 Photo: Xavier Cattarinich (Ravenkin Photography) for www.metalmasterkingdom.com (C)2018 Deströyer 666, who proclaim themselves “a non-profit organisation dedicated to the dispersal of ideas of lycanthropy, nihilism and minimalism” on their Facebook page, were next to ascend the stage, and if their name is any indication, there might be some firm planting of tongue in cheek going on here. Occupying a niche at the intersection of blackened thrash and (occasionally melodic) death metal, their sound reminded me at times of a cross between Venom, Motörhead and early Amon Amarth, albeit with greater musical complexity and the injection of fleeting atmospheric passages. The band made effective use of medieval-style coats of arms with lupine designs as backdrops (between which one might occasionally snatch brief glimpses of drummer Perracide), and of ram skulls on mic stands to enhance their stage presence. Touring in support of the Call of the Wild EP released a few weeks before the Calgary show, Deströyer 666’s banner featured the band’s motto—“Forever Defiant”—underneath a snarling wolf with spiked collar that looked inspired by Motörhead’s mascot, Snaggletooth. Lead vocalist, guitarist and founder KK Warslut and crew struck wild rock star poses throughout much of their set, to the delight of the faithful. I’ll be the first to admit that “Hounds At Ya Back” is a damn catchy metal anthem, and that the group’s eight song set felt like it was over before it began. With the audience begging for more, Deströyer 666 concluded their part of the evening with—would you believe it?—a cover of Motörhead’s “Iron Fist.” Fitting indeed. Photo: Xavier Cattarinich (Ravenkin Photography) for www.metalmasterkingdom.com (C)2018 | Written by: Xavier Cattarinich Photography: Xavier Cattarinich (Ravenkin Photography) for www.metalmasterkingdom.com (C)2018 All right reserved www.metalmasterkingdom.com @ The Palace Calgary, AB, Canada March 9, 2018 Presented by ConcertWorks.Ca Last Friday, Swedish black metal overlords Watain unleashed damnation and hellfire at the Palace in Calgary, with the aid of Deströyer 666 and Revenge. Having listened primarily to metal for 30 years now, I must confess to having only recently emerged from under a rock, with all three bands only coming on my radar shortly before their arrival in town. I therefore went into the show without any preconceived notions or prior knowledge of their respective material and histories. Hailing from Edmonton, Revenge initiated the proceedings by spewing out some of the most brutal music on the planet. The band is the brainchild of drummer and studio vocalist James Read, but for this live set, guitarist Vermin and bassist Haasiophis took over demonic growling duties from Read. From beginning to end, Revenge performed with relentless intensity, and if frenetic grindcore-infused blackened death is your thing, then the trio more than delivered. That said, while some ardent metalheads moshed in the enclosed semi-circular pit near the front of the stage, the broader audience’s response was subdued. Perhaps they were stunned by the fury enfolding before their eyes? Or just exhausted after a long week at work? At the end of Revenge’s set, a young woman that I never would have pegged on the street as a death metal aficionado raved to me about their performance. I found out post-concert that Revenge’s output includes such magnanimous opuses dedicated to world peace as Triumph.Genocide.Antichrist and Victory.Intolerance.Mastery, among others. I won’t judge recordings by their titles (remember the Ozzy Osbourne “Suicide Solution” witch hunt?), and as is common in the blackened death sub-genre, the band’s lyrics were largely indecipherable. Photo: Xavier Cattarinich (Ravenkin Photography) for www.metalmasterkingdom.com (C)2018 At long last, as headliners Watain took to the stage under a dim crimson glow, I got my first glimpse of an actual Scandinavian black metal band complete with ghoulish corpse paint and sinister stage props. A row of tridents and inverted gothic crosses had been affixed to the front of the stage during line-up changes, creating an additional barrier between band and audience, and decor covered up while Revenge and Deströyer 666 played was finally unveiled. Filling in for Håkan Jonsson, drummer E. Forcas was barely visible through the haze behind animal carcasses dangling from his drum kit and nearby barbed tridents. Above him hung the group’s creepy banner inscribed in “bone script” on black cloth. Axe wielders Pelle Forsberg and Set Teitan stole onto the dark stage with bassist Alvaro Lillo, their backs to the crowd. Then, as anticipation mounted, the band launched into “Devil’s Blood” from their 2003 album Casus Luciferi. When vocalist Erik Danielsson finally emerged, the crowd went wild. Part way through the opening song, Danielsson went to the unholy altar before the drums and raised a ram’s skull to his lips to drink blood from it. He held the skull high above his head for all to see, showering the front rows with the last drops. While Watain claim Bathory, Mayhem, Venom, and Mercyful Fate among their influences, their theatrics also owe a debt to Alice Cooper and W.A.S.P. Sure, the pentagrams, corpse paint and satanic blood drinking are no longer the shocking novelty they once were, but Watain’s performance was an undeniable feast for the eyes and camera lens. Bassist Lillo in particular was fearsome to behold. |
The band’s twelve song set, covering material from Rabid Death’s Curse (2000) all the way through Trident.Wolf.Eclipse (2018), was by far the most darkly majestic and atmospheric of the night. The Palace’s old theatre aesthetic and semi-circular layout made it the ideal venue for a black mass of this kind, and the congregants gazed at the hellish spectacle with rapt attention, mesmerized. To be honest, I expected a wilder crowd at a black metal concert. While there was some moshing, all in all, Watain’s Calgary fans were pretty tame.
In hindsight, I should have realized before going to the show that extreme metal bands with a combined sixty-two year history between them (Revenge, founded in 2000, being the youngest) would have racked up their fair share of controversy, some of which I myself am uneasy with. That said, I write concert and album reviews on behalf of Metal Master Kingdom, not investigative journalism. I am not in a position to confirm or deny the veracity of various allegations. I haven’t been able to find set lists or lyrics for all bands that played on this bill. I am not an enforcer for the moral police. I therefore encourage readers to do their own research and come to their own conclusions regarding what particular bands do or do not stand for. Think a band’s songs, views or behaviour are objectionable? Then don’t support them, and be the change you want to see in the world.
In hindsight, I should have realized before going to the show that extreme metal bands with a combined sixty-two year history between them (Revenge, founded in 2000, being the youngest) would have racked up their fair share of controversy, some of which I myself am uneasy with. That said, I write concert and album reviews on behalf of Metal Master Kingdom, not investigative journalism. I am not in a position to confirm or deny the veracity of various allegations. I haven’t been able to find set lists or lyrics for all bands that played on this bill. I am not an enforcer for the moral police. I therefore encourage readers to do their own research and come to their own conclusions regarding what particular bands do or do not stand for. Think a band’s songs, views or behaviour are objectionable? Then don’t support them, and be the change you want to see in the world.
| Destroyer 666 KK - Guitar & Vox. Perra - Drums. Felipe - Bass & Vox. Ro - Guitar & Vox www.destroyer666.uk/ | Revenge Vermin - Guitar / Vocals Haasiophis - Bass / Vocals J.Read - Drums www.facebook.com/RevengeofficialSoMpage/ |
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