An absolute banquet of extreme metal from all genres, from the doom laden to the melancholic, the fast paced destruction to grooving riffs this was our account of Incineration Fest.

[date]09/05/2015[/date]
[venue]Electric Ballroom + The Underworld + The Black Heart[/venue]
[city] Camden Town, London[/city]
[support_bands]Woland, Aura Noir, Keep Of Kalessin, Melechesh, Shining, Tribulation,God Seed,Necrophobic,Unleashed[/support_bands]

With May 2015 we see the return of Incineration Fest. After having a sold out first year with appearances from black metal masters Taake and extreme metal duo Anaal Natrakh the tension has been ramped up to say the least! Formed of three different venues throughout Camden Town, from the Electric Ballroom to The Underworld and of course the humble Black Heart we saw dozens of fantastic bands take to the stage the Saturday. An absolute banquet of extreme metal from all genres, from the doom laden to the melancholic, the fast paced destruction to grooving riffs this was our account of Incineration Fest.

Kicking the day off we saw the Electric Ballroom begin with Finnish new comers Woland. Performing admirably under the the thoroughly underwhelming crowd that lay beneath them, due in part to the problem with getting the punters in from the front entrance in the first place! However the black metallers smiled, well, no black metallers can’t smile, but laughed in the face of adversity. Playing through material from their new album Hyperion reaching out to the slowly growing crowd due to the drip like sense of the public’s arrival.

Seeing the addition of a new guitarist gives even more of an atmosphere to these fantastic players, the real shame is that there aren’t enough people here to witness the band. Woland have essentially created their niche for themselves, for those that don’t know the band they deftly meld influences from the frostiest of black metal, to groove that would sit will in modern metal along with the slight atonal sounds and fantastic solo’s the band are onto a winning combination which makes it all the more of a shame that people wouldn’t hear the band. Keep your ears peeled for our interview with the band when we caught up with them after their performance at Incineration!

Moving on we saw the arrival of old school black thrashers Aura Noir, with the now significantly larger crowd the band ripped into opener “Upon The Dark Throne” front man Apollyon spitting out the lyrics with vehement, whilst guitarist and (yet another) Bill Bailey lookalike shredded away on tracks like “Black Metal Jaw” and “Hades Rise“. It’s also worth mentioning that the guitarist was sat down on one of the stools owing to an injury that I can only deduct must have sustained fairly recently.

Despite the slightly crippling sound the band play through admirably, featuring mainly material from their The Merciless album the first three songs pack a serious punch whilst the band change it up slightly. Aura Noir no doubt are a band that are best experienced in the setting of that of an intimate band. With their gritty blackened thrash often slightly missing the mark in the halls of the Ballroom owing to the fact that their in your face retro approach just doesn’t quite have the same effect in a different setting, having said that however the band performed admirably.

Stepping out in order to conduct some fantastic interviews that will be coming your way shortly we returned to the sound of dragons entering the stage. After a line up change causing guitarist Obsidian C. to now both become singer and guitarist the band arrive to heroes welcome with their brand of fantastic metal. Blasting the rafters off the Electric Ballroom with opener “The Grand Design”, Keep Of Kalessin assume authority immediately on today’s stage.

With many of the band’s songs leaning towards the nine minute mark, playing for approximately forty minutes we are treated to five absolute belters. Having released their brand new album Epistemology the band have embarked on a European tour with Melechesh of which today’s Incineration date was an UK exclusive, treating our punters to yet another track from the new offering  “Dark Divinity”, it truly is astounding how three blokes can have the ability to produce music of this magnitude.

Creating soaring vocals that envelop the Ballroom in one fell swoop before being thrown to the more groove oriented side of things, it’s worth mentioning that standing in on drums is 21 year old Sondre Drangsland  due to the fact that current drummer is away with Gorgoroth in Indonesia. Meaning the band had scarcely practised together the music that they deliver is one of pin point accuracy.

