GIG REVIEW: Prague Death Mass V

When a five day event of the most elite black, death and other evil corners of heavy metal is announced for Prague, one of my favourite cities; attendance is mandatory. From underground violence with Törr at the pre-show to three days of hellish mayhem with the likes of Blasphemy, Death Worship, Tormentor, Aura Noir, Adversarial, Profanatica, Attic and many more before a climactic ending with Mysticum playing in Europe’s only LED planetarium – this could be the event of the year…

Wednesday – Ante Liturgia @ Futurum Music Club

Törr is a true legend of Czech black metal history alongside the likes of Root and Master’s Hammer. As one of the many bands I was excited to see, especially with their performance of the cult 1987 “Witchhammer” demo, this is a perfect warmup to the diabolical weekend ahead. Finally seeing this legendary band in their homeland felt like the perfect beginning to this five day onslaught of darkness. From the second they started the front row was raging to the primordial metallic fury that this trio delivered. Despite only having one guitar the sound was massive and the “Witchhammer” demo was delivered with crushing precision and a Venom cover for good measure.

Thursday

Vomitvulva is a primitive bestial force. Scathing riffing and blast beats desecrate the crowd with visceral warfare. As the first band of the main weekend for me, it felt like a tour de force in how powerful the music, sound and lighting will be for the next days. These guys may be European but the feel of bands like Morbosidad and Holocausto was present with plenty of the Ross Bay Cult sound influencing them too, perfect to open the day Blasphemy was headlining.

Vafurlogi showcase the twisted melodic acrobatics Iceland has become known for. Their otherworldly atmosphere is still direct and to the point with a truly haunting feel to each song. They had a majestic and commanding stage presence and felt like another example of why I find Icelandic black metal some of the most interesting in the contemporary scene. 

Saturnalia Temple break up the black metal with some equally ominous and riff packed doom metal. The sabbathian evil rite was certainly a change of pace but that worked in the band’s favour to allow them stand out while ensuring the rest of the day wasn’t just a blur of one style. All of the fuzz, riffs and eerie vocals you could hope for punctuated by a massive reverberate snare. 

The Ruins Of Beverast conjure huge atmospherics with their doomy blackened death metal. Their blend of genres is extremely well textured and the sound and lighting was intensely engaging. From the churning riffing and glistening gothic leads to the bellowing vocals, powerful drums and synths; this band had a lot of things happening but it all tied together to weave an enchanting and spellbinding set. Producing a hypnotic and bombarding effect, I was thoroughly impressed from start to finish. 

Blasphemy for me are the best band on this amazing billing and the supreme black metal band of all time. Six years ago they devastated London and I’ve been itching to see them again since. The Ross Bay Cult take to the stage with their statuesque and intimidating presence. The mix today has been consistently great and Blasphemy is no exception with each savage assault perfectly dropped upon us like sonic artillery. A merciless and violent hour of nocturnal slaying that spilled blood upon the altar. This was easily one of the best extreme metal shows of my entire life. Demoniacs were shown the masters are still unbeatable. 

Attic are another band I saw about six or seven years ago and have loved since even before that. Their three albums all rule and the heavy metal climax after Blasphemy’s noisy warfare is a perfect closing to the evenings proceedings. Melodic and soaring guitars pierce walls of intense drums and falsetto vocals complete the Attic sound. The obvious Mercyful Fate comparisons seem redundant but there is also a lot of Dissection in their sound. This set was very tight, well performed and a real spectacle. Most things would feel a bit lacklustre after Blasphemy but Attic certainly did not and were my second favourite of the day.

Friday

Deathless Void are one of the bands I was really curious to hear live and determine how their visceral music would translate in this setting. Twisted guitars and malicious vocals contort over wild drums to concoct a sanguineous soundscape that was claustrophobic and yet spellbinding. With a wicked stage presence and the killer music to match; Deathless Void certainly lived up to my high expectations following their superb last record. A strong example of contemporary black metal that still has ferocious riffs and a feeling of danger and evil. 

Death Worship are one of my favourite bands in the war metal camp. Another I have been lucky enough to witness live and thusly am extremely excited to see again. Punishing attendees with a war metal massacre of epic proportions, the Ross Bay Cult maniacs drive forth their militant extremity with a surgical precision and crushing sound. Conveying a barbaric and yet lethally sharp take on the genre, Death Worship remains one of my favourites due to their equally savage recordings and live performances that never fall short of majestic desecrating excellence. 

Aura Noir brings black thrashing mayhem. Their devilish twist on old school metal-craft hails to gods of the 80s while adding an extremely sharp Norwegian edge to their sound. Instantly their Voivodian guitar riffs pierce the air with blasphemous destruction and the massive drums, thundering bass and evil vocals do not disappoint. Each track is a ruthless display of merciless metallic mania that ripped everyone’s faces off. Easily one of the most impressive and energetic sets and a triumph for the old school. 

Saturday

Viande bring twisted French black/death metal ferocity down like a hammer upon us. Their noisy and malignant set was an aural assault combining barbaric extremity with dissonant intricacies. Elements of noise mixed with the atmospheric but lethally direct death metal onslaught while variety in riffs, vocals and drums was huge and exhilarating. Each element of the band felt pushed to the extreme and warped into disturbing realms as a singularity. This was one of those shows where time stopped existing as the sonic abyss pulled you into an unknown realm for its duration. 

Adversarial are easily one of the most savage live acts I’ve previously witnessed. After their performance at Killtown Deathfest I knew the Canadians would bring maximum savagery. Despite knowing how tight they are, it never ceased to amaze me. The drumming was ridiculously hard and flawlessly executed with the riffs just as wild and menacing. Each piece of annihilation was served with nuclear force and relentless sadistic energy from start to end. 

Tormentor were supreme at Cosmic Void festival in London. Yet seeing them a bit closer to their home feels even more special. The Hungarian black metal titans certainly bring an eerie presence. Proving masters of theatrics and metal artistry the classic band gave an hour of superb and bewitching black metal that was as captivating as it was vicious and intense. There was a looseness to their set but one which suited their ominous and eerie first wave sensibilities. The primitive and vicious moments seamless barrelled into sombre melodics and before you could say “Elizabeth Bathory” their mystifying set was over. A perfect final headliner for the main festival. 

Profanatica are one of the most essential American black/death metal bands. Their unique and pungent blend of blasphemous sounds is certainly fitting on an evil bill like this. This set was a scathing assault of blasphemy and perversion with the trio on top form. Paul’s drumming and vocals were barbaric and the guitars and bass sounded massive. Despite playing so late at night on the last day of the main festival, they got a great reception which was well deserved. Every bit of grit could be felt and I’d say their sound was the most powerful of the festival, although the mix had been consistently great for everyone. 

Sunday – Planetarium Death Mass @ Prague Planetarium

Mysticum blew me away at Metal Magic in Denmark last year. The Norwegian legends industrial black metal music being a truly hostile soundscape. What could be more fitting than seeing them in the rain? A planetarium dome of course… After Vemod left all spellbound with the celestial soundscapes and 360 visuals of the cosmos, we knew Mysticum would be on another level. Their industrial blackened hammering and militantly visceral sounds met the bands own projections which proved to be an experience like no other. I don’t think I breathed for the whole hour and this felt the only way to close five days of profoundly perfect heavy metal mania. 

This event was a triumph on so many levels. The bands, crowd, sound, atmosphere, lighting were all fantastic and the location just as suitable. A week of adventures, five days of killer metal and a crowd of underground maniacs; I cannot think of a single thing missing from this trip.