Hexis and Zatokrev are both bands I’ve liked for many years, but filed in the “bands I’ll probably never get to see live” category. I do so enjoy being wrong. On a more negative note, tonight is one of the most sparsely attended gigs I’ve ever been to, which is a huge shame for the bands.

Marw

Openers Marw are seriously good. I only discovered the band due to them being included in this show, and when I checked out their demo a couple of weeks ago, I was hooked.

Tonight they have a pretty good sound, especially for an opening band, and their songs make the most of this.

The band’s modern black metal is compelling stuff. Throw in some doom and some pinches of death metal, and you have a formula that is extremely satisfying. The songs are well-written and translate into the live environment with power and character. Displaying good stage presence and an easy familiarly with their surroundings, they put on a good show to a largely empty venue. It is a shame there are so few people here to see Marw, as they’re a damn fine band.

I genuinely hope for bigger and better things for Marw. From what I’ve seen and heard so far, they’re a talented bunch. Now, album please!

Zatokrev

Despite the crowd more than doubling, there’s still hardly anyone here for Zatokrev. A massive shame. It doesn’t seem to faze Zatokrev though, and they put a lot of energy into their show tonight.

The band are uncompromising in their set, and you get the impression that their performance would have been exactly the same had they played to a full venue. Zatokrev’s colossal doom/post-metal/sludge songs may have a different character to that of the other bands on the bill, but that doesn’t make them any less enticing.

The songs embrace wall-of-sound heaviness, with textured nuance and engaging melodies sown throughout. For such large, imposing music, it has more catchiness and hooks than you might expect too. The band’s approach comes across mostly intact live. Some sound issues cause some of the songs’ subtler elements to be largely lost in the mix, but it’s not enough to really detract from their forceful delivery. The band are animated and clearly passionate about their music, which is great to see. Entertaining and compelling, I enjoyed every minute of this.

After waiting 15 years to see Zatokrev, they have not disappointed.

Hexis

After the atmospheric rawness of Marw and the multifaceted assault of Zatokrev, Hexis are pure destructive aggression and grim apocalyptic mood by comparison.

Channelling feral darkness and chaotic violence juxtaposed against atmospheric intensity and harrowing soundscapes, Hexis’ blackened hardcore is brutally effective live. It’s not uncontrolled, however, and the band clearly know what they’re doing. Indeed, as well as energetic mayhem, Hexis are no strangers to the crushing wall-of-sound approach, and plenty of their songs deliver this form of atmospheric blackened doom heaviness. In fact, a good portion of their material aired tonight is from their slower work.

Exuding malevolent menace, paired with lethal capability, the songs showcase the band’s blend of hateful misanthropy well. Yes, Hexis are a force to be reckoned with, albeit one that’s a tad diluted tonight. Why? Well, apart from a few sound gremlins that rob the band of some power now and again, I could definitely have done without the near-constant background strobe lighting. Too excessive and distracting, unfortunately. Despite this, the band mostly have a reasonably clear sound, and still put on an enjoyable show.

Hexis’ set is shorter than I was expecting, shorter than Zatokrev’s in fact, but it was a solid one. I am pleased to be one of the few in attendance.

This tour has quite a long time left to run overall, across many countries, so get down to one of the shows if you can.