It’s the 10th anniversary of Incineration Festival in London today with many coming out to celebrate. Taking in 25 bands over 4 different venues, planning is essential as is a fair bit of running around and hoping everything would run smoothly (it did). With this in mind and photographer Andy and I on hand, decisions were tough but it made sense to go back and forward to the two main venues and take in as much as possible. It would be lovely to be in more than one place at once especially as somewhat ironically at separate event down the road in The Roundhouse, favourite’s New Model Army were playing too. Camden is mobbed with tourists and at one point a political rally too but the sun was out and the venues were cool inside, let’s do this.
Starting out in the Underworld there’s a thrum inside as the first band of the day had the benefit of not clashing with anyone else. Ante-Inferno from North Yorkshire have the task of waking us up and after an orchestral intro set about doing so with drums pounding and antagonistic screams from vocalist K.B. ‘There’s No Light Til Life’s End’ apparently and there’s very little of it in the Underworld too.
Talk about stumbling around in the dark and getting eyes and ears acclimatised to everything. The band are daubed in black wode too and gallop forth hitting their stride, primitive coarse vocals are punctuated by the occasional death belch. The front trio put on a co-ordinated display of hair twirling as the dark melodies come through and they spread their ‘Cold Tenebrous Evil.’
The audience quickly embrace what if I’m not mistaken are new tracks and as the set progressed and if my ears were not playing up it sounded like sampled violins and choral parts were embedded into what became an epic heathen clamour. A solid start to things.
A bit further south and sticking to England, it’s the peat bogs and swamps in musical form of Fen to sink into next. We walk into the Ballroom just as the 1st lone and bleak chords peel away and take in the gorgeous expansive blue and white lighting of the big stage here. It’s totally cinematic and I settle in at front by right hand speaker with first pint of the day to smooth over the rough edges all round.
Only problem is drummer JG is lost to my vision but the billowing effect hits like wind making his presence more than felt. Focus falls on The Watcher and Grungyn as the music moves from moments of delicacy to outright violence in one fluid move.
Naturally the vocals follow suit and vary from enraged and forceful to melodious cleans then back to wrathful again. I was particularly interested in catching some songs off most recent album ‘Monuments To Absence’ played and was rewarded by two numbers ‘Scouring Ignorance’ and ‘Truth Is Futility’ from it.
The latter was particularly interesting as had not only a windswept assault within its folds but also flirted with post-black melodicism, noise-rock histrionics and swirling ambience. Those effects peddles proved their worth and there was plenty to take in here.
Due to length of songs we were only ever going to get a handful but Fen made them count and the move up to the main stage is well-deserved.
Time for the first international act and although Yoth Iria may be a newish entity their roots trail right back to the early days of the Hellenic scene. Bassist Jim Mutilator was a founding member of Rotting Christ and also served time in Varathron on many a classic release.
There’s an instant warmth spreading from the weaving melody and it gets fist-pumping reaction from the crowd as the band catch us ‘Under His Sway.’ The sound is natural and uncluttered here, at odds with much of the multi-layered assaults of the day and front-man Merkaal (also of Order Of The Ebon Hand) is a ball of energy working the crowd, getting us clapping along and “heying” away Euro metal style.
Traditional instrumentation is embedded into things giving an air of majesty and mysticism to the songs. ‘The Hermetic Code’ sinuously twists and mesmerises. But the reaction is not quite what is expected as we are urged to bounce away as more archaeological treasure is unearthed. This is highly enjoyable and due to the singer’s cajoling, the joint is suddenly in full party mode!
Not only is he somewhat barking mad but he jumps into the audience at one point and even gets away singing the words “hey, hey, Satan” We get chance to grab a breath as Mr Mutilator has a brief chat about the band, hailing us and Lucifer before we have to leg it once more to the strains of ‘Sid-Ed-Djinn.’
Winterfylleth are far from strangers to the festival and are back again here on the main stage. Although I have seen them many times before I honestly cannot remember if I have done so with Mark Deeks of Arð before on keyboards, except when they played an acoustic set.
His presence is certainly noticeable here tonight and he not only takes off some of the rougher edges but dare I say, also jollies things up a fair bit. Mind you they are all vying for attention, Lucas kicking up a storm on drums and Naughton both roaring and harmonising vocally backed up by snarls from Wallwork too.
The croons really hit the mark and are quick to get the audience on side especially when they launch into ‘A Valley Thick With Oaks.’ Full of surging blackened guitar riffs it’s a formidable number which bows us down before cascading into a-near psychedelic fury.
During the set we got an unexpected new song entitled ‘To The Edge Of Tyranny.’ Shaking to the core it hit like a violent earthquake and like the subject matter spat out lyrical disgust from every quarter.
I guess we can look forward to a new album soon. A triumphant Whisper Of The Elements’ ringing in our ears it’s time to be on the move again.
