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Archgoat + Sacrificium Carmen + Obscure Burial - 1/11/2013 - Club PRKL - Helsinki

Following the cancellation of Flame, this Saatanalliset Sävelet ("Satanic tunes") evening found a new headliner in the veterans of Finnish black metal Archgoat, supported by the more recent Obscure Burial and Sacrificium Carmen.
The club is already fairly crowded when the first band starts, thanks to the fact that many people were waiting already upstairs for the opening. I guess the soundcheck usually ends late in here. The event begins with the Turku-based black/death act Obscure Burial, which I had seen already in the same venue when the japanese Sabbat came to Finland the last autumn.
One thing I don’t like much of this evening: the sound seems often too loud. But the band is a good warm-up for the audience, as it plays mostly material from its "God’s Abomination" demo. The short set confirms what I had seen before, I think the guys should get more live experience, so that even the crowd is more involved into the show. Of course being the opening act doesn’t help.
Sacrificium Carmen is next. The band formed also very recently, and it’s more oriented towards old-school black metal. Apart from some early technical issues their gig is somehow detached from the audience, and maybe not at its best. In his attitude on stage the singer reminds me of Wrath (ex-Enochian Crescent, True Black Dawn), although the latter has definitely more experience and more charisma. Personally, apart from the technical aspect, I believe the band’s performance could improve quite a lot, and according to the expectations of their fans it seems they have the ability to do so.
Finally it is time for Archgoat to hit the stage. I have been waiting to see the trio playing live for a while, as I never had the opportunity so far, so here we are.
The band has no hurry to begin the show, and a lot of people, with various levels of drunkness, are already gathered in front of the stage. When the concert starts the area becomes packed with people headbanging and even some moshing once in a while. The most acclaimed pieces are from the "Whore of Bethlehem" album and early demos, and I must say, the band live is pretty much as I was expecting it: like a hammer smashing on your face, rough, heavy, and powerful. The show is pretty convincing, and a tireless Sinisterror does a great job behind the drums, so also Lord Angelslayer with his raw vocals and the guitarist Ritual Butcher, often teasing the audience glaring at them.
It’s always a good feeling when the gig seems to be ended too early, and then you realize that they have been playing already for about one hour. I am looking forward to see the band live again, for another dose of darkness and blasphemy made in Finland!
Archgoat’s show made by itself this evening a success, and demonstrated once again how PRKL has become in the last couple of years the main venue in Helsinki for these kind of small-sized "cult" shows, taking officially over the spot left empty by the old Dante’s Highlight.

Photos (click on the images to open the galleries):
Archgoat


Sacrificium Carmen


Obscure Burial


Report a cura di Marco Manzi