CRADLE OF FILTH, GORGOROTH, MOONSPELL, SEPTICFLESH

Mythology, hellish flames, vampirism

14.12.2008 Berlin, Huxley's (GER)

Goddamn! That wasn’t never earlier in my journalistic career. A visit in a new and unknown until this moment venue, the new audiovisual impressions and unfortunately… the painful surprise too. “There’s no your name on the guest list” – I have heard from the girl, sitting in the box-office and selling the tickets for this unusual evening. “Impossible!” – only this kind of answer I was able to give, all the more because a few days before the e-mail from the one of labels confirmed my invitation.

Angry like a real hellish beast and at the same time disappointed, I was wondering myself what should I do and soon I have considered three of solutions: 1.go back to home; 2. to pay 35 Euro, buying a normal ticket; 3. to show a printed text of those e-mail, being a confirmation of my accreditation and to talk with tour manager, trying to explain this whole painful situation. Not so many time was needful to decide, that the solution No.3 will be in these circumstances the best way. A short visit in internet café and printing the text of e-mail took maybe a few minutes, but the awaiting for somebody from the road crew was a little bit prolonged, so soon my impatience had turned itself into a fear, that the first band will be over, naturally if I will be only able to explain this misunderstanding… I don’t know what happened – maybe the hellish powers were gracious, maybe was it something others – that’s not important anymore, but a man from road crew, who talked with a tour manager, giving to me my photo-pass said: “all right, everything’s OK”. The feeling of big relief was only one, what filled my heart and dark soul! In due of all those procedures I have lost a half of performance the first band, but the fact, that all’s well that ends well was so pleasing, that everything had no meaning. Maybe is a pity, that the first band was SEPTICFLESH (from the road line-up felt out the support act named ASRAI), cause the Greeks came not so long ago with the excellent album “Communion”, presenting the new stuff among other things during the spring tour with VADER, so to overlook partially the performance of this band was a little bit loss… But even observing the show of Greeks during a few last songs my impressions were very positive, especially when as the last track was presented “Persepolis” having a real atmosphere of ancient Hellada. As distinguishing part of the show could be mentioned of course a good presentation of musicians (especially Spiros in red light, looking like a bloodbathed mythological monster) and the monumental climate of the whole of repertoire. I hope, that I will have an occasion to watch SEPTICFLESH in action not yet a one time.

Who’s next? Another representative of South European metal scene, but from the country famous of wonderful beaches with a clean sand and the much of colonies in past times. I know similarly like you, that although Portugal is a small country, nobody can to deny as the one and only band from Lusitanian land is the most famous all over the world. Must I explain which band is it? MOONSPELL, of course! Yes, my dear girls and boys – the show performed by the Portuguese’s horde was full of fantastic accents, so I think, that a numerous circle of fans, that have this band everywhere, not forgetting of course about the Germany, is nothing coincidental. The main personage of this quintet stays of course Langsuyar (or maybe Fernando, if somebody prefers his original name), celebrating every time a real mystery of darkness and night, although the playing of Passionis or Ahriman (wearing always a traditional t-shirt of MERCYFUL FATE) is the same important and filling up the whole of elements. But as the repertoire is the thing deciding always about the show power of every band, there’s no differently in the case of MOONSPELL. I can to hide thus a fact, that thank of songs like “In Memoriam”, “Finisterra”, “Night Eternal” (that’s of course a title track of the latest record of group, promoting naturally during this tour), “Moon In Mercury”, “Blood Tells”, “Scorpion”, “Opium” (I admit to all of you, that “Irreligious” is in my opinion the best album in band’s discography), “Ruin And Misery”, “Vampiria (aaaarrrgh!)”, “Alma Mater” and a piece of tradition, namely crowning the every gig of quintet “Full Moon Madness”. Is somebody among of you all, who has a doubts regards of high quality of this gig? I see nobody, so everyone, who was absent those evening can just to regret.

In this place I don’t know what should I to write about GORGOROTH. In due of kicking out from the band Infernus, who as a founder of this horde gathered the ex-members from the old times and formed his own band, playing parallel under the same banner, it’s likely we have a two of GORGOROTH now, but only one is active. I mean here of course the GORGOROTH of Gaahl and King Of Hell, that once again changed partially the line-up (how many times already?), being this time very difficult to unravel. But as a matter of fact was whenever the line-up of this horde constans? I don’t remember. Anyway, personally I am very curious which final will find all this ticklish question of the name, but probably not this had to be an object of my confessions…Time shall tell, but now let to concentrate on the show. During this tour, similarly like before four years in Poland and this summer on the Black Stage of Wacken, the Norwegians took care about a scenography known to all of you. Which one? The naked models hanging on the crosses, flames, etc. That’s everything OK, but like for me GORGOROTH on the stage begins to be already a little bit boring, mainly in due of tracklist, that since the releasing of “Ad Majorem…” stays practically without of changes. It’s enough, when I will mention only “Procreating Satan”, “Forces Of Satan Storms”, “Carving The Giant”, “Incipit Satan”, “Teeth Grinding”, “Wound Upon Wound”, “Prosperity And Beauty”… Guys, we have heard this all already a thousands times, so please, be merciful! Don’t understand me by a false way, I always liked this band, but believe me, that it’s a piece of truth in the statement “too enough is unhealthy”. Don’t be surprised, but I really felt no regret when the fulfilled with madness Gaahl and his comrades left the stage, disappearing in the chasms of backstage.

CRADLE OF FILTH. A classical example of band, that can to be simply loved or truly hated. For a much of people listening the extreme sounds – the idols or gods, for the same much others – a commercial muck and a piece of pseudo black metal shit. I guess however, that even in spite of so extreme feelings and opinions about this band, the half-measures can here to be involved, of course if somebody can to separate the image from the musical skills, which presents itself by these guys more than masterfully. The new record of the vampires from Suffolk, titled “Godspeed On The Devils Thunder” like for me is the one of the best black metal albums of this year, so nothing strange, that having to do with this material at live version, the impressions must to be simply terrific! And maybe the first meeting with Dani Filth and his knights reasoned this all? Perhaps. The most important is, that the same like me, almost 1200 maniacs were admired by the touch of monstrosity, horror and vampirism. Without meaning, or the Englishmen were attacking by the tracks of “Principle…”, “Cruelty…”, “Dusk…” or the new work of course, although like for me the moments of intensive orgasm were “Honey And Sulphur”, “Under Huntress Moon” or “Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids”. It was really very nice evening in spite of the small complications at the beginning. Not only for me, because was very visible, that everybody marching after the finished show to the U-Bahn station on Hermannplatz had the devilish smiles on their faces.