Ah that bittersweet feeling of the last day of a festival. Still a whole day of great music and festivities to be had, but also that knowledge that this is the last day and then it is back to “real life”. Anyway, determined to enjoy the day I headed to Rock In for the matinee band, only to be told that they had pulled out which was a shame. Undeterred, I headed to the hotel rooftop bar for a couple of pints, enjoying the view over Oslo and the Oslo fjord, until it was time to head up to Rockefeller.


I first caught Whoredom Rife at the Inferno club night back in 2017 and had been desperate to catch them again, so I made sure I was at the venue in good time and I wasn’t the only one. A good sized crowd had gathered early and there was an air of anticipation.

The microphone stands were adorned with skulls and the band were covered in corpse paint and blood as they stormed the stage with ‘The Curse of the Moon’. This was confrontational Norwegian black metal and KR stalked the stage as though possessed.

‘The Gospel of Hate’ was particularly vicious and set the tone for the rest of the set until it was brought to a close with the mighty ‘Gitt til Odin’. A fantastic start to the day.

The second of the Inferno competition winners, Eridu, opened John Dee for the day. The Germans, named after the oldest city in Mesopotamia, revive the legacy of the Mesopotamian civilisation through their oriental tinged, extreme metal.

In keeping with this, their entrance to the stage was accompanied by a flame wielding dancer, before the band launched into ‘Slaves of Eridu’ and ‘The Cavern’.

Their music was direct and abrasive, while being epic and melodic, straddling the line between death metal and black metal, and Eridu proved themselves to be more than worthy of their slot at Inferno.

There was a change of mood back in Rockefeller as Oranssi Pazuzu brought their version of black metal to the Inferno crowd, and I was really looking forward to catching them again. The crowd was perhaps a little thinner than for some other bands on the bill, but no less appreciative.

The Finns were flamboyant as they threw themselves around the stage, mixing raw black metal structures with psychedelic keys and effects. This was far less aggressive than other forms of black metal on offer, and the crowd mostly stood transfixed rather than moving around.

There was clearly a cohort that were big fans of the band, while others were having their first experience and were trying to work out what to make of it all, but from what I saw, most were converted to the cause.

Another “must see” band for me was Icelandic black metal band Nyrst. Appearing in what looked like tattered robes and playing in near darkness, the band unleashed their stark, dirty black metal on John Dee. The vocals were mid paced and snarling, creating an unnerving sinister atmosphere conjuring up images of desolate, cold, barren landscapes.

Make no mistake though, this was a crushing and claustrophobic experience, and it was immense, prompting yet another trip to the merch stall.

Norwegian death metal legends Myrkskog were up next. They had originally been scheduled for Inferno 2020, and were planning to play the debut ‘Deathmachine’ in full to celebrate its 20 year anniversary. As time had moved on, they instead elected to play ‘Superior Massacre’ in full, celebrating its 20th anniversary.

Both are monolithic death metal masterpieces, so either way I was going to be happy. They delivered a pummelling, relentless set which did not let up and the pit absolutely loved it. This had been well worth the wait.

UK representatives Dyscarnate exploded onto the John Dee stage to a packed crowd who needed no encouragement to open up a pit. Forsaking many of the trappings of extreme metal, they took to the stage in jeans and t-shirts, letting the music do the talking and it was relentless.

The band spend a lot of time off the road, and this experience showed as brutal death metal slab after slab crushed John Dee into submission. This was Dyscarnate’s first time performing in Norway, and I suspect it won’t be long before they return given the reception they received.

I have seen Kreator countless times, and never tire of seeing them and singing along to their genuine thrash metal anthems. I wasn’t the only one and Rockefeller was packed leading up to their set. It’s hard to believe this is their first time at Inferno, but apparently this was the case, and they arrived as if to prove a point.

‘Violent Revolution’, complete with pyros got things off to a flying start before new track ‘Hate über Alles’ was given an airing, to an equally rapturous response. ‘Phobia’ and ‘Terrible Certainty’ kept up the momentum. ‘Satan is Real’ saw the return of the pyros and it was clear that there was something special going on – The band were on form and the crowd were loving it.

The energy in the room was palpable as more modern tracks (relatively!) such as ‘Enemy of God’, ‘Phantom Antichrist’ and ‘Fallen Brother’ sat comfortably alongside older classics such as ‘Endless Pain’ and ‘People of the Lie’. The closing trio of ‘Flag of Hate’, ‘Betrayer’ and ‘Pleasure to Kill’ raised the bar even further as just about every single person was screaming their lungs out (at least where I was stood).

Pyros and smoke added to the effect as Kreator showed exactly why they are as relevant today as they have ever been. Absolutely stunning.

There was a complete change in mood to a more sombre, almost sinister atmosphere for Order. Despite containing big names from the Norwegian black metal scene (including members/ex-members of Cadaver and Mayhem), Order inexplicably never rose to the levels of fame/notoriety as many of their peers, which is an injustice as they are just as good, as the most recent album ‘The Gospel’ goes to prove. Opening with ‘Rise’ and ‘Bringer of Salt’, the band delivered a stunning set of no frills black metal……or at least I thought!

There was no corpse paint, spikes or any of the usual black metal paraphernalia, until Cory DeAn Cowley appeared on the stage. Her flowing hair was almost down to the ground, initially obscuring her face but once brushed back she took on the appearance of a tormented, demonic, undead witch prowling the stage clutching her head, spasming and writhing in agony. She brought a sinister, macabre and unnerving atmosphere to proceedings and it suited the music well, taking the atmosphere to another level of intensity. I suspect this set will go down in Inferno history.

And so it fell to Taake to close the festival, and a second appearance for Hoest. Whenever, they take to the stage, there is always an air of anticipation, not knowing what might happen and tonight was no exception.

The intro tape consisted of bagpipes as the band took to the stage and then launched into ‘Nordbundet’. Hoest stalked the stage like a possessed demon, wrapped in a cloak lined with the Norwegian flag, which he kept flailing around. The flashes of bright red contrasted with the darkness on the rest of the stage and was really effective visually.

‘Fra Vadested Til Vaandesmed’ was a highlight for me with its infectious melody buried within the abrasive black metal onslaught, but to be honest, the whole set was one long highlight as the tracks merged into one. The atmosphere was confrontational but equally hypnotic and it was difficult to take your eyes off the stage.

As Taake left the stage, there was the realisation that the festival was over and the return to reality with an early flight and then the return to work and “real life”……until next year. Inferno really is a highlight in the extreme music calendar, and if there is any way you can make the trip, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Review and Photos Andy Pountney

@shot_in_the_dark_photography

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