Keen to make the most of my time in Oslo, I grabbed the opportunity to visit the ‘Bad vibes – The sound of emotions in Norwegian black metal’ exhibition at the Norwegian National Library before the festival began. This exhibition traces the tumultuous history of Norwegian black metal encompassing the controversies as well as exploring the music as an art form. The exhibition was really well done with many rare items on display and explanations about these, their origins and significance.

There was also the opportunity to listen to early recording of Enslaved and Mayhem from the Grieghallen studios and to remix these yourself on a mixing desk which was fun. The exhibition is running until September, so if you find yourself in Oslo, it is definitely worth a visit.

After emptying my bank account at the excellent Katakomben records, it was then time to head into Rockefeller for Harakiri for the Sky who delivered their abrasive post black metal to an ever growing crowd.

Bathed in blue and red lights, the band let the music do the talking with minimal interaction and with Michael “JJ” V. Wahntraum on vocals spending half of the set with his back to the crowd.

Glorious melodies permeated the rampaging riffs creating a dense soundscape as the Austrian’s set unfolded, embracing the Inferno crowd.

I have to admit that before doing my Inferno research I was unfamiliar with Dordeduh, but having read that the band had been formed by previous Negura Bunget members and song writers Hupogrammos and Sol Faur, I was excited to not only hear their material but also catch them live, and it appears I have been missing out!

Their exquisitely crafted atmospheric black metal pushed the boundaries with elements of dark folk, goth and even pop evident with their music. Sublime harsh and clean vocals further added to this resulting in a melancholic, dare I say mellow, set.

Some within the crowd were clearly big fans and seemed to sing every lyric back to the band while some were content to sit back and absorb it all. At one point, I’m sure I even saw the crowd swaying!

As the last echoes of Dordeduh were fading out, Odium were taking to the Rockefeller stage upstairs (complete with Galaaen from Sarkom stepping in to help out).

Despite having only released one album (‘The Sad Realm of the Stars’ back in 1998) the band have achieved cult status and this was cemented with a blistering show at Inferno 2018 when they celebrated the anniversary of this album.

A decent pit quickly opened up as the set started with the band being more aggressive than I remembered. Two keyboardists (including new member Mustis) ensured there was plenty of bombastic symphony alongside the venomous blasting as the band visited the ‘Sad Realms…’ album as well as their eponymous demo from 1996 before the ‘Altering the State of Being’ single closed out the set.

This was one of the stand out sets of the festival, and I’m not sure whether there are any plans to record new material or tour more widely but I’d be very keen for both!

The intensity increased further as I headed down into John Dee and security told me that photographers were not being allowed into the photo pit as the next band, Darvaza, were too “lively”!

Not surprisingly, their set was ferocious and confrontational with the vocalist looking unhinged as he threw himself around the stage, lurching towards the crowd.

I was trying to work out where I’ve seen him before and I suspect it was with Beyond Man and One Tail, One Head, but irrelevant of this, he and the rest of the band put on a stunning display of raw, aggressive black metal as they whipped the crowd into a frenzied melee.

At the other end of the black metal spectrum, Wolves in the Throne Room were up next in Rockefeller. After the lights went down, there was rumbling noise intro tape which lasted close to ten minutes and although this initially generated anticipation and atmosphere, it soon led to the crowd becoming frustrated and restless.

When the band did take to the stage, there was something not quite right with the sound with everything sounding muddy. This improved a little but the band never reached their usual live prowess. Nonetheless, they still delivered an epic set of claustrophobic, atmospheric black metal, and although it is not as aggressive as some of their peers, their music and live shows are no less intense.

The air was filled with incense during their set helping build the atmosphere as the epic soundscapes filled the room and floated over the entranced crowd, and I found myself thinking that even with bad sound, Wolves in the Throne Room as still one of my favourite live acts.

There was another change of atmosphere back downstairs in John Dee for Lili Refrain who brought a more ambient, experimental approach to the festival. A solo artist, she began by ringing a bell on stage (causing a few in the crowd to respond with cow and sheep noises!) which were recorded and put onto a loop.

This was then augmented with guitar and drums before the vocals finally came to the mix. These were chants as much as singing giving a shamanistic, hypnotic feel and I found myself reminded a little of a mellow version of Heilung. Those who had made the journey downstairs were entranced as this performance which definitely brought a different atmosphere to the day.

Another band who perhaps sit outside the typical Inferno blueprint are Birmingham’s Godflesh and disappointingly this was evident from the relatively sparse crowd in Rockefeller for the duo’s arrival. Opening with ‘Love is a Dog From Hell’ in front of a video screen displaying looping, incongruous images the pair unleashed a dense, claustrophobic wall of barely penetrable musical noise.

Playing in near darkness with occasional strobes added to the atmosphere as the hypnotic, industrial post metal gathered momentum.

Highlights were ‘Streetcleaner’ and ‘Like Rats’ but the set is probably best considered as one piece of music, and although the crowd might not have been the biggest of the festival, those that were there enjoyed it.

The festival returned to more familiar territory with Colombia’s Masacre (not to be confused with Massacre!) who were playing in Norway for the first time despite have been going since 1988.

A member of the band’s crew was on stage before the band getting the growing crowd hyped before the band launched into ‘Cortejo Fúnebre’ unleashing their uncompromising South American death metal upon the John Dee faithful. ‘La Guerra’ caused a big pit to open and as the set progressed the crowd became more and more rowdy with bodies and limbs flailing all over the place until things came to an end with an appropriate ‘Death Metal Forever’.

The band seemed genuinely humbled at their reception and I’m sure they won’t leave it so long before they return to Norway.

The headliners for the day were the awesome Amorphis. Prior to the festival, I had heard some mumblings that the Finns weren’t really Inferno headline material and that may account for the relatively thin crowd, although those that chose to be elsewhere missed out!

Appearing as silhouettes on a stage bathed in red and blue light the band launched straight into the epic ‘Northwards’ from their most recent album ‘Halo’ giving the crowd the opportunity to sing along as the glorious melodies filled the Rockefeller hall.

The set was one melodic metal classic after another with new and older tracks sitting perfectly next to each other. The biggest cheers of the day were reserved for the older tracks though, notably ‘Black Winter Day’ and ‘My Kantele’, although the highlight of the set and biggest karaoke of the festival was saved for the closing track ‘House of Sleep’. Absolutely fantastic and a perfect way to close the day.

Words and Photos: Andy Pountney @shot_in_the_dark_photography2

Part 3