Though personally one of my favourite venues in London. I have a serious bone to pick with The Underworld, any week day it would be the perfect venue, however when on the weekends due to the demand of both tourists and Essex boys the venue is transformed into various club nights. Leaving bands often short changed, particularly if fans aren’t aware of the criminally earlier start times.

This was one such occasion, opening the night with the thrashing of Shredhead, the crowd was relatively small. Timid to the openings of the band due in part to the early start time of the set, with doors being at 18:00. Understandable for an all dayer but for a three band bill? A bit much. After performing an acceptable set, Shredhead took their leave, opening the stage up for Polish metallers Hate.

The ominous intro of “Vox Dei (A Call From Beyond)” set The Underworld into full on battle mode. The imposing soundtrack to the impending nihilistic batterings of Hate. Opening with “Erebos” the scene is well and truly set, blasting through the set front man Adam “ATF Sinner” Buszko commands the legions of fans as a general would a platoon. Often with such chaotic instrumentation, the impact can be lost, particularly in a venue as small as this. Tonight however, despite ATF Sinner’s slightly quiet guitar sound, new drummer Pawel‘s on point with his  cymbals singing and lead lines cut through at just the right mix. Treating fans to single “Valley Of Darkness” from their brand new album Crusade:Zero it’s clear that the crowd are warming evermore to the band. Beginning with a sizeable difference in audience, as we segue into “Resurrection Machine” and finale “Threnody” it is clear that Hate have well an truly earned the approval of the often stubborn death metal fans. Though where the true genius lies is within ATF Sinner‘s masterful control of the crowd, never arrogant, always humble the singer barely incites the uproarious chants of “Hate, Hate, Hate!” The intimidating dissonance from new song “Leviathan” well received, along with fan favourites “Hex” proved that Hate are a worthy warm up act to the daunting Vader. With this being their twenty fifth year as a unit it seems that Hate are firing on all the right cylinders.

Fast forward half an hour, though Hate may have performed fantastically, the crowd are clearly here for Vader. As the opening track of new album Tibi Et Igni rings in, The Underworld has transformed into a proverbial death metal sardine tin. The sold out Underworld, has somewhat let the band down. Appearing on stage Vader receive a heroes welcome, with frontman Piotr bellowing out his signature demonic sermons, over their thirty year plus career, respect is instantly granted. Launching into “Abandon All Hope” the crowd erupts, the maelstrom of arms and legs obscure the band at this clearly slightly over sold out show. The sheer amount of sweat in the room is tangible, obscuring even the band for the first two knock out punches of “Come And See My Sacrifice” and “Go To Hell“.

Performing admirably, our undead war general sounds as good as any studio album would have you believe. With no trickery to hid behind in a live setting particularly one this small the band are imposing yet not overbearing. Rousing the Polish troupe with an announcement and a shaking of a bottle, I can only assume that either the front man is very conscious of alcohol or due to the anger in his face perhaps it was lobbed on stage. Unfortunately the suffocating atmosphere leads to the depreciation of the band, simply because there are too many people! A compliment to Vader‘s fan base, personally I do believe that Vader could have sold out the stones throw away Electric Ballroom,  though the sound is patchy, coming in and out of their De Profoundis classics “Sothis” and “Reborn In Flames“. With only one guitar coming through the mix, often the gifted solo’s particularly of new cuts, the atmospheric brilliance of “Hexenkessel” are lost. Though the more straightforward and less grandiose songs “Decapitated Saints” and “Triumph Of Death” slip away more unnoticed.

Despite the pitfalls of the slightly wavering sound and the sheer amount of people Vader conquer. Delivering a furious set, proving that they are one of the most influential death metal acts around, particularly in the polish scene. Finishing triumphantly with the hard rock stylings of “The End” the band have not only proven that they can definitely test their metal, but that new material stacks up to their death metal classics. The Motörhead of death metal they may be, but despite tonight’s hand dealt Vader rise to the challenge. This is not the end indeed…