Winterfylleth, Wormwitch, Bizarrekvlt – LIVE
Winterfylleth, Wormwitch, Bizarrekvlt
Rebellion, Manchester
10/11/2024
Live Review by Oli Gonzalez
Winterfylleth. As 2024 is coming to a close, this year has been a monumental one for the band. A tour with Black Metal icons Emperor, festival appearances across the continent (I saw them at Incineration), and the release of their latest studio album “The Imperious Horizon”. Now, a tour to celebrate this release, and a rare hometown appearance for the Mancunian Black Metallers. I was wounded to have missed a similarly rare appearance as they supported Stormkeep last August at Rebellion, so I made sure I was able to get down for this. With support from Wormwitch and Bizarrekult, this was going to be a celebration of the more underground side of Black Metal.
It was quiet. Eerily quiet. Frighteningly quiet. Manchester was viscously packed this evening with multiple gigs on. Also, with Sepultura and SoIL playing this weekend, maybe that depleted everybody’s wallets and energy reserves. Or maybe everybody was planning to pile in in time for the hometown boys Winterfylleth’s set. In either case, it was time for the opening act…
Bizarrekvlt
All the way from Norway, the band offered a more traditional spin on Black Metal, inspired by the earlier seminal acts of the genre. The band had riffs in spades! From the Thrash-inspired style of the opening song, to the more whiplash inducing grooves, there was always variety. The highlight came from the penultimate song, with some blazing lead riffs that added a much welcome melodic spice.
Despite some initial shyness, the band settled in and more movement was apparent. The vocalist was sadly difficult to hear through the mix, which is a shame given his energy and theatrics.
https://www.facebook.com/bizarrekult
Wormwitch
What direction would Wormwitch take us in? A faster, more Thrashy, frantically paced direction, still with that traditional edge. The drummer was loud. Very loud. Too loud maybe and dominated the mix even in the early parts. Though once my ears adapted, other elements of the band’s sound became more prominent. For instance, the two pronged vocal attack kept us sufficiently engaged with a variety of tones, and really maximised the limited resources the power trio had between them. There seemed to be a subtle atmospheric quality to their sound. Elements that I’d like to see them expand upon. Maybe with a sharper bass tone and backing tracks, as well as a light show that extends beyond a simple static red light. In either case, the stage was sufficiently warmed up now for the headline act…
https://www.facebook.com/wormwitch
Winterfylleth
As you’d expect, those lurking at the back made their way right to the front, with the semi-circle of doom between stage and crowd now fully occupied. Take a look in any direction and you’d see Winterfylleth merch. Again, as you’d expect. An austere backing track filled the air to create that much needed anticipation and tension. Then one by one, the band made their way to the stage. No silly gimmicks or corpse paint, just plain clothes and a quiet humble confidence. Though they sounded anything but quiet or humble on stage. No, there was an immense step up in quality, with the quintet filling that stage and sounding huge on it! Whereas they normally only get to play 4 or 5 songs in any given set due to their length, on this night they burned through many from across their discography. Of course, this included ‘Upon This Shore’, ‘The Imperious Horizon’ and more from their latest album. The rhythm section held down the fort superbly whilst the dual prong attack of guitars soared majestically with their signature tones. Mark is a relatively new addition on keys, but has added a vital atmospheric and melodic dimension to the band’s live overall sound, whilst Chris sounded effortlessly fierce throughout the evening, just like another day at the office.
“This is Whisper Of The Elements”
What a way to climax and hit the crescendo for the set! Arguably the band’s magnus opus, the blistering energy in this stunning 7 minute Modern Black Metal masterpiece which is a nod to Winterfylleth’s solid reputation as one of the finest Black Metal bands this land has produced.
https://www.facebook.com/Winterfylleth
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