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

Oranssi Pazuzu

Now for another great rather alternative black metal band, which is quite psychedelic. I heard about them, well.. again because they were coming to Athens. First of all they are really something crazy and special and then they are Finns. It seems there are so many Finnish bands that are great and I have never heard about them, so i was especially happy to get to know them.



The show was dark, gloomy and absolutely fantastic. I loved it and although it's a bit difficult to listen to this music at home and to get into the right mood, it still is something really creative and fresh. Whoever says that black metal cannot evolve and should always stay trve and stuff like this is really missing out, haha.



I must say that I do understand how some bands started to create albums that are not what it should be, without soul and targeted to a certain group of people. It's sad when this happens and when a label will alter a band to their designs. When black metal got on the big screen, this of course happened as well. But saying that it killed the scene is so very wrong. I see such a lively scene also here and there is so much creativity. Black metal is far from dead.

Daedin

Olen aukaissut uuden silmän

Agalloch

This is a quite sad story for me really. I heard about Agalloch when I found out that they would come to Athens. I right away was surprised what kind of loyal fanbase they have. Their music immediately captured me and spoke to me in some ways I cannot explain. This is of course post-black metal, atmospheric black metal or experimental black metal or whatever you want to call it. The vocals are mostly black metal, but musically it has evolved a lot.

The concert was great. The place was packed and there was so much enthusiasm. The band did a great job, I remember being swept away by John Haughm's vocals. And well, there comes the sad part.



Agalloch have parted ways recently, mostly it seems because of John Haughm leaving. It's sad for me, to just discover a great band and then lose them again. But I can call myself so lucky that I saw them live and got the opportunity to experience that.

There are some songs that truly move me. "The Lodge", "Birch White" and their (much stronger) version of the Sol Invictus song "Kneel to the cross" are gems, magical and mysterious songs.

Goodbye Agalloch and thank you.

Daedin

And it's always so wrong to try to be strong

Dødheimsgard

I think the next black metal concert I went to after the Behemoth initiation gig was DHG. true enough they are not pure black metal anymore, but they still are one of the oldest and most iconic black metal bands from Norway. For alone that I had to go see them. They featured Fenriz in the beginning, so they are somewhat of a legend.



I must say that Avantgarde Black Metal is not easy. It's exactly what the name suggests. Live they were formidable and the show was pretty ace. Aldrahn is one crazy dude and his eccentric way of dancing is the center of the stage.



I own three CD's from DHG, 666 International, Supervillain Outcast and the legendary Kronet til Konge. While the latter is a pure norwegian black metal album, a quite good one also, the other two are experimental black metal. I bought the reissue of Kronet til Konge, which features a full rehearsal session, and that is what most interests me. It's so interesting to have a glimpse behind the ready product. This reminds me of the early Emperor rehearsal session, which is absolutely fantastic.

Let me drop a link here, it's just too good. Young Ihsahn, his stance and confidence, then Faust, a true beast on the drums.. too bad this lineup was not going to last long and even then Mortiis was already gone, the main songwriter of Emperor at that time.

Emperor High Wycombe rehearsal 1993



Daedin

Belial, Behemoth, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, Satanas, Lucifer

Behemoth

My musical development started with music that my parents listened to, so ABBA, Italo Pop, Frank Duval, Rondo Veneziano, Cliff Richard, Simon and Garfunkel are the names that I still remember. After starting to listening to music on my own, I succumbed for a few years to boybands, but luckily quite quickly emerged from that, haha.

In 1997 I was 14 and it was Aerosmith who finally saved me and sent me on the rock and eventually metal way. After Aerosmith I discovered HIM and Type O negative, soon thereafter Sentenced, Tiamat and the 69 eyes. The road was clear before me, metal. At that point still a lot Gothic metal.

Living in Finland thus was heaven. So many metal bands, pure bliss. In addition to Gothic bands I also started to listening to Death/Doom and in this genre I would find for some years my niche. There were some excursions to Metalcore, Punk and Postpunk and other styles. Here I need to mention AFI, who have been a very huge influence on me.

Moving to Greece changed some things, I listened to the bands I still knew, but then also some greek music, alternative stuff. Fast forward to April 2015.

Behemoth were a bit known to me. I had heard the name, I had seen their picture in some metal magazine, with Nergal holding the raven and screaming. But I knew nothing of them musically. There were no interesting metal shows at that time and passing from Ticket House, I spontaneously decided to get a ticket.



Little was I to know that this would change me completely. I went to see them and it was like a black mass, impressive, so dark, so full of rebellion. I was fascinated and started my research at home immediately. I had heard the names of iconic black metal bands before, of course. But now it was time to listen to them. A genre, that I always considered too raw or too chaotic for me, finally opened up to me and I spread my tentacles in every direction.



I read both the Behemoth biography and Nergal's book, a survivor's story. Knowing what he has been through with leukaemia makes it even more fantastic that I was so fortunate to see them live, they build the portal for me to another music genre.

Musically I enjoy nowadays other kinds of black metal, but Behemoth have paved the way for me and I will be eternally grateful.

Daedin

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