Oranssi Pazuzu, The Dead Creed

So finally some more black metal shows! It's Oranssi Pazuzu's second time in Athens and I of course had to go see them again. Also because last time I left early and did not yet know them well. Now this time I knew their two latest albums quite well, also the show was in a much bigger venue, moving from An Club to Gagarin 205! wow! :D

So I arrived early and I'm so happy I did, because this was the reason why I saw The Dead Creed and this blew me away! Fantastic guy.

This guy uses only his voice and an acoustic guitar and creates the acoustic equivalent to Batushka. He uses only orthodox monasterial chants and his guitar to create a very atmospheric, but still heavy sound. This is black metal underground at its finest. Awesome stuff, I right away bought his songs at bandcamp :D

Next was mock the mankind and Finnish Hexvessel, but I will not lose any words to them. I did not like either and Hexvessel seemed out of place. Mock the mankind had no vocals and sadly bored me a lot.

But now on to Oranssi Pazuzu. This was stunning, absolutely mesmerising, hypnotic, deep, heavy, pressuring and alluring music. So so good, but also so assaulting to all senses, like a thunderstorm of sounds, crashing into you.. Fantastic. And boy, these guys are so Finnish.. I think they did not say a single word to the audience and still they had us in their power. What an experience!

Daedin
- Tämä on hymni kaiken päätteeksi,
verta veitseen ja käännä krusifiksi

Mortiis in Dublin

so as I told earlier, I saw Mortiis in 2004 in Jyväskylä. There have been periods when he was not really active and I might have had the chance to see him somewhere still, but I missed those chances and now 12 years have passed. In these 12 years a lot has changed, for me and for him of course, too.

I'm now a member of the street team and we talk occasionally on facebook. So in May Mortiis toured the UK, but I had just been two times to the UK April and May and I simply could not go yet another times. So I had to pass that opportunity and wait for the next. which presented itself now in October. Mortiis was going to come to three gigs in Pilsen, Erfurt and Dublin, so I chose Dublin :D It was perfect since I also combined that with a trip to Wales by boat.

I flew in the day of the concert, just checked into the hostel and ate something before heading to the place, Voodoo Lounge. And it was all just mind blowing. I finally met Håvard, he gave me more street team stuff and yes, selfies did happen :D

The show was fantastic. Mortiis played one song from Smell of Rain,  three from the Grudge, one from Perfectly Defect and the rest was from the Great Deceiver.

This man, a legend in extreme music, be it as black metal musician and lyricist in Emperor, be it as one of the originators of dark dungeon music, be it as a current industrial music enthusiast in a tiny underground movement, away from the eye of the mainstream press.. he is my hero. And besides that he just is a great person, very kind, polite, but also honest, outspoken, free-spirited.. yep, i love him :)

Daedin
Cause you are just really one step closer to the end,
we are really just one step closer to the end

New Corpsepaint sessions

well, I need to share some pics here, too! until now i´ve been alone in doing corpsepaint, but i found a sister in crime this time, my colleague! it was one session to be remembered.. :P

the last one is while wiping off the paint. quite something. too..

Daedin

find me, take me, to the void, to the crooked nest, to nekrohaven.

Grá - Serpent Noir

Another great black metal evening. I didn't expect that much, but actually it was one of the best shows this year!

When I arrived at Kyttaro the greek band "Serpent Noir" were playing. They play very enjoyable black metal with occult touches. This was a promising start into the night.

After a little delay, finally Grá came on stage, sporting a complete white make up. So not the usual black metal corpsepaint with black highlights, just pure white. Very impressive on a dark stage when their faces are lit up now and then. The greek audience needed only one song to get into the mood and start being really active. What a joy to see!

There could have been just a little bit more people tonight and I was afraid that there would be a lack of enthusiasm, but this fear was swiped away immediately. Grá features on vocals Heljarmaðr who also sings for Dark Funeral. Of course his main band will attract people, but Grá definitely deserves it.

