Now here’s an interesting show. A bill of extremes, from the deathgrind mayhem of Knoll to the funeral doom crawl of Bell Witch. How could I miss such a compelling reason to journey to one of my favourite venues in Manchester once more?
Knoll
There’s a very good turnout for Knoll, which is great, as it means there are more people for the band to pulverise.
Benefiting from a strong sound that shows off their abrasive nature well, Knoll are the aural equivalent of sandpaper to the eyes. Gloriously heavy and delightfully vicious, their blistering assault is enriched with noise and experimental sounds in a way that almost feels like performance art. I love the fact the trumpet even gets an outing.
While the rest of the band study their instruments with a focus that’s as intense as the music, the singer is a riveting chaotic focal point on stage. His versatile voice sounds inhuman as he roars, screams, growls, and shrieks with animated, contorted movements. Like the music, his performance is an intense, captivating, and impressive one.
Playing for around 30 minutes, Knoll were unexpectedly engrossing. Tonight the dense ball of harsh aggressive energy that is their ferocious material came to life with savage vibrancy.
Bell Witch
And now for something completely different. The contrast between Knoll and Bell Witch is a large one, yet it works so naturally that the combination of the two bands complements each other, rather than being a jarring one.
Playing Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate in its entirety tonight, the next 70 minutes or so pass by in a mood-rich atmospheric landslide of doom. We’re treated to an expressive recreation of the album, with its own interpretation that comes potently alive through the nuances of the performances. It’s also slightly shorter than the album version.
There is something hypnotic about witnessing such glacial music unfold. Witnessing the delicate mood-building is enthralling, and when the distortion kicks in it’s truly colossally heavy. The droning repetitive nature of the music feels exaggerated live, adding to the ritualistic hypnotic feel.
The sparse presence of just the two band members places the emphasis firmly on the music, which works well for their minimalistic performance. There’s a video projection too, adding to the thick atmosphere, yet in a relatively restrained way. In some ways the apparent minimalism of the stage show is deceptive though, as the bass is an atypical seven-string, and the drummer is surrounded by all manner of percussive and electronic tools and instruments. It all makes for an immersive experience, with the music taking centre stage. Like the singer of Knoll, I find the drummer’s performance captivating as he’s so very clearly into his work – he looks completely lost to the music on the one hand, while on the other deeply concentrating on all of the moving musical parts he has to manage.
Bell Witch are entrancing, and I’m hooked throughout.
A great show from two very different artists. Both are very worth your time if you get the chance to see them in the future.
Wonderbox Metal 