With the on stage sound thankfully being their ally, often the various overlays of style can be crippling and detrimental to a band live yet Keep Of Kalessin relish in it.Recalling their previous album released now five years ago we’re treated to Reptillian cut “The Divine Land” before delivering a Kolossus classic “Ascendant” as the final crushing blow. The stage has well and truly been set for today.

Luckily it would seem that Melechesh would appear to be up for the challenge. Arriving on stage with full Mesopotamian gear bassist, guitarist and drummer await for the sacred arrival of the Melechesh master to make his appearance. As grandiose as you would expect, like Keep Of Kalessin returning to the fore after a long five year period the band released latest full length Enki just this March.

With anticipation building until fever pitch were greeted by the introduction of “Tempest Temper Enlil Enraged”, as Ashmedi appears whipping the Electric Ballroom into it’s first frenzy of the day the sandstorms are temporary conjured all over Camden as the vicious tornado of the first track finishes our band mates discard their attire revealing very human features, though when the machine that is Melechesh gears up once again for “Deluge Of Delusional Dreams” there are no holds barred on their infectious arabian tinged groove.

A beautifully picked set list treating fans to material from Emissaries along with The Epigenesis ripper “Grand Gathas Of Baal Sin” ensuring that whatever era you fell in love with Melechesh there will be something for everyone today. Pitch perfect sound heightens the attack on the senses of course delivering the groove laden “Multiple Truths”  not before leaving the stage with heads held very firmly high up from finale “Rebirth Of The Nemesis : Enuma Elish Rewritten” a song that would rival titles of Nile… An absolutely brilliant performance complimenting the war on two fronts that Melechesh wage perfectly.

It would appear that everyone at Incineration is having an absolute whale of a time, which seems like a big no no to pessimist loving Shining. Taking to the stage once the sand has cleared the band deliver a very different brand of Black Metal. As the band take to the stage, out comes our pessimistic ponderer with front man Niklas Kvarforth prowling the stage imminently turning the aura of the Ballroom into one of menace and unpredictability. When the band launch into new cut “Vilja & Drom” it’s clear that the new material goes down just as a well as older material “Människa o’avskyvärda Människa” asking if the crowd want to hear a drum solo to bore them the drummer obliges.

Instead of creating the negative sense garners even more attention for this astounded Electric Ballroom being know for the infamous live performances Niklas and his cronies truly deliver a fantastic show this afternoon. Peppered with visceral hate, the frontman is a show in its own right, disrobing from his blackened gloves like a frosty Howard Hugh’s. Though their music might not be the most overtly optimistic their performance today is nothing short of outstanding.

After the oppressive delivery from Shining I had to run over to Camden’s other and one of my favourite haunts,  the Underworld. Racing down the stairs as the sole,n opening organ of “Strange Gateways Beckon” ensnares our listeners, as we trepidatiously trudge forward the smell of incense is ripe in the air. The four horse men announce that we are the Tribulation. The next forty odd minutes would have you believe them right, with the band’s energy positively feeding off the crowd the band rip through material from their new album featuring “The Motherhood Of God” and “Beyond The Horror” whilst our stage right guitarist slinks around the stage snarling at every riff with the movement most contortionists don’t possess.

Whilst signer commanding the crowd ensures that the band remain tight, with scintillating solpos conjured at their very whim the band’s new material being some of the most interesting a forward thinking metal of recent times. Though not only does the material go down a storm, sound and atmosphere are Tribualtion’s allies tonight. The darkened seventies style jam musings making for one of the best performances of the festival. Proving irregardless of billing or time there are some bands that just rock!

Moving sluggishly back to the Electric Ballroom it would seem I was not the only one feeling slow. Arriving on stage with drummer and both guitarists, the house music banished and instead we hear the feedback roar, for two minutes, for five minutes, for ten minutes… Waiting for Gaahl’s hallowed arrival there seems to be a problem with the stage set up. Aiming to appease the crowd the guitarists play for time after all of a sudden the entire band is back stage. With the crowd left scratching their heads for longer than needed, there begin to be shouts of “play some fuckin’ music!‘.

