Live Review: A Night of Salvation 2024
1st November 2022
Words: Dan Barnes, Matthew Williams
Photos: Tim Finch
As the sun rises on the morning of All Saint’s Day I thank my God that I survived the Halloween night onslaught, fending off ghosts, goblins, Harley Quinns and Wednesday Adamses; now they have retreated to work on their childhood obesity and early-onset diabetes, thoughts turn to – in my view – the flagship event in the extreme music calendar: Damnation Weekend.
The main show is tomorrow, but tonight, Damnation presents its now customary curtain-raiser: A Night of Salvation. Starting life as a four-band session back in 2021, this aperitif has now grown to three stages and fifteen acts and is as much a part of the Damnation experience as folk moaning on the forums.
The main stage area is rechristened for tonight’s sponsor into the Lou’s Brews stage and sees five quite different acts performing classic albums from their (and other people’s) pasts.
Having watched Insanity Alert two years ago, I was excited to see them again, even more so as they were playing a mix of songs from SOD’s Speak English or Die (a drunken promise from Kev two years ago that he forgot about, apparently) and their own Moshemian Thrashody. With the Lou’s Brews Stage getting busy, they kicked off with “March of the SOD” and with manic frontman Kev holding up his trademark “Mosh” sings, the crowd duly obliged. “Milano Mosh” sparks all sorts of craziness and before the “Ballad of Jimi Hendrix” we are invited to “fuck shit up”.
“We are from Austria, and it would be super cool if you could all Speak English or Die” and mayhem erupts. With the Thrasher do it Better sign in the crowd, we get “Moshemian Thrashody” before we are all invited to take part in “an Austrian tradition, so please everyone into the middle and Welcome to the Moshpit” then we get more from Kev, “if you ever try to escape this Brexit shit, don’t go to Germany, as it’s shit” before they play “Beerless Fiesta” and end with the bass player in the crowd with a circle pit around him as they finish with “Beer in the Park” a cracking way for the main stage to begin. [MW]
Discharge need no introduction, but with sirens blaring and JJ prowling the stage ready to explode they room is packed waiting to hear songs from their classic “Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing” album and they do not disappoint. You know what you are going to get but you are powerless to prevent it and just stand there and admire the force of nature. “Thanks, how we doing Manchester?” asks JJ before they raise the roof for “The Nightmare Continues”. Everything they wrote then still being relevant today.
“Drunk with Power”, “Meanwhile” all performed with accuracy, speed and that punk aggression we’ve grown to expect from the band. And when the Editor-in-chief hears the intro to “Protest & Survive” she hands over her glasses and disappears, emerging a short while later with a smile
on her face. It’s a constant barrage of noise, with “State Control” and the stunning “Decontrol” which sees circle pit madness. “We got time for one more?” questions JJ, before they play, well, I’m still unsure, but I was convinced it was Slayer’s Angel of Death, but maybe it was just my old ears betraying me, but, what a performance from Stoke’s finest. [MW]
Employed to Serve play their critically acclaimed album “Conquering”, the gentle opening to “Universal Chokehold” starts off what can only be described as one hell of a performance, that had me nodding along in approval. With Justine Jones front and centre like a tour de force, they hit the ground running and don’t let up. Second song in they are encouraging “more people over the barrier, the security are here to catch you” And with flames bursting out of the stage, “Twist” sees the crowd surfers explode.
“This is Conquering in full for the first time ever” Jones tells us, and that gets a great response, as they blast through “Sun Up to Sun Down” and of course the anthemic “We Don’t Need You”. It’s pretty relentless stuff, and “Mark of the Grave” has a different feel to it, with Jones asking to “hear those voices”. With the title track following, Jones demands the audience to “spin this place” and chaos ensues, before they end with “Stand Alone” whilst holding up a flag saying Heavy Metal Unity. Veni, Vidi, Vici. [MW]
It was less than two years ago that I covered German collective, The Ocean playing a show over at the Academy (with LLNN in support) and that night they were a post-metal powerhouse, bringing a weight and intensity to match their subject matter. Veterans of previous Damnation shows in 2010, 2013, 2015 and 2018, the band make their first appearance at the Bowler’s by running through the whole of their 2013 Pelagial album for one final time.
Before a watery backdrop (obviously) the band take the stage to the gentle strains of opener Epipelagic, which flows seamlessly into first song, Mesopelagic: Into the Uncanny, where the band start to find their aggressive feet. The stage is washed with low light and a fine layer of mist, obscuring the players, yet adding to the mystique of the show.