(following two pics from Facebook friends, the last is my own)

Grá are doom influenced black metal with a lot of references to death but also occultism. The show was spiced up with a satanic (?) bible that Heljarmaðr showed us pages of, later ripping them out and handing them to the people. The show also featured some nooses, that were used for dramatic effect and also were handed to the people afterwards! Very cool scenes there..

I want to also point out that their mini tour with some 7 or 8 shows around Hungary, Bulgaria and Greece was printed on an extra shirt and shirts were only 5 euro. woah nice! ok, maybe they didn't want to carry them home to Sweden, understandable, but still! I got their CD and the tour shirt and was overwhelmed with joy, haha!

A great evening thus, with a band that I had only once listened to previously, deemed it good and then got surprised so much! Also Grá named the tour "A coin for Charon" and I loved it how he pointed out that finally Charon is coming back to where he belongs to, to this ancient country we are fortunate to live in. 

Jag står nu mitt i elden, med ett leende, medan världen runt omkring mig tystnar. 

- Daedin

Батюшка - Batushka

Finally more shows after the summer break! So it was time for Batushka. The concept is crazily good. Polish Black Metal with orthodox liturgy, kind of the black metal pendant to Ghost, masking their faces and staying anonymous. And it works so well for both bands.



The stage features an icon of Maria and baby Jesus, with wiped off faces, liturgical candles and a three piece choir for the liturgical chants. Let the blasphemy begin then!



The band, as far as I got it, played their whole debut album, so some 45 minutes of music, and that was it. Some might say this was too short, but hey, going to church would be about the same, haha!



It was fascinating how well the chants work with the singers black metal screams. The music was driving, energetic, very enjoyable indeed! It's thrilling to see some bands with a completely new idea how to work with black metal. And how come no one thought of this earlier, since it works so well in a beautifully blasphemic way! Well done Batushka and thank you for the mass!



Come together, together as one
Come together, together for Lucifer's son

Daedin

Corpsepaint

Corpsepaint has a big role in black metal. I'm a very visual person and I personal enjoy it a lot if some black metal bands still use corpse paint and haven't dropped it like so many did. Bands like 1349, Abbath, Carach Angren, Behemoth, Gorgoroth etc. have very distinct corpsepaint styles and it's somehow unthinkable that they would stop doing it.

Of course I had to try it, too, haha :D My first tries at corpsepaint were a Crow-style paint for carnival in my hometown, later in Finland I would get a Misfits-corpsepaint for a Misfits cover band. That was fantastic, by the way.

Now recently I of course turned more towards black metal. I tried a few styles, the first got inspiration from Carach Angren, the second is rather dirty corpsepaint in the style of Deadspace, the third reminds me a bit of corpsepaint some members of Gorgoroth have been previously wearing.

Corpsepaint gets you into the right mood, into the right feeling. It's like dressing up for the morbidity in black metal. Once you wear corpse paint and go into public it feels like you have bonded with the satanic spirit and you are untouchable. It's definitely something you are not doing every day. It's something that should be celebrated. 

And every night I am the flame

and every night there is a fire

- Daedin

Tuska

Now let's talk about Tuska festival in Finland, the biggest metal festival of Scandinavia. As far as I remember I have been there the years 2003, 2005 and 2006 for sure, I remember the shows very clearly. I might have been 2004 as well, but looking at the acts I'm not 100% sure and to be honest those were alcohol filled years and I just cannot tell anymore, haha. I would have to check my notes on this, if I made any somewhere, as well as photographic evidence I might have in photo albums.