Returning for the second time the band seem to appear with bassist and former Gorgoroth cohort King Ov Hell now, alluding to the problem being perhaps there was no bass sound. Hit the lights and with the arrival of Gaahl, all is forgiven and God Seed begin. The singer treads slowly create an imposing sense not only from his notoriety in the black metal arena but the frosty stage presence.

Crafting a different brand of black metal to the duo’s previous band we’re treated to the likes of “Awake” and “Lit” slowly bludgeoning our ears. Though the band may have only recorded one album, debut I Begin, they whip up a frenzy amongst our Camden crowd as the night begins to darken. Treated to Gorgoroth cover “Carving A Giant” the blistering pace sets the crowd alight before levelling out to the classic Black Metal march.

Not only that though, we are shown another weapon in their Gorgoroth arsenal “Wound Upon Wound” along with “Sign Of An Open Eye“. Though the devastating effect of I Begin material is felt throughout the venue “This From The Past” and “From The Running Blood” bring to light why this band are so revered in the Black Metal community. With the band crafting a new album expected for release later on in the year, you can bet that you won’t have heard the last from them. Bar the slight technical difficulties starting up the band deliver a solid set of smouldering Black Metal.

Heading over for the last time to our wonderful familiar Underworld, we see the arrival of Necrophobic. Arriving just slightly after the band have come on I see the corpse paint decked out group performing to a fairly sizeable crowd. With their new album Womb Of Lilithu having been released last year the band are playing a varied set with opener “Splendour Nigri Solis” and “Furfur” ensuring that newcomers are treated to some of the bands newer material. It is however when the band delve back into “The Nocturnal Silence” that The Underworld turns to greet this excellent band. Mixed in with the now anthemic “Revelation 666” and “Before The Dawn” the band’s rendition of Black Metal peppered with Death Metal nuances are the perfect in Performing admirably on stage the band play tight well picked songs.

However they are no match for tonight’s headliners. Once again yet another one off appearance for the festival today, with their brand new album Dawn Of The Nine having just been released our finest hour of Incineration was imminent. Arriving to the stage Unleashed and the daunting stature of front man Johnny Hedlund dwarfs the crowd. Kicking things off with classic “The Long Ships Are Coming” the band are on fire, with Hedlund’s signature “OUH!” echoing throughout the venue as the groovy rhythms permeate the punters. As we are asked “Where Is Your God Now?” moving viciously on with tonight’s proceedings, though as the songs ends guitarist Fredrik Folkare seems fraught with technical issues leaving the band twiddling their thumbs for a couple of minutes, surely leaving the audience to catch their breath!

Throwing back even further to 1991’s Where No Life Dwell’s the band slip into “If They Had Eyes” featuring those classic Unleashed riffs that die hard fans will have been happy to hear. Once again the team today seem to have gotten their sound on point, with Hedlund’s lofty bass ringing out on album opener “A New Day Will Rise”  contrasting beautifully with our singers patent “Aiiiihuuuuh’s”, performing “Fimbulwinter” showcasing Folkare’s musical dexterity with some of those truly fantastic solo’s cutting through perfectly the band ensure that the pace remains topped up throughout the set. With the entire audience transfixed, which is no mean feat after an all dayer.

When punters will have been too tired to stay and watch the headliners, or in some more evident cases this evening, too drunk. As another drunken fan slithers past the band announce their “Triumph Of Genocide”, inciting a reaction that would have you believe this would be the only time that people would be so happy to hear the word genocide.. Tailing off the set with “Let The Hammer Fly” and final nail in the coffin “Hammer Battalion” our warriors are once again relieved of their duties. Though the band may not perform as much as they have done in the past it would seem that Unleashed have not lost a step in delivering some of the most solid old school death metal out there. With their new album Dawn Of The Nine having just been released this truly was a treat for British concert goers that will not be forgotten any time soon. A fantastic end to a day of fantastic extreme metal, see you next year Incineration…

Make sure to keep your ears peeled for our interviews with some of the bands playing this fantastic festival! Stay tuned.