This was one of those mix it up and throw extreme black and death metal bands on a tour together kind of thangs. Whilst some moaned about not wanting to see all of the bands, as far as business sense was concerned it was a winner as the venue was sold out. This was great from the promoters point of view but not quite so good for the audience if they wanted to do simple things in life such as breathe! Before the storm of bodies packed the venue out things were calmer for the supports. We missed Dead Beyond Buried and were surprised to see that it was not the band we expected on stage next as the visiting band had sportingly changed round with the local one to give them the better slot.

That band were Forsaken World from France, who it appears are actually unsigned, so this was a very good tour for them to get onto. Their intro rattled the venue with bass sound reverberating through the place and shaking us around. With a huge roar the corpse painted clan burst into chunky bass and guitar lines and literally steamed into things. I am guessing that material was on the whole from their one recently released album ‘as Time Reflects Our End’ and it was a pretty versatile assault. ‘My Shelter’ for instance although compact had no shortage of ideas and it was difficult to categorise the band who like the line up itself straddled both death and black touches with a venomous delivery that also had more than a touch of a thrashing tumult about it too. It was at times a snarly mess but I got the idea it was meant to be that way. The four band members stage front were a blur of hair twirling motion and musically they did not stand still either. There was an underlying technicality about the sound but it further baffled with what a colleague described as a gay power metal solo thrown into an intro, which really did not fit in. This was certainly an interesting start to the evening but I feel I could not exactly pass judgement on the band without hearing them again.

De Profundis are a band who I was well aware also mix up a lot of styles to their sound. They too have a new album out ‘The Emptiness Within’ and were fitting around five mainly new songs into their half hour slot. Bare chested and long haired front man Craig Land dominated the stage front and commanded things well with hoarse barking vocals but it was not all about him as the twin guitars unravel and flow with great dexterity. The band are great to watch and their musical multiverse is one that is completely involving with its meltdown of styles. I guess the word progressive is a good one to use and the group are certainly extreme; after that it is a case of just really going with the flow and groove of songs like ‘Release’ The band remind a little of Portuguese group The Firstborn but apart from that fleeting notion they really are quite unique. They seem to play off the now much busier venue and are happy with the reaction they get from the home crowd, it is interesting to note that they are actually hugely popular in India and play in front of much bigger crowds there. ‘Delirium’ is a good title for a song from them as that is what De Profundis leave us in, suitably maddening and meandering structures have the band formulating a melting pot of styles and one that is very good to witness as I have missed them far too many times of late.

For many Immolation were the main draw and the renowned USDM masters who have been around since 1988 should really have been headlining a tour themselves but with the economy as it is this pairing with Marduk did make perfect sense. Immolation certainly played as though they were the headliners and instantly got the packed crowd baying and pitting at the front as they steam into ‘Close To A World Below.’ It was intense and dynamic with clashing snares and vocal roars flying out the speakers. I tried to remember back to the last time I caught them at this very venue, I am sure that Ross Dolan’s hair was not that long and it looked like he had to be careful not to get it caught up in any of the guitar necks during ‘Majesty And Decay’ We were actually told by the singer that we should not be lazy but to go and download the old stuff for free and he also humbly apologised as London got missed last time they went on tour with Napalm Death. The blasphemous attack of ‘Father, You’re Not A Father’ and ‘Into Everlasting Fire’ proved that London was willing to forgive and forget and the crowd more than made up for it now and even got the odd diver throwing themselves into the seething pit. Some of the guitar solos particularly impressed and by the time I fell out into the street for some fresh air after a heady No Jesus, No Beast even if it was Marduk that I had come to see, I wasn’t unhappy at having caught this savage display.

I had kind of hoped it might empty out a bit with Immolation fans leaving but I should have known better than to underestimating the crushing draw of Marduk. It was still sardines but we did not have long to wait until they blazed into action giving us an hour long set that was completely annihilating.  Getting photos was a real mission near impossible but it was attempted as the blazed into new album title track ‘Serpent Sermon.’ As ever Mortuus was in complete command and imposed at the front of the stage leering and grimacing over the assembled throng who would have been quite mad if any of them had attempted to get on the stage. Morgan stuck to our stage left grimly scything away on guitar and Magnus at the right with Lars providing the thickset heavy drum battery which was the explosions amidst the carnage.

It was a whirlwind of a set and one that just kept hungrily tearing into us without a pause for mercy. The militant fervour and precise delivery took this to another level and although I have seen the band many, many times it still had the power to take my breath away. We were dragged through ‘The Levelling Dust’ and spat back in time to ‘The Black Tormentor of Satan,’ with so much material both old and new at their disposal it must have been difficult to give everyone what they wanted to hear but the balance seemed perfect. The one problem really was the mass of dry ice they injected onto the stage it was pretty much continuous and for those at the back it must have been very difficult to see what was going on, as for those with cameras well…. lots of silhouettes. The songs came thick and fast ‘Slay The Nazarene’ and ‘Throne Of Rats’ stuck out, there was no time for between song banter and it’s not the Swedes style. What we did get at climax was a mighty roar of ‘Panzer Division Marduk’ and the crowd got one last chance to charge  All that is left lies in tatters!

Review and photos © Pete Woods