Square pegs in the Lou’s Brews round hole in comparison to the bands who surround them, The Ocean are not without musical savagery when the situation calls for it. The three-piece Bathyalpelagic suite starts subtly, but soon descends into primal chaos in its second and third movements; the Abyssopelagic duo take us in the reverse journey, yet the gathered mass are lapping up the performance with a rabid intensity. Horns are raised during penultimate Dermersal: Cognitive Dissonance on which the band welcome a guest vocalist to share Loic Rossetti’s workload. The set closes with the hefty weight of Benthic: The Origin of Our Wishes and brings the curtain down on a challenging, yet ultimately rewarding, set. [DB]
Polish death metal legends Decapitated need no introduction to any fan of extremis in musica and the knowledge they would be performing The Negation for its twentieth anniversary was enough to tickle the fancy of every death-head from all four corners of the kingdom. Yet mere weeks before this show it was announced vocalist of fifteen years, Rafal Piotrowski, had left the band and European shows were being cancelled, it send shockwaves through the community that the Night of Salvation show might be put at risk.
But, fear not, as Decapitated announced a new singer, Eemeli Bodde, and that they would be joined for this recital of The Negation by original vocalist, Wojciech “Sauron” Wasowicz. This might be Eemeli’s first show with the band but from the opening of The Fury he fits like he’s been there for years. Three-Dimensional Effect and Lying and Weak are fronted by Sauron, offering and older, more cynical voice to go with the old school riffs and evil sounding rhythms.
Eemeli returns for Sensual Sickness, with Vogg cranking out dirty riffs and soaring melodies like they were sweets last night. Sauron is back for his last menacing lead vocal of the evening on the title track; security is fishing bodies out of the crowd during both Long-Desired Dementia and The Empty Throne and the first half of the set comes to a close with a cover of Deicide’s Lunatic of God’s Creation.
The Negation backdrop changes to the band’s logo and the legend “From Pain to Strength” as a wholly unexpected second half begins with Cancer Culture and Just Another Cigarette from the most recent record. In comparison, these newer tracks show an improved technical ability from The Negation and those skills are demonstrated through complex song structures and precision musicianship.
Eemeli refers to the melee of bodies directly in front of the stage as “the party people” in his intro to the muti-faceted Earth Scar, the newer Last Supper is built around a hook-laden earworm of a riff and the classic Day 69 is accompanied by shooting pyrotechnics and a call for the biggest circle pit of the day.
Sauron returns to duet on Spheres of Madness that, in all honesty, was worth the admission price alone, given additional poignancy by Vogg reminding us of former band members Vitek, Covan and Sauron himself. At one point, the guitarist gently guides his former vocalist backwards just before a flame shot into the air.
The closing run of Never and Iconoclast is interrupted by the presentation of a cake to Eemeli on his impending thirtieth birthday tomorrow and the swift blast of the opening bars of Slayer’s Reign in Blood. [DB]
The Cult Never Dies stage kicks off at four o’clock sharp with modern alternative black metallers Underdark whose mournful introduction and slow build up bridges the gap between the traditional and the new wave. The huge blasts and slamming riffs of their opener is a world away from the lo-fi stylings of the genre thirty years past. It’s fitting that this new generation of black metal seems to be a revolt against its parents, with bands like Deafheaven and Myrkur causing a (non) Satanic panic among the Cvlt progenitors from icy Scandinavia. Epic sweeping moments are underscored by rumbling bass lines and imbued with an emotional resonance usually reserved for the post-hardcore crowd; extreme metal should aways be pushing the boundaries and testing the formulas, and every time I’ve seen Underdark perform, they have never shied away from putting their own spin on what can be a small-c conservative genre. [DB]
It's been a decade since Fen last trod Damnation boards and their epic, atmospheric black metal is close to the late-noughties scene from which they emerged, stablemates of the likes of Winterfylleth, Wodesthrone, Old Corpse Road, and others who had embraced the ideas of land and its history, rather than any form of Satanic majesty. Melodic and hypnotic, Fen build their compositions to crescendo, allowing them to break like waves against promontories. Big beats and driving gallops merge with enchanting lines and haunting vocals, utilising post-metal interludes to further increase the atmosphere. It all ends in a buzz of feedback as the band leave the stage. [DB]
I trundled off to the Cult Never Dies stage after being shaken by Discharge and stepped into the despairing world of Boston quarter Morne, and my god, I’m so glad I did. Playing “Engraved in Pain” in its entirety, they were truly mesmerising from start to finish. The title track is a thing of beauty, and they went down well with the watching masses gathered. It was “Wretched Empire” that captured my imagination most of all, with its big introduction, all powerful and atmospheric, the slow building compositions are spell binding and demonstrate immense talent. The four songs performed were full of technical brilliance executed exceptionally well and for that moment in time, we were invited into their doom, post rock world, full of cathartic woe, but come out the other side full of smiles. Staggering performance. [DB]
One-man project Mizmor hails from the US west coast and is the brainchild of A.L.N., the sometime members of US doom/ sludge bands Hell and Sorceress and the black metal outfit Urzeit. Such an eclectic mix of experience certainly informs Mizmor’s sound, which combines elements of doom, drone and both raw and epic black metal into a single cohesive whole. Supplementing accompaniments punctuate the performance, adding something of an uncanny feeling to the show. The set blasts with the rawest of BM exponents but when it slows and takes on a doomy, droning aspect, it moves with a glacial, funereal pace. Comparisons with other acts on this weekend’s bill, Dragged into Sunlight, The Ruins of Beverast or Inter Arma can be made, which possibly accounts for the impressive audience gathered for the show. [DB]
If Mizmor’s set was something of a ritual, then Cult of Fire’s set is an out and out rite. Playing as a three-piece the Czechian band justify their lack of stage movement with masses of atmosphere. As the intro tape plays a masked, horned figure offers sacrament from an altar, the stage is bedecked with candles and the wings are occupied by tall golden serpents. Visually the band appear to be from a scene in a Hammer film of a Dennis Wheatly novel and musically are generally in the auspice of Mercyful Fate’s sound but do get gritty and raw as the need arises.
The vocals sit low in the mix, adding to the mysterious nature of the set, they’re supplemented by choral chants at times, give strength to the ethereal nature of the band; there’s even a whiff of incense at the back of the room, to go along with the eastern rhythms and electronic elements that find their way into the latter part of the set.
The five bands on the Cult Never Dies stage have demonstrated that the spirit of Black Metal is alive and well and can be found in all manner of new shapes and forms [DB]
Setting off at the same time is the Pelagic Records stage who bring five of their most promising up and coming acts to the Bowlers for those punters who prefer their metal a mite more cerebral.
First up on the Pelagic Records stage, with their slow and crushing sludge/post metal noise was Norna. With the room filling up nicely, from my position, the vocal wasn’t overly clear, but the slowness was suffocating. They have some great tempo changes throughout their songs and before watching them I didn’t know a great deal about the trio, but they thoroughly impressed me in their 30-minute slot. I really liked their sound, with “Shine by its Own Light” being the standout. They created a dark atmosphere with their heavy and oppressive sound, a great way to start the evening off! [MW]
For me, Sugarhorse was one of the most anticipated sets of the day as there has been a bit of a buzz surrounding the four piece. The room was getting busier and with a kaleidoscope of colour behind them, they hit the stage. I enjoyed their slow and moody build ups in songs, “New Dead Elvis” and they get the crowd fired up. With heads bopping all over the place, they have some cracking riffs and I think it was “Shouting Judas at Bob Dylan” that made the atmosphere for them. It flows effortlessly, with their transition from slow melody to heavy balls out noise being a highlight of the set. With a superb bass sound throughout, we were treated to a performance that hints at more to come. [MW]
Parachuted onto the bill later due to the withdrawal of Hippotraktor, Irish duo, now playing out of Liverpool, A Burial at Sea have the unfortunate task of having to take to the stage immediately after Discharge have finished, making their instrumental post-rock something a jarring experience. It takes a song to get fully attuned, but Down to the Floor’s jazz groove and Hy-Brasil’s soaring melodies, along with Masterfred’s haunting guitar draw the listener into another world. Hypnotic in its splendour, the band’s unexpected appearance is a welcome one. [DB]
Swedish duo, A Swarm of the Sun is a very different animal, whose post-metal approach is centred around a heavy dirge, wrought with doom elements and crawling vocals. Their use of sustained chords and a massive drum sound all-but shakes the Bowlers’ foundations, the melodic interludes and swelling crescendos reminiscent of Cult of Luna at their most emotive. [DB]
Taking more steps into the murky world of post metal, I stood at a packed Pelagic Records stage for the headline act, Denmark’s LLNN. Bathed in red lights, the four piece hit the stage opening with “Vakuum” followed by “Monolith”, which goes down a storm. They have a heavy and crushing sound throughout. “Damnation, let me hear you” cries out frontman Victor Kass, “We are LLNN and this is called Desecrator” and what as bloody song it is, awesome stuff.
The next two, “Interloper” and “Scion” showcase more post metal meltdowns and when Kass is stripped of his guitar, he becomes even more manic, which is great to see. With the crowd clearly enjoying the performance, a few surfers emerge over the top, they have a huge sound and mix the tension with pockets of melancholy really well. “Are you ready for The Horror?” which gets a great reception. “Thank you, Damnation, from the bottom of our hearts. We are so overwhelmed, but our time must come to an end, and they finish with a headbanger and crowd favourite “Obsidian” A cracking way to sign off. [MW]
Another fine curtain-raising event completed, the crowds file off to wherever they file off to, with the promise of an even better show tomorrow front of mind.
Check out the rest of our Damnation Festival coverage!
Reviews
A Night of Salvation
Damnation Festival
Galleries
A Night of Salvation
Damnation Festival
Interviews
Gavin McInally - Festival Director
Band Interviews
Pre-Festival Coverage
All Photo Credits: Tim Finch Photography