One of the delights of a festival like this is catching bands you have never encountered before and I like to go in blind with no prior knowledge of what to expect. Cue oddly named Canadians Thantifaxath. Black metal and cloaks were expected, anything after that was a mystery and walking in on the trio I was confronted by an intricate guitar patella followed by the unleashing of blustery full-force. There’s technicality here and a certain avant-garde approach.
The vocals yell, drums batter and although the sound is good it’s all rather disorientating on encountering things for the first time. Black, death, extreme, chaotic; this is all these things and more. Guitars slither emitting weird shapes, then there’s a patch of exuberant noodling. I feel like I am being dragged into a hallucinatory nightmare as confronted by sinister distortions but that aside I am certainly enjoying this.
This lot could easily have been on the Relapse roster alongside the more experimental artists of decades ago and what they are doing is both hard to describe and original. The crowd seem a little bemused and rooted to the spot, caught like a deer just about to be crushed by a truck. Don’t ask for song titles, I’m not sure they even matter. I just dug in and tried to make sense of it all. There’s a haywire part with cymbals clanging like an out of control fire engine.
Bass is thick and the player joins in with the hoarse vocals. I had to wonder what the sadly departed Steve Albini would have made of this complex form of abrasive blackness, I reckon he would have approved.
You simply can’t have a festival like this without at least one Norwegian black metal band and over at The Ballroom it’s the welcome return of Carpathian Forest. Resplendent in face-paint and spikes Nattefrost gurgles, drums bounce and doomy parts coat things in a layer of vomit.
Keyboards are also heavily utilised and swirl away and there’s no less than six band members filling the stage. Naturally the large presence of Vrangsinn and his cross are missed but when you have seen what he does with that once, it’s probably enough and never forgotten.
From the self-titled band name track through to ‘Skjend Hans Lik’ with its grim and grimy clamour the band dig in with gritty finesse. At times it is confrontational and the keyboards give things an occasional trollish edge. By ‘Death Triumphant’ the first pit of the day in the venue fires up.
Eerie as it oozes out the speakers the essence of decay pervades. The band seem to gain confidence as they iron out some gremlins and fully submit to Satan and we are given into temptation by a lesson on beastly bouncer ‘The Origin Of Sin.’ I swear at one point the drummer gobbed in the air and caught his spit in mouth without missing a beat and the keyboard player clanged a cow-bell.
As for Nattefrost, we got a quick snatch of Rehab on recognition of surviving past misdemeanours without quite turning blue!
There’s another unexpected item in the baggage area or on the stage at the Underworld and he is wearing a track suit and having a fight with himself. With a name like Hexis one may think we were going to get a thrash band but nope this is hardcore, albeit it with a blackened edge.
I’m all for a bit of variation and that is exactly what we get from this Danish crew. Brutally effective, songs are short sharp shockers with a similar effect of a brick lobbed from the top floor of a council estate and hitting you on the head. The fact that the band are playing under white strobe lighting makes it all the more threatening.
Guitarist and bassist are going all out and shredding frantically and there’s bursts of noise and feedback adding to the urban brutality. It’s not for everyone but it is honest and highly effective as they launch musical Molotovs our way. Bleakly alienating this certainly hit the spot. Having said that, the Underworld so far had been comfortable rather than rammed and I think a few gambles may have been taken.
Perhaps this lot would have gone down better at The Black Heart and been swapped with Abduction, the one band I really missed seeing. Having stated that I’ll shut up as it’s down to the organisers mad enough to put this on to make decisions like this. Interested, you can catch Hexis later this year at Damnation Fest.
Satan may have popped out from the Ballroom for a crafty smoke but he’s ushered back by Austrian diabolists Belphegor. Now you don’t often get a band playing along to their classical music intro but that’s exactly what they do with Handel’s Sarabande and its most impressive.
From there ‘The Procession’ is off and frontman Helmuth makes it clear we are in the right place craggily rasping out the words “there is no God.” The bassist provides some higher yaps and blast-beats rain down.
Occasional samples add devilish atmosphere and another pit-full of ugly breaks out on the dancefloor. Summoning evil in the name of darkness, choral parts and bells ring out in the mix and there are acoustic guitar parts to add breathing space to the tempo.
It’s a potent brew which went down well with us all and its devotional subject matter ‘Hell’s Ambassador.’ All that’s missing is a sacrificial offering. “Let’s fuck this place up’ hollers the spokesman prior to Lucifer Incestus’ and those in the centre give it their best.
Again, this is a band I have been more accustomed to seeing in the Underworld previously but they work the bigger stage well and put on a fine display. Helmuth becomes ever more possessed and during ‘The Devils’ his trademark eye rolling pretty much spooks me out and gives him a ghastly veneer that the best exorcist would have trouble expunging.
A solid and convincing ‘Dance Macabre’ all round.
