The last day of a festival is always bitter sweet with a whole day of great music to come, but also the knowledge that this is the last day and tomorrow is the journey home, back to work and the realities of daily life. Still, I kept a positive attitude and determined to make the most of the day I headed to a matinee show, specifically Dizmal playing at the Kniven bar. I headed down the stone steps into the murky cellar like venue, which was absolutely rammed.
Read MoreSaturday afternoon began with the Metal Auction in the hotel bar, with several tempting items, not least a first pressing of Satyricon’s “The Shadowthrone”, before heading to Rockefeller for the opening band of the day at the main venue. Coven took to a stage adorned with numerous candles and candelabras, with vocalist Jinx Dawson emerging from an upright coffin. The stage was bathed in sultry red light as the group delivered their psychedelic doom laden rock exploring themes of Satanism and witchcraft in front of a screen projecting related images. The crowd was relatively modest at this point in the day, but the devotees at the front screamed every word back at the band until the set was brought to a close with ‘Epitaph’ and ‘Blood on the Snow’.
Read MoreAfter a fantastic opening day, I couldn’t wait to get back into the music and day two began with a dilemma for me with two bands I was keen to see playing at the same time. Thankfully the venues were very close so I decided to try to catch both, starting at Brewgata with Italians Nel Buio and their distinctive blackwave. Brewgata is a great little venue that is essentially a bar with a small stage in one corner giving a great atmosphere. The trio played their soundtrack to armageddon in front of a screen projecting futuristic images, and the enthusiastic crowd were drawn into their world of sorrowful atmospheric black metal.
Read MoreWhile Easter is a time for religious worship for many, or perhaps overindulgence in chocolate, for the extreme metal community it is the opportunity to make the annual pilgrimage to Oslo for the unrivalled Inferno Festival. Set over four days, the festival always delivers a line up of the best extreme metal has to offer with an enticing mix of big names rubbing shoulders with the best of the underground. Of course, black metal is central to this but in truth, all extreme metal genres are covered and this year was to be no exception.
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