GIG REVIEW: Killtown Deathfest (London, UK)

Usually set in Denmark, it was to my surprise and extreme happiness to see it materialise in London for this year’s edition. Three days of Death Metal right here with plenty of exclusive performances and underground tyrants? Sign me up…

Thursday

Abyssal took the atmospheric and dissonant to its logical conclusion with their warped set of fascinating and bewildering songwriting. Their hour-long set was a spectacle of sublime sonic manifestations like no other. Definitely one of the UK’s most interesting bands and certainly a contorting experience that had people entranced.

Concrete Winds were utterly ferocious. Having enjoyed every album by this powerhouse and having the pleasure of seeing them live before, I knew this would be a decimating show. The nuclear riffing and masterful drum assaults were malignant and the unhinged vocals as frenzied as ever. Every second was an intense, corrosive infliction on the body and spirit that showed Death Metal at its most primitive, furious and hostile. The room erupted into viciousness throughout their set as the crowd reflected the punitive nature of the music. Absolute barbarity ’til the end!

Friday

Druid Lord played some of the best Death-Doom I have seen live. Feeling like the musical equivalent of being in a Hammer Horror movie, these American’s are a band I’ve loved for a few years and I was ecstatic to see them live and on such amazing form. Their setlist gripped the room and took us to the ossuary of horrors where they dwell. Each crushing riff or pulverising storm of drums was narrated to by some menacing growls and samples were used cleverly without ruining the performance. Killer stuff!

Rippikoulu are probably my favourite Finnish Death Metal band. As a band I never thought I would see, this being my second time was something of a dream come true. Their brutal and visceral music filled the air with sepulchral grit and clearly every maniac in attendance was overjoyed to see this obscure entity play some of the most ruthless and nasty music known to man. The playing was tight, the mix was spot-on and the setlist took us into the grave for a magnificent and unforgettably funereal experience of total decay.

Mortem was the epitome of evil and crushing Death Metal violence. The Peruvian horde scorched the crowd with their blasphemous rites and despite some early sound issues went on to conquer the Friday night with darkness and savagery. As I said about Masacre’s recent show; seeing a legendary South American band is always a highlight of my year, so seeing Mortem so soon after is perhaps the biggest victory of underground majesty I could hope for! I was transfixed by their set and the endless stampeding of true Death Metal excellence upon the skulls of the crowd was supreme!

Saturday

Cryptworm opened the final day with their abhorrently catchy and gross riffing. The putrescent mix and easy to get into hooks perfectly got me in the mood for one last day of barbarism. I’ve seen these guys quite a few times and they never disappoint! So definitely check ’em out if you can, one of the most rancid sounding bands in England that fans of Autopsy, Cianide, Undergang and so on will adore.

Adversarial was another band I was dying to see. These Canadian brutes mix the most primal and evil distillations of Death Metal with some dissonant eeriness and a unique feeling. Their pulverising setlist showed the stud-clad trio as impeccable musicians whose devotion to the darker reaches of the underground spewed forth satanic might into the room. From the sheer punishment of the drums and insanely fingered bass lines to the maddening riffs and bestial vocals; everything was cranked to the max to deliver total evil and mayhem!

Aberration took things to twisted and unfamiliar territories as the trinity used a warped and malformed version of Death Metal to convey and obscure and disquieting sound. I had no idea what to expect from their live set due to the complexity of the music but it was executed marvellously. A really gripping and interesting set that was a real pleasure and perfect follow-up to Adversarial’s bludgeoning set.

Ossuary have a very classically Death Metal sound but something a bit more introspective and unusual lurking below the surface. Their grisly riffs and drums accompanied by serpentine vocal torment put the trio into the psyche of all in attendance as their lucidly nightmarish songs stormed the flesh and tore the sinews of all living matter in the room. I’ve seen them once before which was really solid, but tonight they felt stronger than ever and really captured something special with their morbid and haunting show.

Anatomia was absolutely wonderful. As a band I love on record and heard amazing things about live, I was yet to witness these Japanese maniacs and their truly fetid music on the stage. The atmosphere and execution was perfect, with the whole room hypnotised by the putrid soundscapes that were so otherworldly. Rarely does such a crushing and inhumanly grotesque sound translate so exactly into a live environment, but this exception blew me away. The experience felt like one of profundity, easily one of the best Death-Doom shows I have seen in my entire life.

Cancer is of course one of England’s most legendary Death Metal bands and thus a perfect closing act for the weekend. Their tight and ruthless set was mixed gloriously and each lacerating track packed one hell of a punch. Seeing these titans again is always a pleasure and this was probably my favourite set I’ve seen them play. A totally ferocious finishing blow from the heaviest of weekends.

Other honourable mentions go to Fuoco Fatuo, Slimelord, Vaticinal Rites and Fessus who were all wicked too! I didn’t properly review their sets but very much enjoyed them.

This weekend was a glorious dose of Death Metal from all over the globe. It was a privilege to see so many killer bands in London and all brought something excellent to the table. The sound and lights were great, the organisation ran superbly and the crowd was great. Most importantly, every band I watched (some I wrote about, some I did not but still really enjoyed) crushed. Until the next time, stay morbid!