But for now this is not so important. In 2003, 2005 and 2006 there were some bands I went to see and was very excited for. In 2003 this was Type O Negative. I also of course saw Sentenced, Amorphis, Trio Niskalaukaus. I somehow remember the 69 eyes and Lordi, too. There was also Finntroll, Barathrum, Moonsorrow, Horna.. I cannot say anymore if I saw something of them, haha. At that point I was not keen on seeing black metal. Too bad, dammit! :P

In 2005 I was most excited about Lake of Tears. I also remember Sentenced and Apocalyptica. I guess we also checked Dimmu Borgir a little, but I have no recollection. xD

Now in 2006 the big acts I was going for were Anathema, Sisters of Mercy, Opeth, Amorphis, Swallow the Sun. I see now that I might have seen Venom or Impaled Nazarene. But once again I lack recollection if I did, haha. Would have loved to see all those bands now, actively, remembering it :P

Anyway, why am I telling all of this? Because there is one band that I did see in 2006 and that made a big impression on me and that was Celtic Frost. I remember staying far from the stage, but watching the show, and then this one awesome, doomy song comes on and I'm absolutely hooked. There are a few songs that could be it, but I'm not sure. But yea, that was remarkable and even though I was impressed, I did not check Celtic Frost more, I did not get into black metal. It was not the right time back then, I understand that now. But still, I sometimes want to bite my ass for it, hahaha :D

I am a dying god, coming into human flesh.

- Daedin

Mortiis

ok ok, I know. Mortiis is not really black metal anymore. Actually not at all xD But I need to go back now, time travelling to the year 2004.

That was the year he came to Jyväskylä and I went with some friends of mine to see him. Black metal fans surely know who he is, he was a member of Emperor, their main lyricist and bassist. He wrote all lyrics for their first EP. He departed from the band before they would go on their first small tour around Britain (and before shit hit the fan with Samoth and Faust). He started his own project, dark dungeon music.

I still think that he actually has bigger balls than many people in the scene, just because he gave no single shit about trends and did his own thing. Respect! After many albums in synth dominated dungeon music he turned towards industrial music and nowadays is again active.

So yea, I was at a friends place and she was playing Mortiis and I asked who that is and she told me to check out Mortiis albums The Grudge and Smell of Rain. I was totally in love. I regret that I didn't listen to his older stuff back then! But alas, I didn't.

She also told me about the upcoming concert and I went there and it was one of the best shows I've been to :D I remember being in front and having a really great time.

Those pics are actually from that show, I took them with an old crappy camera :D Good times at Lutakko! Finally now in 2016 I got the Mortiis tattoo I always wanted. Mortiis will forever be my most beloved Norwegian musician and nothing can change that.

Everyone leaves. In the end. Everything dies. In the end.
- Daedin 

Negură Bunget / Order of the Ebon Hand

This show happened in a quite new club in Athens called MODU. I'm not sure this is the reason why there were only so little people, but that was really sad. Both bands deserved more spectators.

Order of the Ebon Hand were known to me and I came to see them, basically. They were absolutely great and I love their style very much. The stage at MODU is triangle and that is quite interesting and very practical for the viewers. The place should have been full, then it would have been better, of course.

After the show I went to the merch table, talking to Negură's merch guy and buying a Order of the Ebon Hand CD/shirt-bundle :D bargain!

Negură Bunget are a very interesting band. They mix black metal with mystic, pagan sounds, full of enchanting drums and natural sounds. The thing is.. they are difficult live. When playing live it is ok to play a slow, meditative song. But after a few minutes of that, you need to change the tempo again. If you do not, the people will get bored and tired. This is sadly what happened and I saw many people talking amongst them, shuffling with obvious boredom.

Too bad, really, because this band deserved more fans and a better show, but then again you need to plan the order of your songs better, in my opinion.

Take us to your world, Horned One,
take us to a world that'll never reach an end.

- Daedin

Kawir - Varathron - Mortuary Drape

Lords of the Void II

What a lineup to a black metal festival! Two absolute legends of greek black metal, as well as the italian masters of occult black metal. Needless to say I was stoked to go see them.

Kawir is pagan black metal, using a lot of interesting instruments like a huge sea shell, some kind of bag pipes etc. I must say for me this was the best band that night. I love the concept of their new album, their songs were very driving, pounding, full of natural energy. Best thing, after I leave the concert hall, I discover that my colleague actually plays drums in Kawir! :D Of course I had to buy their new album then, featuring my colleague on drums.

