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Avatar, Alien Weaponry & Witch Club Satan Take On The Bristol Academy

Some tour lineups seem just perfect. Last week was a prime example, when we covered Mayhem's London show, where they were joined by Marduk and Immolation. Then there are times when groups that seemingly couldn't be more different come together and it just works. Such was the case this week, when I had the privilege of seeing Swedish heavy metal band Avatar roll into Bristol, with Maori metal ambassadors Alien Weaponry and Norwegian black metal trio Witch Club Satan in tow. As it turns out, not only do these three bands compliment each other, but together they put on a show that no one in attendance will ever forget.

Entering in an eerie manner, complete with elaborate costumes and the haunting intro tape, "Witchcraft Techno," Witch Club Satan immediately grabbed the audience's attention. It's quite rare to see an audience so perplexed by what they're witnessing, but that's exactly what happened. After trudging their way onto the stage and belting out some witch-like shrieks, the crowd reactions ranged from stunned silence to laughter to absolute bewilderment, but soon enough, the trio tore into the song, "Hysteria" and black metal permeated the room, which became all the more confrontational with the next song, "Fresh Blood, Fresh Pussy." The theatrics continued as the band slowed the pace, telling a story as much as they were playing music. "Mother Sea" was particularly entrancing, before "I Was Made By Fire" brought back the abrasive attack they had demonstrated a little earlier.

Regardless of how they'd been feeling up to this point, the audience gave Witch Club Satan a big cheer as they condemned Benjamin Netanyahu and Jeffery Epstein, before things got even crazier with "Black Metal Is Krig" They stepped back from their demonstration of aggression to thank the audience for being open minded enough to watch them and embrace them, then finishing their set with "Solace Sisters." I'll admit, I had no idea how to react at first, even turning to a friend and asking, "What the fuck is going on!?" But as their set progressed, I had nothing but admiration for WCS. They're definitely not for everyone, and they're not trying to be, but they have a vision and a mission statement that they stick to regardless of what anyone else thinks. It was one of the truest artistic expressions I've ever been fortunate enough to witness. As I said to the guy next to me once they finished, "I've seen nearly seven hundred bands, but I've never seen that" Truly amazing.

Up next, we had Alien Weaponry. Travelling all the way from Aotearoa, or New Zealand, the band has become one of, if not the premier metal band from the country, and they represent their homeland with immense pride and passion. While I'd known of them since 2018, it wasn't until Aaron Henare of New Japan Pro Wrestling began using their song, "Kai Tangata" as his entrance music did I take a good dive into their output and really appreciate what they had to offer. So, after eight years since becoming aware of them, I grabbed the chance to finally see them, and I'm so glad that I did.

After drummer Henry de Jong stood behind the kit and performed the Haka, the band kicked off with "Ru Ana Te Whenua," from their debut album, "Tu" and straight away, the Bristol Academy went off. Mosh pits, headbanging, horns and a great cheer were all present for this first song, one of only two not from their latest album, "Te Ra." Much like Witch Club Satan before them, the three members held firm in their intense delivery, not just thrilling the audience, but educating them on the incredible history and mythos of the Maori people, with "Mau Moko" proving to be a particular highlight.

Other selections from their latest opus were "Te Riri o Tawhirimatea" and "Taniwha," which continued their fierceness perfectly. Each member performs with their own approach, but they're all strong and engage the crowd perfectly, particularly bassist Turanga Morgan-Edmonds, who really seems to challenge everyone to put all their energy into the set. There can be only one complaint about Alien Weaponry's show, and that's that at only five songs, it was far too short. I didn't do the maths, but it felt like Witch Club Satan had longer on stage, but this could well just be down to perception, and indeed how much fun I had watching the New Zealanders. As anyone familiar with the band would expect, the aforementioned "Kai Tangata" closed the performance, which went down an absolute storm. This was a fantastic set that made it so easy to see why they receive so much hype, and I hope they're able to come back to the UK again soon.

Some bands can be very easy to dismiss. The very thing that can appeal to some listeners can just as easily put off others. Tonight's headliners, Avatar, are a perfect example of that. One might look at the Swedish outfit and scoff at how singer Johannes Eckerström appears to have looked at Alice Cooper and thought, "I'll do that," or how their circus like aesthetics can seem too cheesy or too goofy to take seriously, but most people who can drop these minor grievances will find a very talented band. There's a lot more to them than meets the eye, and they were happy to prove it in Bristol tonight.

A lengthy intro tape consisting of heavy rain set the atmosphere, despite everyone here being completely sick of dealing with such weather this year, though what else is new in Britain? It did a good job though and helped them ease into opening number, "Captain Goat," which inspired a few fans to sit on the floor and begin rowing, as the band, lit by electric lanterns made their entrance. This was followed by an exciting rendition of "Silence In The Age Of Apes," which really got the show moving as one might expect, before "The Eagle Has Landed" was brought out. Eckerström is a natural frontman, boasting charisma and showmanship which continuously geed up the crowd, which was perfect for faster songs such as "In The Airwaves."

Avatar are full of surprises. They're heavier than those unfamiliar would expect from first impressions, while there's also a power metal element to their show, reminiscent of Helloween in London last year. They clearly mean a lot to their fans too, plenty of whom were wearing face paint and even a few top hats, and when you see how they react to songs like "Legend Of The King" and "The Dirt I'm Buried In," it's a great reminder of the connection between fans and bands in heavy metal music that I'll maintain doesn't exist anywhere else. Headbangers who miss the spectacle that used to come with metal shows would do well to check out an Avatar, even if you think you don't like them, because they'll impress, delight and entertain you in a way you rarely experience in the modern world.