After a late breakfast, a stroll around Oslo and a cheeky pint, I headed to the intimate Rock In venue to catch Norwegian black metal outfit Ulvehyrde.
They appeared on the small stage stage doused in blue light, wearing robes and corpse paint, with the vocalist clutching a book with an inverted cross on the front. Opening with ‘Likbålet’, the music was dirty, nasty mid paced black metal and it sent me straight to the merch stand for a shirt and CD.
There was no let-up in intensity as we were battered with tracks such as ‘Englemakersken’, ’Jarlen’ and finally ‘Svartbækken’ leaving the busy crowd satisfied yet wanting more.
One of the great things about Inferno is that I always discover new bands that I had previously not heard of and Ulvehyrde were one of this year’s discoveries and I will be keeping an eye out for them in the future.
Hamferð were the first band of the day of the main festival and a decent crowd had gathered for the Faroese doom mongers.
Taking to the stage in their mourning suits, they were soon pouring forth their sorrow laden dirges over the transfixed masses. Although not as energetic as many of the bands at the festival, Hamferð created an intense atmosphere of melancholy and solitude as their short set passed by all too quickly.
Particular mention must go to Jón Aldará whose clean vocals were simply stunning!
After the final notes of Hamferð faded from Rockefeller, I headed downstairs with an air of excitement for Danish Black metal outfit, Solbrud. Not so long ago, I was blown away by their live album ‘Levende I Brønshøj Vandtårn’ which left me desperate for a live encounter, and here was my opportunity.
Appearing as backlit silhouettes for most of the set, the Danes delivered a satisfyingly dense wall of noise punctuated with sublime melody and atmosphere. The set built into an epic masterclass of monolithic yet atmospheric black metal and I was not disappointed.
After such a claustrophobic set, it was time for something a little more uplifting, and Einherjer were on hand to provide this with their Viking metal, returning to Inferno after ten years.
Taking to the stage with great energy, the Norwegians wasted no time in getting the crowd moving with their glorious anthems. The Viking hordes were in fine voice, singing along to one glorious melody after another.
My personal favourite on the day was perhaps ‘The Blood and The Iron’ which epitomised the atmosphere of the whole set. Magnificent.
Downstairs, the mood was a little more sinister for black metal phenomenon, Asagraum. The room was absolutely rammed well before they took to the stage, in keeping with their current reputation as one of the rising forces in underground black metal.
During the soundcheck, vocalist Obscura said to the sound guy “I’m going to need a lot more reverb in the vocals…like old Emperor!”. There was a cheer from the approving crowd. Finally, the band took to the stage wearing their trademark corpsepaint, unleashed their unrelenting, yet melodic black metal upon John Dee for their Inferno debut.
‘Transformation’ and ‘Abomination’s Altar’ flew by as the set gathered momentum to a rapturous response from the crowd. Obscura was hissing and spitting her vocals with appropriate vitriol and there was no let up until the set was finally closed with the magnificent ‘Waar Ik Ben Komt De Dood’.
I have no doubt that Asagraum will be playing much bigger stages than this in the near future.
Up next were a band that I was really curious to see, wondering how they would translate to the live setting. Norwegians Ved Buens Ende are something of an enigma and have achieved a legendary status despite having only released one album. To this day their sound remains fairly unique – I’ve heard them labelled as many things, but perhaps the nearest to my mind would be avant-garde black metal.
Anyway, whatever the label, they promised to be something special. The first thing that struck me was how deceptively heavy they are, even during the more tranquil sections. The melodies were sublime, and although the music was more “cerebral” than most of the acts, it was no less intense.
I have to be honest, Ved Buens Ende seemed to split opinion. People either thought they were fantastic, or they simply didn’t manage to appreciate what was going on. I was in the former group, and suspect they are simply a bit of an acquired taste for the latter. I’m glad I managed to catch this group as I enjoyed them and I’m not sure when I will get the opportunity again.
Another band that I had been looking forward to seeing was French Lovecraftian black metallers The Great Old Ones who were playing their first gig in Norway. Taking to the stage, and playing in near darkness, the band unleashed a barrage of claustrophobic post-black metal upon a packed John Dee.
One track melted into another as the ritual gathered pace and intensity as the atmosphere thickened. Not an easy listen, but neither is it intended to be – This was post black metal of the highest order.
At the other end of the black metal spectrum, Gorgoroth assaulted the Rockefeller stage. The room was absolutely rammed with fervent fans who were all vying for position in the crowd.
Given their notorious history and controversial stage shows, the Rockefeller stage was relatively empty, but this did not detract from the impact of the show. Hoest stalked the stage like a possessed demon as they opened with ‘Bergtrollets Hevn’, ‘Aneuthanasia’ and ‘Prayer’.
The pit was active and the crowd were rabid down the front. Covered in spikes, corpse paint and spewing venom, the band were the epitomy of Norwegian black metal. ‘Destroyer’ paired with ‘Incipit Satan’ was magnificent as the energy in the room reached fever pitch.
This was a masterclass in confrontational black metal and many saw this as their headliner for the day.
Downstairs, French death metal outfit Benighted were pushing the boundary of extremity in a different direction with their pulverising death metal. Julien prowled the stage as though psychotic, unleashing his guttural roars during opening track ‘Obscene Repressed’.
The pit opened up as one track led into another and became more and more active as time progressed. This was completely unrelenting and the band showed no remorse as they battered the crowd into submission. ‘Slut’ gave the opportunity for a crowd sing along, Benighted style, but there was no let up in brutality as ‘Martyr’, ‘Nails’ and ‘Hostile’ flew by.
These tracks are all short, sharp and to the point. This was a devastating set of brutal death metal. Closing track ‘Let the Blood’ left the crowd sweaty and pulverised, but with just enough energy left for tonight’s headliners.
Venom will need no introduction, as the veritable Godfathers of extreme metal. Yes, there have been controversies over the years, but tonight is all about celebrating the history and screaming along to some timeless, classic anthems.
Talking of anthems, ‘Witching Hour’ got things going, but unfortunately technical issues with Cronos’ bass meant he had to leave the stage meaning the track lacked its usual bite. However, normal service was resumed on ‘Bloodlust’ which gave us the unholy racket we have come to expect from Venom.
The band were on form and in good spirits with Cronos coming out with one liners and bantering with the crowd. Personal favourite ‘Countess Bathory’ came late on, and the encore of ‘Black Metal’ and ‘In League with Satan’ gave the crowd what they wanted, and all too soon, day two was over……… “Lay Down Your Soul to the God’s Rock ’n’ Roll” indeed!
(Review and Photos Andy Pountney @shot_in_the_dark_photography)
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