Underdark w/ Burial, Inhuman Nature, and Argesk
Underdark
w/ Burial, Inhuman Nature, and Argesk
The Alma Inn, Bolton – 04/02/2022
Review by Rob Sutton
This was always going to be a strange gig as the Alma themselves had taken over the promotion following the previous promoter doing some very naughty things. This promoter, who will remain anonymous for this review, had impacted the scene massively in a positive way, and then proceeded to hurt the scene, and many people. This even lead to a number of chants throughout the night saying ‘F*ck **** ******’. Despite all of this, the attendance for this gig was incredible! The Alma is known as being a very cosy venue at the best of times, but this was on another level, you could barely move around! Again a massive testament to those that made sure this event happened. Although, last time I was here the toilets were frankly vile, so I was hoping this may have changed in the last couple of years… nope! Still no goddamn toilet seat! Come on!
Rant over and it was a night of mainly Black Metal. First up was Manchester based Argesk, who I have seen a few times before and they have always impressed me. I like the old school Symphonic Black Metal feel they have going, it really does feel like Emperor or Dimmu Borgir from their early days. Hits the right notes for me! They also manage to mix raw Black Metal pace with elements of melody, which again give you the cold Norwegian feels. They even add in a bit of clean singing in a handful of songs, which I personally felt their set could have done without, as unfortunately the singing was flat, and if anything took away from their sound rather than adding to it. Vocally, the rest was spot on, and even though I am usually not a fan of growling/ screaming between songs as crowd interaction, the fact that his diction was so clear made it work very well. This is probably the only time I would ever say this. What annoys me more about Argesk is that I have seen them play M2TM on a few occasions and they have never got to the final. These guys are good enough and offer an older darker feel that is certainly missing from this year’s Manchester event.
https://www.facebook.com/argeskuk
The slight outlier in the line up was Inhuman Nature, who are a Thrash machine! Having said that, vocally there’s a slight hint of Black Metal, which makes them stand out from other Thrash bands for me. These guys hit the ground running, quickly whipped the crowd into a frenzy of head banging and pits! There were even a few crowd surfers… impressive considering the size of the venue. Inhuman Nature provided everything a Thrash fan would want; speed, aggression and breakdowns and they did this with insane quality. I have never been a huge Thrash fan; I normally get bored pretty quickly when watching it. But Inhuman Nature were something very different, and it worked for me. Not only did I watch the whole thing but I had a massive smile on my face while head banging throughout their set. For me this was the best Thrash set I have seen, and dare I say the best Thrash band I have seen?
https://www.facebook.com/Inhumannaturehc
Burial were up next, and they followed on with yet more aggression, although taking more of a darker, Black Metal twist. By this point however, I was getting collared by many people at the bar so sadly missed a lot of their set. I do apologise, it just means I will have to catch them again.
https://www.facebook.com/burialtheband
Finally tonight and for me, the second time I had seen them perform, it was Underdark. The whole evening took a much darker turn as they played through their catalogue of depressive Black Metal. As with the last time I saw them, vocally they were incredible; the range within the songs is fantastic to listen to and provided a nice change to the usual bands of this genre. Adding to that, the guitar harmonies underlined their aggression and pain, and really evoked a melancholy feel to their set. There was some fantastic pacing throughout each song, mixing blast beats with much slower, more melodic parts. This truly was a fantastic set and showcased how diverse and talented the underground Black Metal scene is!
https://www.facebook.com/Underdarkuk
This was again another showcase of brilliant Black Metal, and although the venue still needs work, the beer is good and the bands were great, so what is there to complain about?
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