Varathron was awesome, too. It might not be exactly the style I enjoy the most, but live it works really well. Their performance was great and with Necroabyssious, they have a great frontman. They are also mentioned alongside Rotting Christ as probably the oldest greek black metal band.

Mortuary Drape was on late and sadly the audience was a bit tired already. Some had left to catch the last train or bus and so the place was not as packed as before. It was not bad, Mortuary Drape are also legends and have been around for ages. It just was not really my thing that evening. The singer had a small speakers pult in front of him and he would rock back and forth, nearly knocking that over.

Let's hope then for another lords of the void with more interesting acts!

Daedin
Χαιρε τριμορφη θεα και μεινε μαζι μας ως το τελος

Abbath / Order of the Ebon Hand

Abbath, a legend in black metal, thrown out of Immortal and now going strong with his solo material, which of course was meant for Immortal but now just bears his name.

I cannot explain how excited I was that Abbath would come to Athens! This is black metal rock 'n roll, this is Norwegian trve shit or something, haha!

When I arrived at Kyttaro, Order of the Ebon Hand were playing. A greek black metal band, also quite old actually, and not getting the attention they deserve. I saw them once more later, but let's go there another time.

Abbath arrived together with the creature on drums, the King ov Hell on bass and the session guitarist Ole Andre Farstad. The show was fantastic, they played Abbath songs, Immortal classics and also an I song.

After the show I stayed to write a text message. How lucky I was that actually then the band came out to be there for pictures and autographs. I rushed over to the King and talked a bit with him. I wanted him to take a pic with me an Ole Andre, but he didn't get it, haha :D Abbath was next to us, but I didn't squeeze in there, so he only appears on the side. I was happy enough in the company I was in, haha :D

Yes, I am quite the fangirl in this case and meeting those guys will forever stay with me.

"to me, black metal is not only the norwegian landscape. there is so much that can influence, create and shape black metal, from the scorching heat on a deserted plain on a windswept greek island, to an anonymous multi-storey building in which people merely exist and live in their own isolation, to the snow-capped trees in a vast Finnish wintry forest or inside an ancient ruined welsh castle, surrounded by seemingly endless green hills, echoing the wind like laments for times past. all this, all this can be black metal." -Daedin

Helvete

Let's continue with a true highlight. Not a band this time, but a place. Just after a few months getting into black metal head over heels, I checked Helvete. I had heard of the place previously, of course, but now I wanted to know if it still exists. To my delight it does and can be visited. I got insanely expensive plane tickets for me and my love, and off we went to Oslo.

Formerly Euronymous' record shop, it is now Neseblod records, a really awesome record store, which needs its time though. I had to ask the staff how the system works and how to find some bands, and still I found only a fraction, haha. It's a living museum, with or without the black metal room.

Story time. I enter the shop and look around. I ask the guy if I may descend into the depths of the store. He says yes, sure. I descend but through the maze of rooms and corridors, I cannot spot the black metal room, just a door. I ascend. I ask the guy if I may enter through that door. He says yes, of course, but take your phone with you, there is no light in the corridors below. So I descend once more, lighting the way with my phone, finally entering the birth place of Norwegian black metal. There was a light switch then, although I almost hit the alarm button instead xD

Helvete is easily accessible, once you check the opening times of the shop. They kept the room as it was, as you can see it in many legendary pictures, mostly of Mayhem and Darkthrone members. I felt at home in there, haha!

After the session I went back upstairs to purchase some CDs and support the shop after its flood damage. What a great day in Oslo. I felt like so many things had finally clicked and fell into place. I'm lucky to have been able to travel there and see it for myself. I bow to Neseblod records who keep this room alive and have not allowed anyone else to rent these premises and destroy the black metal sign, paint it over etc. Also Oslo has to offer a huge range of awesome museums, I can only recommend those, as well as Vår Frelsers gravlund (cemetary). 

dra til helvete!
Daedin