LIVE REVIEW: Mortuary Drape @ The Underworld (London, UK)

An evening of morbid and majestic excellence awaits… Italian black metal royalty Mortuary Drape celebrate 40 years of necromancy alongside England’s Adorior and Vacivus to present a night of historic metal significance, put together by Morbid Angle.

Opening the night with scathing death metal is Vacivus. A band not too often seen in London and one I’ve always enjoyed with their well built riffing, demonic vocals, hard-hitting drums and some excellent solos. Perhaps best likened as England’s answer to Funebrarum or Disma. Their contorting brutality was a perfect opening onslaught for a night such as this, one that already feels like something special. A strong opener and a great set from the Sunderland slayers.

Adorior, as always, means business. As one of the underground’s most important bands, the London fist metal wrecking crew strike hard and without mercy. Instantly the tormenting howls of Jaded Lungs ride in on waves of contorting guitar violence and drum abuse. With material spanning over 30 years, Adorior attack the crowd with their rabid metal fury and give us cuts from their lacerating works of years past along with the equally wild recent record “Bleed on my Teeth”. For the first time “Sips of Sarin” was introduced into the live set and sounded ferocious. For my money, this is a band who has been supreme since day one and has only gone from strength to strength ever since. Honouring the old ways of metal, pushing the boundaries and always crossing the line; the London scavengers of vengeance will never surrender and never give quarter. There just isn’t another band like Adorior and if you miss seeing these maniacs level a venue; that’s poor decision making on your part.

Now for the headline set, 40 years of one of black metal’s absolute finest, it is time to descend into the drape… Mortuary Drape are one of those bands with something truly special and unique about them and any chance to see them live is an unmissable opportunity. The air fills with the aroma from the crypt as their introduction injects the crowd with a tense anticipation. Instantly their sound is recognisable and powerful as soon as they hit the stage with a massive mix that conveys their twisted guitars and magical bass lines. The drum kit sounds huge as the rolling toms and intricate attack delivers total savagery while Wildness Perversion’s abhorrent incantations sound as evil as ever. Blending their early material from the first EP and albums with the equally killer recent album and EP, the Italian devils have an impressive discography and make sure to showcase highlights from all of it to celebrate four decades of excellence. Having seen Mortuary Drape a few times now, this show definitely had the best sound and also the longest setlist, so for me as a die-hard lover of the catacomb lurking horde; I found myself in astral bewitchment for the entirety.

All in one night… A feast of black and death metal magnificence from a trio of bands whom delivered that cult underground assault we all hunger for. Mortuary Drape’s honouring of their lengthy career alongside two fierce English bands was inevitably going to be a potent concoction and one that’s intoxication will likely be felt for a while. A monumental moment of mania for London that had all attendants obsessed by necromancy.