts, their diversity contributes positively to the overall experience, so let’s dive in.
Since it was a Wednesday, the gates opened around 18:30, with Haxanking kicking off the night at 19:15. To get straight to the point, this band was definitely the highlight of the evening. Formed in 2022 in Varaždin, they are still relatively new but have embraced the Blood Fire Death formula with fervor. Although they might not fully agree with my assessment, this is Bathory School at its finest. Their black/speed metal, combined with barbaric and Viking aesthetics on stage and in their outfits. With their second album, Troubadoom, released just a week ago, the band exuded confidence and delivered an impressive performance, despite a less-than-stellar audience turnout. Having seen them three times now, I can confidently say they improve with each show, continually gaining strength. Their sound is a refreshing addition to the Croatian metal scene, supported by a solid live mix that complements their visual and musical approach. It’s unfortunate that a larger audience wasn’t present to witness it.
After a brief sound check, Corpsegrinder took the stage as the second act of the evening. These musicians are true veterans of the scene. You might wonder just how seasoned they are? Well, they are nine years younger than Possessed and Possessed is formed in 1983. Unfortunately, despite being one of the oldest bands in the genre, Corpsegrinder has a very limited discography due to a history of lengthy hiatuses. However, they excel at delivering exceptional live performances year after year, and you can always count on them for a solid show. Personally, this marks my fifth time seeing them, and I practically know the setlist by heart since it hasn’t changed since my first concert. Each of those five performances, including tonight’s, has been fantastic. The set was tight and energetic as always, but its about damn time for the band to rellase their first full-length and change up the setlist. The quality and potential is there.
Now, we move on to the third and final support band before another history lesson from Possessed: Serpentslain. Before I proceed, I must mention how refreshing it is to see local bands performing as support for legends like Possessed, rather than wasting our time with pay-to-play acts that have a 90% chance of sounding damn dreadful. We owe a big thanks to the folks from Nasty Abyss, not only for organizing this event but also for giving local bands the opportunity to play in larger venues for luckly bigger audiences. Unfortunately, tonight we weren’t so lucky. During the support acts, I could barely count 40-50 attendees, and Boogaloo is a venue that could easily accommodate around 200 people without a hitch. What a shame.
Returning to the band, Serpentslain is another one of those older acts with a few false starts throughout the years. Their first full-length album, Age of Verdict, was released in 2020, and their latest EP, Cognitive Dissonance, came out in 2024. They bring a more melodic death metal vibe to tonight’s repertoire. This doesn’t imply they are softer than the previous two bands. Hell no. If I were to compare them to a well-known band, it would be At The Gates, filled with intense parts that can truly blow you away. A standout performance tonight was definitely from Frane Belinic on drums; despite being heavily triggered, he provides a distinct sonic identity in their live show. When the fast parts hit and the blast beats kick in, you feel like you’re on another level with these guys. Unfortunately it seems, at least to me their set was the shortest one with around 30-35 minutes of playtime.
With that, we experienced the longest line checks in recent memory for Possessed, stretching around 35 minutes with sound guys slouching around with infrequent “check check!” reverbly yelling at the microphone for Jeff. If there was more echoes in the microphone the venue would turn into a cave.
Finally in 22:30, Possessed hit the stage and finally a bigger crowd showed up, not the most impressive crowd in numbers but just enough not to feel embarrassed. For us who saw them three years ago we knew what is going to hit us so that element of novelty is somewhat diminished. Nevertheless, we got another professional and tight performance by the band with the set list mainly consisting of albums Beyond the gates and Seven Churches and a few from the last album. I thought since is 40 years since the first album they are going to perform Seven Churches in its entirety. Well, call it a personal bummer.
Jeff again was in great spirits shaking hands and fist-pumping with everyone he could reach. Unlike last time in Mocvara, you can actually hear the guys voice during the songs but unfortunately the live mix had such a strange reverb on the mic that I could not understand a fucking word what the was saying between the songs. Highlight were definitely The Exorcist and Death Metal, which the former should have been the opener. Another highlight that as worth mentiong were the drum sound were the snare and tomes really captured that old school vibe from their first two albums.
It’s was an immersive performance overall, but it felt very much by-the-numbers act and with the novelty gone I would lie to you if I told you I would be running to see the again for the third time.
Photo soul capture by Noah & Gita.
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I wasn’t familiar with Deus Sabaoth before this album, which is probably why Distortion of Lies ended up being a pleasant surprise.
The Ukrainian project released its second full-length at the end of May, and while plenty of melodic black metal records pass through my headphones every year, this one managed to stick around longer than most.
What kept bringing me back wasn’t the aggression. In fact, the album isn’t particularly aggressive by black metal standards. The stronger moments come from the atmosphere and the melodies. A lot of riffs here have that slightly melancholic feeling where they’re heavy enough to carry the song but melodic enough to stay in your head afterwards.
I noticed that especially on “Tree of Knowledge”. That track probably sums up the album better than any other. There’s a sadness running through it, but it never turns completely hopeless. The same thing happens later on with “For There Will Be Dawn”, which ended up being one of my favourites after a couple of listens.
The violin works surprisingly well too (“For There Will Be Dawn”). Normally that’s the sort of thing that can go wrong very quickly in black metal, but here it feels natural. Nothing sounds forced.
Another thing I appreciated was the pacing. The band don’t rush from one idea to another. The songs are allowed to sit for a while and develop naturally, which helps the atmosphere a lot.
I’m sure people will mention bands like Mgła, Groza or Ellende when talking about Deus Sabaoth, and I can understand why. Still, I never had the feeling I was listening to a clone of something else. The album feels sincere, which is harder to achieve than most people think.
The funny thing is that I wasn’t completely sold on Distortion of Lies after the first listen. The second one changed my mind. By the third spin I was already saving a couple of tracks for later.
Not a bad result for a band’s second album.
