I’ve been listening to both Marduk and Origin for a long, long, long time, but have never seen either of them. Imagine my surprise and excitement then when I saw this show appear on my radar. Scrumptious stuff indeed.
Doodswens
Unfortunately the stated opening band Skaphos are no longer playing, so it’s straight into Doodswens. I liked Lichtvrees, so was pleased when I originally saw them on the bill.
Arriving to the stage in impressively ritualistic fashion – quite literally performing a ritual before starting their set – Doodswens clearly want to make an impact. And they do, especially as soon as the first song erupts in a torrent of blast beats. Doodswens play as if powered by Hellfire. Bathed in infernal light and blessed by the dark gods with a decent sound for an opening band, I enjoy their set and the crowd seems appreciative of their efforts too.
Balancing dark aggression and occult atmosphere, the songs work well live and my attention is held throughout. Despite the lead vocalist also being the drummer, and therefore hidden behind the kit, she’s still very much the focal point of the band’s presence, and her performance is a zealous one.
Doodswens were really good and showcase their passionate music well. Time to give Lichtvrees another spin soon I think. I can’t help but feel that were Doodswens to get bigger, their stage show would become ever more extravagant. I hope we get to see that happen!
Origin
In contrast to Doodswens’ esoteric black metal manifestation, Origin bring the relentless brutal technicality of death metal as only they can.
No other band sounds quite like Origin. Their brand of jagged death metal brutality is all their own. Yes it’s death metal, but death metal built from uniquely murderous materials. In the live arena the band are an explosive ball of infectious energy, and utterly devastating.
Origin are highly animated on stage, making for an irresistible urge to join them and embrace the chaos of the music. The singer stalks the stage, roaring, growling, and screaming like a man possessed, while the rest of the band commit insane feats of technicality with skill and passion.
How to describe Origin live…? It’s like a barrage of near-unstoppable blast beats smashing you down repeatedly, only pausing to occasionally unleash massive riffs or crushing groove to really make sure you’re totally paste.
Origin get the first mosh pit, circle pit, and stage diver of the show, but the biggest circle pit of the evening is reserved for the savagely intense Decolonizer.
A potent display of pure adrenaline-soaked death metal mastery. After years of waiting to see Origin, they absolutely destroy me. Just wonderful.
Marduk
When it comes to song-based ferocious black metal intensity, few can compare to Marduk.
After some very ominous sounds, Marduk launch into On Darkened Wings and the crowd are hooked. They also seem to have one of the crispest live sounds I’ve heard in some time. The songs come furious and fast, tight packages of blackened fury executed with contemptuous ease. The band spend their set wreathed in smoke, (so much so that I think I only saw the drummer once), and deliver a focused set of classics that spans their entire existence.
There are a lot of damn good songs aired tonight, with some highlights being Sons of Belial, Blood of the Funeral, The Sun Has Failed, and Throne of Rats. To be honest though you could pick almost any song and end up with a winner.
Marduk even travel back to their first album Dark Endless for The Funeral Seemed to Be Endless, which sounds great in its live incarnation by the current lineup. The Blond Beast gets the best crowd reaction of the night, with its very danceable groove. Closing with the formidable blackened might of Wolves, Marduk then disappear triumphant, before unexpectedly appearing again for a second encore, a vicious rendition of Baptism by Fire.
Glorious.
Wonderbox Metal 
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