In the Forum venue in London many excitable fans eagerly wait to see Abbath, the new project by the similarly-monikered former Immortal front-man. Primordial are also playing with Benighted and The Black Dahlia Murder. After re-scheduling the event a few times (it was due to happen back in December), it is now time to see the new musical creation.
First on the stage are Benighted who are are full of life and energy and putting the big space of the stage to good use. Front-man Julien stays right at the front of the stage, really getting into the feel of the music from the band tonight. The rest of the band themselves are also in top form, crashing into what can only be described as pure roaring death metal at its finest. A perfect start for the night.
Next on the stage are the Black Dahlia Murder. Again, great use of the huge stage with vocalist Trevor running up and down the stage for most of the set, accompanied by loud, heavy and beautiful melodies and beats coming from the rest of the band. With a varied setlist from their old and newer products including songs such as “Vlad, Son of the Dragon” as well as “Horrible Night” they turn the crowd into a wave of mosh-pits.
The third band on stage are Ireland’s Primordial, who mix their Celtic roots with the heaviness of black metal to the top notch tonight. With songs such as “Where Greater Men Have Fallen”, as well as “Babel’s Tower” the venue is filled with huge amounts of energy from the band and crowd. Vocalist Alan is able to control the audience tonight getting them to sing along and really get into the spirit of what Primordial stand for.
The final act of the night are headliners Abbath who had some technical difficulties on stage with Abbath’s faulty guitar lead, and nearly dropping a microphone stand on the security guard. But the band do not fail to impress, with Abbath controlling the crowd’s cheering whilst waiting for the technical issues to be resolved. Once they are back on track, the band launch straight into a mixture of new material and Immortal songs such as “All Shall Fall”. This familiar number again turns the venue into a mass of pits, crowd surfers and fans who have really earned their near year-long year wait.
A spectacular end to a spectacular night.
All photos by Aoife Le Roux.
