KREATOR and DIMMU BORGIR head up the Headbangers’ Ball extravaganza.
DIMMU BORGIR/HATEBREED/BLOODBATH
THE ROUNDHOUSE, LONDON
A night of barbarous celebration from all corners of the metal map
it’s an inconvenient reality that the passion and loyalty that fuels metal’s fanbase can produce a degree of tribalism within its ranks. Time and again bands have been berated for daring to step out of the parameters deemed sacrosanct by self-appointed guardians, while others seen as unsuitable for a support slot have been mercilessly crucified in the unforgiving live environment. Yet it’s nights like tonight where irrefutable beams of light cast the naysayers and close-minded opinions back into the shadows, with a gloriously diverse bill that unites and celebrates four distinct genres of metal’s heavier end, highlighting their similarities rather than their differences.
It’s testament to the strength of the European Apocalypse tour that a band as steeped in cult reverence as Bloodbath are left to open at the ungodly hour of 6pm. Though the usual excitement of their appearance seems to be lacking both onstage and in front, the Stockholm DM worship of Let The Stillborn Come To Me and So You Die are still churned out with demonic joy. Paradise Lost drummer Waltteri Väyrynen fits in seamlessly in place of Martin Axenrot, while the impeccable wit of Nick Holmes is as indispensable as the chainsaw guitars and copious amounts of fake blood and self-raising flour caked onto their faces.
HATEBREED have long made a habit of sticking out on metal-dominated bills and coming away with the winner’s medal, and tonight they come close to causing another upset. Marking their quarter-century next year means they’re not quite the hardcore riotstarters of yesteryear, relying instead on relentless enthusiasm and the sheer impact of a litany of anthems from opener To The Threshold onwards. Seemingly incapable of ever putting on a bad show, metal’s motivational guru Jamey Jasta demonstrates his ability to maintain both high energy and unstoppable positivity, demanding and receiving the throng’s exaltation. As ever, remaining motionless or nonchalant during the likes of I Will Be Heard or a monstrous Doomsayer is simply not an option.
Given Dimmu Borgir’s last visit to these shores at Bloodstock was mired in calamitous technical troubles, there’s a palpable sense of expectation and nervous energy surrounding the Norwegians’ first UK show in four years. Given the unashamed opulence of new album Eonian, the opening salvo of The Unveiling and Interdimensional Summit sound disappointingly anaemic, with the choirs and keys far too synthetic and the crunch of the guitars lacking. It’s a blight that begins to inflict an unsettling feeling of déjà vu, yet the band’s presence, a few jets of CO and Daray’s thundering double bass drums ensure The Serpentine Offering and Gateways finally sound like the cornerstones of Satan’s favourite opera, fully delivering the cosmic wall of sound that their divisive bombast requires. Understandably in a much better mood than at Bloodstock, Shagrath holds court, stirring the crowd into a rapturous clamour for an almighty Dimmu Borgir itself. While tribal percussion summons in the eerie extravagance of Council Of Wolves And Snakes and Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse basks in its ludicrous enormity, it’s crucially the simple combination of baleful moods and precision metallic ballast that holds the spectacle together. As the band leave the stage in triumph to Rite Of Passage there’s a definite sense of rebirth.
Such is the case with co-headline tours, a few fans prematurely slip away after Dimmu to leave some holes in the Roundhouse crowd. Though it might be disappointing for Kreator, who have chosen the final night of the tour to film a live DVD, what follows is such a seismic celebration that the odd empty seat is quickly put into perspective. With confetti, pyro, screens set among the rubble of a medieval cathedral and a huge effigy of the band’s Violent Mind mascot behind them, all the requisite visual boxes are ticked for heavy metal theatre at its finest, but naturally it’s the performance of the German veterans themselves, still showing no signs of the lethargy or complacency that their thrash peers have been accused of, who conclusively steal the night. Flag Of Hate, Phobia and People Of The Lie never seem to lose their impact, yet the fact that most of the set is from 21st-century material underlines Kreator’s evergreen appeal and continued relevance. Enemy Of God and Gods Of Violence are particularly savage, with Sami Yil-sirniö underlining his status as metal’s most underrated guitar talent and Jürgen Reil’s propulsive tempo seems to just keep the show teetering on the right side of full-blown collapse. While there are a few blips with the pyro and screens and no one’s entirely sure why two guys in hoodies and Violent Mind masks flank the stage for half of Hail To The Hordes, the 13-song set is a demonstration of consummate musicianship and stagecraft, with Christian Giesler ceaselessly goading the crowd on and Mille Petrozza’s declarations fuelling the anticipation of Hordes Of Chaos and a barbarous Pleasure To Kill to close. Whatever your taste in metal, it’s nights like this that emphatically ram home everything that fans hold closest to our blackened hearts.