Anaal Nathrakh, Sigh, De Profundis – ‘Scala’, London – 14/12/2022
Anaal Nathrakh, Sigh, De Profundis
‘Scala’, London
14/12/2022
Photos and Live Review by Chris Galea
Amidst the pandemic Anaal Nathrakh managed to record and release an album in 2020, the sonically violent “Endarkenment”, but other than that the band had been relatively quiet since then. Tonight’s gig was not part of a tour – as band vocalist Dave Hunt (a.k.a. V.I.T.R.I.O.L.) said, it was a one-off “experiment to see if anyone still cared” about Anaal Nathrakh. In fact, the gig might even be the band’s swansong. Co-headliners were Sigh, on a rare visit to England from their home country of Japan. Clearly this was an unmissable gig, so it was no surprise that eventually it sold out.
If I remember correctly, the identity of the opening band changed a couple of times since the gig was first announced but in the end, it was De Profundis who were entrusted to get the crowd going. Speaking of which…
DE PROFUNDIS
De Profundis are local but command high regard from the world over. Although I was already familiar with the band’s music this was the first time I was seeing them ‘live’. The quintet’s Progressive brand of Death Metal takes a leaf out of bands such as Morbid Angel or Atheist. In other words they can get quite technical at times but still sound unforgivingly heavy. None of the heaviness or technical intricacies seemed to be lost at the ‘Scala’ as the band delivered a dynamic and tight set.
While I enjoyed all their show, my attention often drifted towards the Jazzy bass lines of Steve Woodcock, the band’s most recent recruit. Tonight’s setlist was mainly focused on “The Corruption Of Virtue”, De Profundis’ recent album, from which the band played ‘Ritual Cannibalism’, ‘Sectarian Warfare’, ‘Weaponised Rape’, ‘Religious Cancer’ and ‘Scapegoat’. All potent and intense compositions.
A great band that keeps getting better.
https://www.facebook.com/deprofundistheband
SIGH
Having followed the band intermittently since their Cacophonous days, I was very much looking forward to see Sigh. And yet my high expectations were surpassed. And then some.
Essentially the band’s music can be categorised as Black Metal, but Sigh have their fingers in so many other music genres…. Death Metal, Neo-Classical Metal, Dark Folk… and rather than stick to one style at the ‘Scala’, the band sort of celebrated the richness of their sound. Hence their set-list comprised a relatively wide take of their repertoire. For example, they played ‘A Victory Of Dakini’ from their first album (“Scorn Defeat” of 1993), ‘The Transfiguration Fear’ (from “Insomniphobia” of 2012) and of course a few songs from the band’s recent magnum opus: “Shiki”.
Sigh’s show was striking both musically and visually. Band founder Mirai Kawashima, on bass guitar and lead vocals, was dressed in hooded robe, the band’s drummer looked like an anime character made flesh and guitarist Nozumi Wakai (who showcased some amazing licks tonight) was dressed in colourful make-up and garb that was unmistakably Japanese. He even wore a samurai sword which he occasionally unsheathed and brandished at the audience while Mirai was up to pranks of his own such as holding aloft a burning bible.
I liked how Sigh ended their set, with a cover of Venom’s ‘Black Metal’…. very fitting in current circumstances. The guitar sound decided to go A.W.O.L. for that song, only to return in time for Wakai to play Mantas’ last few riffs.
Truly a fantastic show. It’s amazing how much intensity can come out of just three band members.
https://www.facebook.com/sighjapan
ANAAL NATHRAKH
Every riff, every solo, every sound from Anaal Nathrakh’s set seemed designed to accentuate the music’s brutality. Despite its unbridled fury, the material also had hints of melody in it. I’d describe the music as Blackened Death Metal but, like Sigh before them, categorising the music of Anaal Nathrakh is far from straightforward…. and that quality alone is instantly a bonus in my book.
V.I.T.R.I.O.L. took time to give a bit of context to many songs the band played. This created a stronger bond with the audience, and he seemed genuinely taken with the audience’s rapturous support. Clearly, they still cared for the band.
Rather than focus on their “Endarkenment” album, Anaal Nathrakh opted to revisit each of their albums in their set. All in all I was positively impressed by what I heard. It was an emotional performance for many reasons and I sure hope the triumph of this gig will convince them to make their comeback more definite.
Three bands, each with their own distinctive style but each gave a great show. Tonight was one helluva night for extreme Metal.
https://www.facebook.com/Anaalnathrakhofficial
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