I admit to being somewhat surprised arriving back in the Underworld and attempting to get down the steps onto the floor, which was no easy task. Conan had without a doubt drawn the biggest throng to the venue of the day.
The power trio were blustering away with plenty of thick rugged grooves and space laden effects as I negotiated way towards the front. The bottom end is hefty and you could have hung your coat on the hooky riffs. Vocals from Jon Davis ride over the top and the effect is like surfing over massive waves.
It’s impossible not to find your boots stomping away along to the beat and muscular weight of the sludge laden mass of ‘Levitation Hoax’ and it went down well with sporadic bouts of dancing breaking out. Instrumental jams are worthy of the group’s namesake pumping iron down the gym and by the blood of their very enemies Conan proved their worth here today.
No time for the weak or for submission and its back for a hop, skip and jump into the Ballroom for Anaal Nathrakh. You are probably well aware of the journey Dave Hunt has made collating a new line-up and moving forward with them from that possible “once only” show with Sigh a year and a half ago.
Having travelled the globe including Japan recently with members of bands such as Akercocke and Voices they instantly raise bruises and the crowd react violently in all the right ways. Things are well and truly Unleashed! David Gray blasterbates at the back and Sam Loynes holds court stage right.
Bodies begin to go over the top and in one of several chats Dave seems apologetic and makes it clear if it had been allowed stage diving would have been welcome. So much for the days of health and safety! He also states he would like to drive the sun into the earth and see everyone die, well this would be the perfect soundtrack.
The velocity and venom is immense, the clean vocals are rafter raising and tracks like the self-descriptive ‘In Shit And Piss We Are Born’ are downright seething and monstrous. Oof. Time out is made at one point to salute band co-founder Mick Kenney, perhaps one day he will return to the fold.
There’s the web of the Black Widow to get caught up in, a small circular wall of death and the poetry of war as we much ever forward into annihilation. That said it’s all polite as people pick each other up and shake hands; why can’t all conflict be like this? Well that flayed the flesh off the skin and then some!
It’s left to second Greek band of the day Dead Congregation finalise events in the Underworld. They are limbering up and throwing out decidedly morbid guitar angles as we enter. Vocals are lowly intoned, the music is a churning abyss which is thick, dense and bass heavy sound wise.
Highly respected in the underground they have a healthy attendance bowed down by the quagmire of brackish noise which threatens to swallow us whole. This is metal of death, at times decidedly doomy, at others the drumming hits like machine gun-fire. Vocals are somewhat monotone and reflect a feeling were little help is proffered.
Mercilessly they harangued us until ‘Only Ashes Remain’ well that was the plan and it does fit in with the incinerating theme of the day. What I saw was solid and downright decimating, it might have honestly not been particularly to my tastes but you cannot win them all. For those who worship at the altar of Immolation this was no doubt the highlight of their day.
For me it was always going to be Amorphis who were the frosty icing on the cake along with ten candles. The Finns were up for playing a 70-minute headlining set, returning to the very same venue after five years since I last saw them. We gazed ‘Northwards’ instantly captivated as the group filled the stage and began regaling us with songs through their expansive and distinguished history.
Maybe not quite as extreme as others during the day but who cannot seriously enjoy songs brought to us with such passion and sublime warmth? Melodic death metal, symphonic and progressive elements all combined perfectly. Riffs and keyboard frolic together and frontman Tomi seems in his element delivering growls and clean harmonies. They start to draw on the power of ‘The Moon’ and could have brought it down as I notice the bassist is in honour of his countrymen sporting a Beherit shirt.
As I gaze upon the pastel purple stage lighting I wonder if they will encourage a return of the Northern Lights which I missed last night on the way home (sadly not). The band enchant and have everyone clapping along to the tale of the ‘Silver Bride’. The newer songs are excellent.
We had been teased earlier by some of those retro keyboards from the Thousand Lakes and it was time to return right back in time to us old fans favourite ‘Black Winter’s Day’. Wow nostalgia hit us right between the ears and singing along was obligatory. I can’t say I was expecting that but really appreciated it. So too with My ‘Kantele’ with its instantly recognisable, acoustic guitar lines and gentle organic synth work, jangling away and lifting spirits right through the roof no matter how tired we all were after such a busy day.
Sadly, time is running out, no time for encores the band were just up for fitting in as much as possible and do so in style with a rousing ‘House Of Sleep’ and the sting of ‘The Bee’ as a final tour-de-force. Everyone was filtering out with big smiles on their faces and what more do you need at the end of a show? Those in the USA are in for a treat as Amorphis hit their shores later in the year along with Dark Tranquillity.
As for Incineration, congratulations to all involved for the smooth running and all their hard work. We will wait in expectation for announcements of the next instalment.
Review: Pete Woods
Photos: Andy Pountney
@shot_in_the_dark_photography2
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