Two of Black Metal’s finest young bands together in a small, dingy pub on a dark autumn night. I think this could be a contender for gig of the year! There was some horrific welsh goth metal support band who opened this gig but thankfully we missed them and spared our eardrums an unnecessary beating.

 

It is the UK’s Fen who start off the proceedings for me, playing a dense, oozing, folk tinged Black Metal. The air is thick with incense smoke, the atmosphere is heavy and all consuming, and noise coming from the stage is at once punishing and mesmerising. Occasionally breaking the brooding, down-tempo of their sound for scintillating blasting, Fen command the stage and the crowd seems entranced. After an all too short set, they exit and leave the crowd baying for more.

 

Ireland’s Alter of Plagues grace the stage with majesty and confidence. Playing a more obviously shoe-gaze influenced form of post black metal the band battle through breaking strings and the sound system sounding like it was about to cave in to deliver a set of tight, hypnotic bleakness. 
I personally preffered Fen as the orbited towards the more traditional Black Metal sound as opposed to Alter of Plagues’ very Wolves in the Throne Room approach to what is called ‘post-Black Metal’. However, this is not to take away from them, both bands were immense tonight!

 

Carl Sucharyna Thomas