“Pure fucking Armageddon”
So here we are, back to indoor venues without vaccination certificates! Fans (with masks or without) gathered at Fuzz Club to see some prominent figures of the Norwegian black metal scene. The legendary MAYHEM were really good and they left no room for any doubt with their imposing performance. The special guest was MORTIIS, another prominent figure of the early 90s black metal scene that played a dungeon synth set and the Athenians blacksters DIABLERY that were very good as always.
“My soul trembles in dark rejoice…”
There wasn’t any multitude outside the venue when the doors opened but hopefully this changed after an hour. Getting inside there was a rich merchandise to please the spending spree of the fans but the main reason tonight was the music of course. Those who underestimated the opening act and came late missed a great black metal band. DIABLERY got on stage on time and they were very good. At first I was a bit worried because of the 20 minute long intro that was some kind of ritual with candles and stuff. Obviously the band created a mesmerizing atmosphere but hopefully then they played a 40 minute long set that was based on their latest album “Candles” which by the way was one of the greatest extreme metal albums in Greece in 2021. Many of us we have already seen the Athenians when they opened for Harakiri For The Sky (or Mgla before that) but the band managed to lure everyone into their music. They know how to play and their performance on stage is catchy, obviously they did put years of sweat into their work so now their sacrifices are richly rewarded.
video DIABLERY live:
DIABLERY set list:
Intro/ sanguine emissions of aeonic ecstasy / spiral ascension of becoming / the coming fog / piercing ice / moonlit dome revealed
“Does it bother you, did it not obey you?…”
Then the things rearranged on stage to host the keyboards of MORTIIS and some percussion. Two people on stage that presented for 45 minutes something different for the average black metal listener, a dungeon synth set that sounds like an epic film soundtrack. Ok, I must admit that without the guy on the percussion it would be kind of boring but at the end I think we all enjoyed Mortiis on stage and admired the ambient trip he created.
Mortiis (real name Håvard Ellefsen) is a legendary figure of early 90s black metal in Norway (when most of the fans in the venue weren’t even born) but the last two decades he is into other genres like darkwave, synthwave and dungeon synth and the latter was where he focused this night as he performed the compositions “Visions of an Ancient Future” and “A Dark Horizon” from “Spirit Of Rebellion” album. What I really like on him is that he doesn’t even care what’s the audience in the venue, he plays what he wants and don’t really give a sh*t. Total respect for him anyway…
video MORTIIS live:
“Everything here is so cold…”
22:30, right on time (kind of strange for gigs in Greece) MAYHEM where ready to hit the stage or should I say The True Mayhem as there are more than 15 bands sharing the same name, but yes, we all know which one is the real one, the band that is so important for the Norwegian black metal scene. Fuzz Club was full of fans now and Mayhem managed to impress everyone since for 90 minutes they showed no mercy blasting us to bits with old and new stuff. Sound was great, their performance amazing, Attila was impressive (great frontman), Hellhammer a beast, Necrobutcher οn basslines and it was interesting to see the band with two guitars. I can’t really tell how inferior would be with just one but the final result was impressive. The lights on stage were also impressive, maybe a bit too much at a level that could be annoying for some people.
As I said they easily took our scalps from the beginning and they never stopped. At first they focused mostly on tracks from “Daemon” and these tracks were even more dope on their live versions, same applies for “To Daimonion” from “Grand Declaration of War” and the way they were playing didn’t let any chance for the fans to catch their breath. So, almost half way through their set darkness covered the stage, the lights turned cold and then … “When it’s cold and when it’s dark, the freezing moon can obsess you”… Chaos! Mayhem! And to top it all off “Pagan Fears”, “Life Eternal” and “Buried by Time and Dust”! Then a small break for a wardrobe change (how long can they last with the cassocks?) and they finished us off with some tracks from “Deathcrush”. Like someone said… They came. They taught. They’re gone…
MAYHEM set list:
Falsified and Hated / To Daimonion / Malum / Bad Blood / My Death / Symbols of Bloodswords / Voces Ab Alta / Freezing Moon / Pagan Fears / Life Eternal / Buried by Time and Dust / Deathcrush / Chainsaw Gutsfuck / Carnage / Pure Fucking Armageddon
® κείμενο/video: Konstantinos Mindcrimek Vlachos
photos: Peter Papapetros
video MAYHEM live:
