PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Primordial haven’t been to Manchester for nearly 18 years, their fans were queuing up round the block of Moho Live.
Great news for first support Winterfylleth, as the audience gave them a warm welcome to the stage, coming in with ‘Mam Tor (The Shivering Mountain)’. Winterfylleth have a heavy focus on accelerating unconventional rhythm with a dynamic mixture of deep satanic to shrieking vocals. There is definitely a mixture between doom and black metal in this band, giving off a cult/ tribe atmosphere that people just absorb and become over powered by. Backing vocals had a harsh more vociferate of vocals. Their focus was projected towards to their own experience as their were consumed by the music they played. This was really effective as it was extremely addictive to watch, songs like ‘The Wayfarer’ really compliment this type of performance style. The lyrics are embedded with themes of the German Tribe that invaded south and east England known as the Anglo Saxons, with deep meanings of Pre-Christian belief, giving the event a more of a communal but intimate existence. Winterfylleth finished the set with ‘Defending the realm’, making way for a band with another practise of expressing religious values. It could only be HELL.
Hell to this day influence the desires within occult metal bands, you could say Hell is an occult band but to me occult is a reference to ‘knowledge of the hidden’ and this phrase does not describe Hell, their music is made to be heard and their performances are made to be seen. Hell began with ‘Let Battle Commence’ and there is no holding back with fists and roars. Vocalist David Bower has piercing red eyes that attract his fans as they reach out hoping to touch him. He leaves the stage for a few seconds then returns as ‘Plague and Fyre’ starts. He reappears in a hood, cowl mask and bell. There is a massive boost of smoke as he creeps forwards, reaching out to his crying out fans. Guitarists Kev Bower and Andy Sneap create really clever, catchy hooks that would never leave a listener bored. Hell’s rhythm is certainly a head banger, as the audience follow in unison with the band, they are just as enthusiastic as Hell as they too give it their all. As he looses the mask and reveals the ‘crown of thorns’ we know the next song is to be ‘The Quest’. In ‘Blasphemy and The Master’ he exposes his skin that is marked with the whips of Christ, the blood trickles down his body, giving the effect of the true wounds of Christ. David becomes the vicar to end the night with ‘Save Us From Those’ as he welcomes us to the ‘Church of Hell’ and embrace the holy spirit. All the members of Hell should be well worth credited for the full effort they put in not only to their music but their whole band personae… it was one HELL of show.
Primordial take to the stage, hitting off with ‘Lain with the Wolf’, with an intro that really sets off their performance strongly, giving off an eeriness that slowly builds with the progression of battle drums , Alan Averill Nemtheanga vocalist presents himself with Celtic markings, giving his body its own personality, or you could describe a piece of living art upon the stage, representing the religious messages embedded within his lyrics. Their full set was strong and spread across a variety of their albums, staging a good mixture of new material from their newest album ‘Redemption At The Puritan’s Hand’. They mentioned they haven’t played in Manchester for nearly 18 years, the crowd and the band definitely made up for lost time. Physical performance wise the other members didn’t stand out as much as Alan. He has a uniqueness about him that draws a certain kind of attention. Primordial have no specific sound, there is no body of traditional metal, but they take an unconventional direction blending a lot of sub-genres creating an incoherent dynamic piece of music. The overall sound has some great guitar harmony pieces, that reference earlier Irish Celtic music. I have to admit I was drawn in by their set, especially in the parts he just stood and spoke the lyrics, I could see I was not the only one. Ending the set with ‘Gods to the Godless’ known for its graphic, tragic lyrics and ‘Empire Falls’ with a more aggressive touch on the rhythm leaving their fans roaring, after having one eventful night.
Setlist
Winterfylleth
Mam Thor (The Shivering Mountain)
The Ghost Hertiage
The Wayfarer pt.1 – The Solitary One Waits for Grace
The Fields of Reckoning
Void of Light
Defending the Realm
Hell
Let Battle Commence
On Earth as It Is in Hell
Plague and Fyre
The Quest
Opressors
Blasphemy and The Master
Macbeth
Save us From Thoe…
Primordial
Lain with the Wolf
Autumn’s Ablaze
No Grave Deep Enough
Gallows Hymn
Bloodied Yet Unbowed
As Rome Burns
The Burning Season
The Mouth of Judas
Heathen Tribes
The Coffin Ships
Gods to the Godless
Empire Falls
