It’s been a few years since the last edition of Reaper Festival, so this show appearing once more was a welcome surprise when it did. The lineup is extremely strong, and it promises to be a great weekend. Kudos to the organisers too, (the always great Reaper Agency), for specifically designing it to have an earlier finish than normal to ease people’s transport at the end of each day.
Day One – Saturday
Vestia
Reaper is ably opened up by UK band Vestia, who reveal themselves to be a mix of depressive and post-black metal, with a surprisingly tasty helping of black ‘n’ roll. It’s good.
Guitar solos, choral cleans, and meaty riffs spice up their approach to black metal, delivering a set that’s quite well-rounded and engaging. Vestia perform well, with passion, and are worth keeping an eye on. They seem to impress quite a few people, judging by not only the crowd reaction, but by a number of punters at the merch table afterwards.
Lunar Mantra
This is one of the more esoteric acts on today’s bill. Lunar Mantra play an inscrutable form of black metal, laced with additional outside influences, to deliver a set of mystical extreme metal.
The music has an atypical character that carries a ritualistic ambience. It’s an entirely mood-focused affair, with the band relying on conjuring an immersive atmosphere to draw the crowd into their world. Crowned by lightless growls, the music sweeps into the audience like a malevolent wave of sonic darkness.
Lunar Mantra go down well with those in attendance.
Swords of Dis
For their first ever live outing, the mighty Swords of Dis grace us with a performance that’s worth remembering. Their idiosyncratic blend of doom and black metal is invoked with a potency born from raw talent.
The lead singer has a striking and powerful voice, and live it’s just as strong as it is on record. At least, it is after some initial sound gremlins are mostly banished. Once the latter has occurred, Swords of Dis flood the venue with their commanding presence. Their performance belies the fact that they are new to playing their material live, and it’s to their credit that they’ve clearly prepared so well.
Before long, it’s over. The first Swords of Dis show has been a triumph.
Imperial Demonic
Here is a band that have already shown themselves to be quite fearsome in the live arena, so expectations are high for them today. Will we get any new material? The answer is yes. They open with one, in fact. It’s not the only one either – as far as I can tell they air three new tunes, and they all seem to bode well for the band’s upcoming new release.
Imperial Demonic take to the stage like seasoned veterans. Their satanic black metal assault is a raging torrent of classic Scandinavian claws and teeth. They’re no pale imitators though, as they forcefully demonstrate once again today. It’s fast and fierce black metal that ticks all of the right boxes. The singer in particular is having a lovely time on stage, and who can blame him? Imperial Demonic know just how good they are.
It’s sinister, unholy, and evil, but also great fun. Imperial Demonic are firm winners today.
Äera
It’s now time for the atmospheric black metal stylings of Germany’s Äera. With a couple of solid records under their belts, they play their songs with enthusiastic professionalism.
Live, Äera’s material comes to life in a way that goes beyond their recorded work. The band sound tight and determined, yet also expansive and atmosphere-rich. They exude confidence as they tear through the songs with gusto. There’s clearly a decent amount of people here to see Äera, and they seem quite satisfied with the results.
A good showing from Äera.
Naxen
What a colossally good band Naxen are. But, how does their darkly expressive long-form black metal translate into a live setting?
Very well indeed, apparently. Naxen play like their lives depend on it, with impassioned fury. They recreate their recorded sound near-flawlessly, lending their set a power that’s remarkable. The nuances of the material come through unexpectedly well, and it’s great to discover that the songs are just as impactful here as they are on album, but with the added bonus of being performed in the flesh.
Naxen unleash Hell. Theirs is a dense realm of grim ferocity, insidious melody, and lethal atmosphere. The songs are harsh and unforgiving, but awash with splendour and alive with malefic intent. The last song especially – Triumphant Tongue of a Thousand Swords – is a masterclass in well-rendered mood-dense black metal.
This set is a perfect storm of strong sound, music, performances, and crowd atmosphere. Naxen deliver a show worthy of a headliner. Excellent.
Barshasketh
If anyone is capable of following in Naxen’s imposing footsteps, it’s the formidable Barshasketh. Last year’s Antinomian Asceticism was a great record, so everyone seems to be paying attention when they step on stage.
