With four bands on the bill tonight, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the show is a sell out. If it’s value for money you’re looking for, in tandem with a selection of quality live extreme music, then you’ve come to the right place.
Opening up tonights ceremony of noise, is Polish Groove-Death crew, The Materia. With a steady flow of punters entering the venue during their set, a sizeable crowd had assembled for the last 15 mis where they were appeased with slices from the bands latest album ‘Darklander‘. Lashings of melodic vocals and crushing groove got the venue moving, and no doubt a whole batch of new fans. Excellent stuff indeed.
What followed were Nashville, Tennessee technical Death Metallers, Inferi who cut the safety cables and jumped straight in with their brand of chaotic intensity. The sheer sonic attack from these guys was, at times, hard to follow. I put that down to the mix, which was a bit ropey to say the least. Pulsing strobes accompanied almost every track in the setlist which included ‘Eyes of Boundless Black‘, ‘No Gods But Our Flesh‘ and latest single, ‘Tainted Pact‘. There’s no questions that Inferi are an exceptional band, but tonight their live mix let them down.
Always a promising live experience, Obscura dazzled with a stunning setlist that included opener, ‘Forsaken‘, ‘Emergent Evolution‘ and ‘Ocean Gateways‘, among others. Bassist, Linus Klausenitzer provided memorising low-end technical wizardry for Steffen Kummerer as he unleashed his guttural magnificence. Thankfully, Obscura’s mix was crystal clear and the intended listening experience was not lost in the sonic tall grass.
Finishing up with ‘When Stars Collide‘, Obscura make their polite exit to deafening roars while stage techs quickly prepare for tonights headliners.
I have never seen a bad Decapitated show. Come to think of it, I don’t know anyone who has ever seen a bad Decpitated gig. Tonight was no exception, as Vogg ripped into the relentless and sky-breaking heaviness that is, ‘Perfect Dehumanisation‘ in a visual explosion of lights and dry ice.
With his dreads hovering just a few inches off the floor, vocalist Rafał paces back on forth while captivating the now rabid audience with his punishing presence. Tonight we receive a mammoth setlist that features ‘Nihility‘ performed in its entirety followed by a peppering of tracks from 2006’s ‘Organic Hallucinosis‘ with ‘Day 69‘, ‘Post (?) Organic‘ to some of their latest face-rippers ‘Cancer Culture‘, ‘Just a Cigarette‘.
With their recent 25th anniversary tour a few years back, there is no question that Decapitated give their back catalogue the love that it so very well deserves, and as they finish off this evenings masterclass, the sold out capacity are very much in the palms of their hands, much to the humble delight of the band who lap up the frantic scenes from the pit.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Decapitated are one of the genres most crushing live acts, who rightfully hold a strong place in Metal’s history books.
Outstanding.
Oran O’Beirne
www.overdrive.ie 2023
