Inferno Day 2, April 17th 2014
Photos by Eivind Nakken
Except for photos of Church Of Misery, by Amanda Olsen
Maundy Thursday: Fear And Loathing In Oslo
After carefully washing and rinsing yesterday’s stench from every body part and article of clothing, we head down to the harbor for a very special event. Tokyo’s craziest bastards Church Of Misery are performing, and to make it a little more interesting they are taking us all on a cruise to the middle of the scenic Oslo fjord. The vessel of choice is the venerable S/S Johanna, which has been sailing the seven seas since 1892. Unfortunately the weather gods are frowning upon us today, and the whole affair looks to be a very wet and cold experience. However, spirits are high, beer is served, and off we go!
The S/S Johanna
If the boat wasn’t already rocking from the upsurge of waves, the stoner assault of the Church is enough to almost capsize us. Opening with their live staple “El Padrino”, they go on to cover a groovy selection of material from their last couple of albums. The whole affair is a surreal experience, as the four bell-bottomed Japanese dudes proceed to play the show of their lives, never mind the lack of an actual stage.
Church Of Misery: Rocking the boat
Drummer Junji is a true trooper, politely refusing an audience-member’s offer of fingerless gloves, playing only in a wifebeater and bell-bottoms while the rest of us vikings are freezing through our jackets. Dancing and grooving through the excellent set, the band proves that they’ve more than earned their sea legs. As the band finishes with a delightful rendition of “Shotgun Boogie”, they join the audience for a drink or two and some much-needed heat in the ship’s cabin. Not too shabby for a Thursday morning.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erxPyXleTFE]
It’s always the friendly ones…
Braving the shitty weather, the next band are thankfully playing inside the Rockefeller-venue. Öld school thrashers Deathhammer provide much needed medicine for frozen bodies. Channeling Teutonic gods of yore, wild-eyed frontman Sergeant Salsten is a sight to behold. Preaching acidulous violence to an apparently hungover but surprisingly numerous crowd, he commands absolute attention through extensive use of badass falsetto vocals. The foursome, completed by co-founder Sadomancer and live conspirators Holm (Nekromantheon) and Ripper (Lobotomized), demonstrate why a proper Norwegian black thrash attack is no laughing matter. After debuting a couple of new songs, the gathering mass is whipped into a frenzy, and Salsten gets the moshpit he’s been waiting for. Good on ya lads!
Deathhammer
Onwards to the basement pits of John Dee! Here the German black metal troupe Thyrgrim are about to take the stage. Although vocalist Kain shows off some impressive upper body strength, no amount of power-lifting could make Thyrgrim sound interesting. Cookie-cutter riffs and second-wave black metal emulation is the rule of the game, and the infamous bad sound of John Dee rears its ugly head. Yawn. We leave early to get away from the relentless bass drum. As far as Singaporean blackened death metal goes, Impiety is as good as it gets. Having raged against everything that is holy and pure since 1988, Shyaithan and his boys are a powerhouse on the stage. Appearing to the sound of a bombastic chorus, they embody a sonic assault that damn near brings the house down. Lots of squealing guitar solos, eerie samples, and bad-ass posing ensues. A veritable black metal blitzkrieg, the strobe lights are almost seizure-inducing. But all of that doesn’t really matter. More importantly, the sound is pristine, and the music strips the paint off the walls. Ferocious numbers like “Christfuckingchrist” speak volumes – this is a gig to remember.
Impiety
Next up on the main stage is Fleshgod Apocalypse. These operatic Italians are quite a contrast to the preceding bestial madness. Dressed in tuxedos, and bringing a massive grand piano, they seem a little out of place amongst the sweaty beer-swigging festivalgoers. During the last few years they have built up a massive following though, and the place is quickly becoming very crowded. As the band prepares to perform their symphonic metal theater, rabid fans are chanting their name. A woman dressed in a cloak and a venetian mask sings soprano, and a backing tape with string instruments fills the room. Soon the members are windmilling like crazy, the crowd is clapping along to the melody, and everything feels very overdone. While I can see the appeal of this particular brand of soundtrack-metal, it’s definitely not my cup of tea. We journey on to find a cold beer instead.
Fleshgod Apocalypse
Although it might sound masochistic in light of the above, we return to Rockefeller in time to catch Norway’s best-selling metal band, the larger than life Dimmu Borgir. Tonight is a special event for the band and its myriad of followers. They are playing live for the first time in two years, and are celebrating 20 years in action since their debut album. Their influence is undeniable, and the absolutely packed to the brim Rockefeller locale proves that they are still the most popular extreme band in the country.
Dimmu Borgir
The stage is covered by a huge curtain, with only the flicker of torches shining behind. Curiously, the curtain doesn’t immediately drop as the band starts playing, but lingers and treats us to an awkwardly empty scene. When the curtain finally drops, vocalist Shagrath looks like he stole Rob Halford’s trenchcoat and put it through a blender. The crowd roars, and the band reveals a penchant for pyrotechnics and a lot of skulls on the stage. They proceed to play their best-selling album Death Cult Armageddon in its entirety. It’s a strange amalgamation of a black metal concert and a pop show, with singalongs and girls screaming at the band between songs.
Dimmu Borgir
As the band launches into what might be their greatest hit, “Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse”, the heat and smell of sulfur is overpowering. Featuring a backing tape with ICS Vortex’ clean vocals, the performance feels rather over-produced. That being said, thousands of screaming fans seem to disagree with me. For fans of the band, this is a monumental event, and goes on for more than one and a half hours. The rest of us take extended smoke-breaks on the still soaked rooftop terrace.
The time approaches 1:30 in the night, and it’s time for the final band of a long day. Despite the late hour, the cellar is packed with people waiting to see legendary Brazilian institution Mystifier. The mood is jovial; presumably those who left before Fleshgod have had plenty of time to get drunk in the meantime. As the trio commence upon a feast of classic black metal, founding member Beelzeebubth in particular seems to be having the time of his life.
Mystifier
The curse of bad sound is dispelled from John Dee, and the result is a glorious display of atmospheric riffs and excellent dynamics between Beelzee and the new singer/keyboardist/bassist Diego. Their fast and raw live show is a perfect contrast to the bombast of previous bands, and when they are joined by Black Witchery’s Impurath for a necksplitting rendition of Sarcófago’s “Nightmare”, not a single body is at rest. As they finish off their set with an encore, Beelzeebuth sings high praises of the audience, and throws his sweaty shirt to whoever is (un)lucky enough to catch it. Mystifier have proven that the elders are still the best, with one of the greatest gigs I’ve ever seen.
Mystifier
<<< Day 2: Fear And Loathing In Oslo
Day 3: Good Friday, Great Music >>>