On record, Barshasketh’s music offers up an elite combination of sharp hostility and arcane mystery. Tonight the sound mix largely favours the material’s more brutal aspects, but there’s no denying the impact of the songs regardless. It’s less esoteric, more visceral. That doesn’t mean the atmospheric components are completely absent, but the blast beats dominate the airwaves for sure.
All of the band put in the work, but the singer in particular is the active focal point. He frequently attempts to aggressively swallow the microphone, while screaming, snarling, and generally losing himself to the music’s furious pace. It helps lend an extra intensity to Barshasketh’s performance that’s compelling. How he didn’t knock the mic stand over at least once is anyone’s guess.
The crowd seem to love it. Barshasketh put on an impassioned show that rewards those in attendance with a punishing display of black metal. It’s raw, venomous, and very enjoyable.
Krypts
Despite having not released any material since 2019, Finland’s Krypts are still an act not to be missed. The venue’s atmosphere is layered with virulent expectation, a primal need to partake in the sort of it horror that only a band like Krypts can impose on the audience. Yes, the foetid death/doom of Krypts offers up something a little different than the rest of today’s acts, but there is no denying it fits right in anyway.
Krypts open with slow malevolence that blossoms into a full-blown nightmare soundscape. The songs are brutally horrific and imbued with a bone-deep doom-drenched heaviness that simply crushes the venue into submission. The band bludgeon their way through the set with morbid efficiency and caustic, destructive atmosphere.
Each song serves up a churning maelstrom of diseased riffs and hideous light-devouring growls. Shrouded in macabre darkness, Krypts excel in their role as architects of terrifying doom and death metal carnage. It’s a monstrous show of strength. Krypts bring apocalyptic ruin to Reaper Festival, and it is glorious.
As day one closes, day two looms on the horizon like a threatening shadow. Until tomorrow then.
Day Two – Sunday
Evil Dungeon Crawler
Day two is opened by the Gothic black metal stylings of Evil Dungeon Crawler.
The band’s music has an old-school blackened flavour, with punky vibe and a decent whiff of the first wave about it. They play it well, perform it with heart, and seem to have some decent tunes, with some tasty riffs.
There’s a bit of a buzz about the band and plenty of people have turned out early to catch them. The showmanship already looks like it’s there, and it’s not a stretch to imagine the band going places in the future. Ones to keep an eye on.
Good stuff from Evil Dungeon Crawler, who deliver an enjoyable start to the festival.
Dreich
It is already much busier in Rebellion today than yesterday, which means that UK depressive black metallers Dreich get a good turnout.
Dreich’s music boasts a strong base of melody, with a rich atmospheric topping. The band use their songs to craft immersive soundscapes that arrive well-formed and are immediately arresting when they start to play. The songs build mood effectively, filling the venue with sorrowful melodies and bursts of sharp aggression. The singer of Vestia joins the band on stage for the end of the set, and he slots in perfectly.
Dreich understandably hit a chord with the crowd, which makes sense, as the band, their performance, and the music, all speak of quality. It feels like they have made plenty of new fans today. If Dreich can develop this further and channel their live presence into their recorded work, they might be onto something good here.
Ofnus
Ofnus are a really good band, with two quality albums under their belts, (including last year’s Valediction), so this was a set to definitely catch.
The singer’s screams have a liquid quality to them, seeming to pour like serrated water through the band’s compelling atmospheric black metal. His growls on the other hand are like immovable rocks of granite around which everything else flows. His occasional clean singing sails atop everything, epic and unconstrained.
Ofnus don’t have the best sound, but conversely it’s not hugely detrimental either. Amidst the live mix can be found the band’s layers of keyboards and their accompanying expressive melodies; marginally muted, but certainly not tamed. Ofnus play wild, nature-tinged black metal, and very enjoyable it is too. The final song – A Thousand Lifetimes – is the pick of the bunch, and Ofnus end on a high.
Ofnus put on a thoroughly enjoyable set, and will hopefully have made many new friends in the audience along the way.
Blood Countess
The UK is in rude black metal health. A quick glance at this festival lineup alone could tell you that. One band that have been making waves in the underground for a while now is Blood Countess.
