Vader
Gorgoroth, Vader, Valkyrja and The Sickening, live at Camden Underworld, Monday 14th November 2011
Live review and photos by Antony Roberts
Arriving late the first support band The Sickening, could already be heard from outside. Coming into the downstairs bar I was hit with the sounds of slammy grooves, drums and bass, but unfortunately my excitement was short lived. Venturing into the main room I was met with a show that did not meet their studio output. A bad sound mix led to guitars sounding muddy, drums too high in the mix and vocals far too low, meaning it actually sounded clearer and a lot better in the bar area.
http://www.myspace.com/thesickeningdeathmetal
Following up this were Sweden’s Valkyrja and despite a few fellow country bands hitting the international black metal popularity stakes, they are still yet to break through. If tonight’s performance is anything to go on then the last 7 years have certainly not been in vain. Whilst they don’t exactly carve any new ground, what they lack in originality they make up for in sheer performance. Drummer J.W is fast, I mean really fast, and created a battering backend whilst the guitarists ran back and forth, headbanging away, riffing at 90 miles an hour. If their singer can spend more time creating a presence at the front, instead of spending half of his time lurking at the back around the drumkit, they will become a veritable live heavyweight. Perhaps their time is becoming due…
http://www.myspace.com/valkyrjaswe
By the time Vader took to the stage the Underworld was absolutely rammed. Despite Gorgoroth headlining tonight, it looked like the Vader Army was out in force, 40-50% of the crowd wearing their shirts with pride. Even before they had started, anticipation meant a few members were already pushing, creating a pit before the band had taken to the stage. Walking on and heading straight into Return To The Morbid Reich, it was great to see the new material (probably their strongest album in sometime) get such a response, with seemingly the whole venue already knowing the lyrics. Tonight was going to be all about the music, and the very first diver to board the stage was instantly met by security, turned around and returned into the churning mass, allowing the band to concentrate on delivering what they had come to do. “London, we are back!”, they announced, and not forgetting older generation fans they then brutalised us with Sophis, from 1995’s De Profundis. Following the issues with The Sickening, the sound engineer made one serious recovery with an exemplary mix, I can not remember the last time I have heard a kit sound that good. The set concentrated mainly on the new album, with Hallelujah!! God Is Dead thrown in for good measure. Barely any time was spared to talk with the audience as they bombarded us with one amazing track after another. The final song drew a massive roar as the toms kicked in and everyone realised we were getting a cover of Slayer’s Raining Blood, the bonus track from 2006’s Impressions In Blood. As great as it was, I feel Vader already have their own amazing back catalogue, without doing themselves the injustice of covering other bands. I would have much preferred to hear one of their own classic’s like Dark Age. Regardless of minor (read, sad and petty!) personal gripes over one song, which was still a vicious cover, this was one of the finest performances I’ve seen live this year.
Respect to Gorgoroth for getting Vader to support them, but I did not envy them coming on after that set. Despite failing to believe the Underworld could get any busier after Vader, it seemed every spare space was taken. Bodies huddled in from stage to cloakroom, awaiting the Norwegians return to London. Filling the stage with dry ice seemed to be their answer to prepare for the incoming onslaught. By the time they actually entered the stage it wasn’t so much a grand entrance as a few murky shadows. Whether you could actually see them through the dry ice, their answer to beating Vader was in plain sight, play louder, faster and as raw as possible. Obliterating any eardrums the crowd had left they tore through their material, barely letting you catch breath, with no talk between songs. Whilst the dry ice was designed to create atmosphere it just detracted from their set, and ultimately this lacked the foreboding atmosphere, and real sense of evil in the air that was present at their 2009 Scala appearance. Difference due to the lack of Gaahl? Who knows but look elsewhere and I am sure you will see difference of opinion. The underworld was rammed, and the crowd seemed to love the headliners, but for me, this night belonged to Vader.
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