Blood Countess offer up a feast of blood-soaked second wave black metal darkness, and it’s deliciously savage. Everyone here has packed in to see them, and they don’t disappoint.
It’s violent blood magick all the way. Benefiting from a razor sharp sound, Blood Countess tear into Rebellion like a lethal predator, a merciless storm of knives that rages across the venue in search of victims. It’s vicious, and draws blood effortlessly. This is truly aggressive black metal, and it’s delivered like a blade in the night.
It feels like Blood Countess are on the cusp of breaking out wider, rising from the underground to take on an unprepared, unsuspecting world. Time will tell, but if today is any indication, they’re well on their way.
A revelation written in blood. It all promises great things for Blood Countess’s upcoming second album, that’s for sure.
Hecate Enthroned
It’s time for legendary symphonic black metallers Hecate Enthroned to make an appearance. This is the stuff right here.
Playing without their live keyboardist, and fronted by a vocalist with piercing screams and powerful growls, (who is also in the wonderful Ba’al), Hecate Enthroned put on a masterclass in blackened extremity. It’s notable in some ways too that this is the first band to actually properly communicate to the crowd in any real way; the singer has a charismatic and endearing approach. Dean Seddon, ex-singer of Hecate Enthroned, joins the band on stage at one point, and the two singers scream through a song like nobody’s business.
Playing music old and new, Hecate Enthroned bring down thunderous majestic fury on Reaper. All of the songs sit seamlessly next to each other, regardless of the era or if decades separates them. It’s a strong set by a band that know what they’re doing. An exclusive is unveiled too – a brand new track off the band’s upcoming album. It’s fierce, fiery, and atmospheric. From blistering speed to crawling molten lava, it hits the spot. It’s Hecate Enthroned, and all will submit to their will.
Hecate Enthroned play a blinder. Theirs is a set rich in black metal grandeur, bolstered by death metal muscle. It’s a joy to experience.
Abduction
Coming off their best album so far – last year’s Existentialismus – Abduction are tonight playing a special 10-year anniversary show. They pull songs from their deep past for the audience to bask in the corrupted light of.
Abduction offer up a ferocious blend of aural horror and spectral auras. It’s an abrasive abstruse assault of otherworldly black metal. By turns brutal, eerie, awe-inspiring, dangerous, transportive, atmospheric, destructive, unhinged, beautiful, and much else, Abduction’s set is devastating. They more than justify their reputation for delivering a strong live show. After their stunning performance at last year’s Fortress Festival, who’d have thought they could actually go one better? It’s mind-blowing how good Abduction are live. The singer of Vestia makes an appearance once more during one song, screaming into the abyss that Abduction tear wide open with their music.
Tonight Reaper has witnessed something very special. In unearthing the past while performing at the height of their considerable contemporary powers, Abduction have delivered an exceptional experience that all those lucky enough to be in attendance will surely remember.
Abduction remain one of the most consistently brilliant live acts around.
The Spirit
The Spirit’s melodic black/death metal is very tasty and moreish, and the eager crowd lap it up. With more melodic hooks than you can shake a black hole at, they’re easily the most directly catchy band of the weekend. They don’t sacrifice worldbuilding for hooks though; The Spirit deal in well-rounded songcraft, with evocative melodic structures that build and flow, and some nice progressive touches here and there.
The band are tight and professional, but also energetic and enthusiastic. Theirs is a set of both precision and passion. They’re a polished, experienced live act, and still manage to keep the fires within burning alongside this.
The Spirit tear out song after song of well-structured material designed to take the audience on a blackened journey into the cosmos. There are celestial melodies, winding leads, and devilish licks aplenty. It’s crowd-friendly, gets people moving, and effortlessly enjoyable.
Taking songs from across their discography, highlights are many, such as Against Humanity, Celestial Fire, and The Clouds of Damnation. The latter in particular succeeds in ending this year’s Reaper Festival very nicely.
As The Spirit disappear once more back into the starry heavens from whence they came, it’s time to take stock of what has been a great weekend.
Onwards to the next!
For your next black metal live fix from the same promoter Reaper Agency, check out this year’s Fortress Festival and the upcoming new event Tynebound.
Wonderbox Metal 