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Candlemass, Acid Reign And More Ensure The First London Metalfest Was A Triumph

As we discussed in the build up to London Metalfest, it's always an exciting proposition to be a part of music history, no matter how relatively small. This year, in addition to hosting Desertfest and Incineration Festival, Camden welcomed the very first edition of London Metalfest to The Electric Ballroom, The Underworld and The Dev, with bands arriving from near and far to perform. It was The Underworld which opened its doors first, and so naturally, that's where our journey began.

Unfortunately arriving too late to see Enquire Within, (though after putting in a great shift supporting Acid Reign a few months ago at the same venue, I'm sure they were superb once more,) the first band we'll be looking at today is Unnatural Order. They were an unorthodox way to start the day, consisting of a vocalist, a guitarist, a drummer and a laptop, and performing a blend of metalcore and nu metal. The Underworld was probably about half full, but they gave the Kent trio a strong reception from beginning to end. This was one of those cases as a reviewer where one must discard their own opinion on the music and focus on how the crowd reacted, and you can't argue with cheers and headbanging.

Following Unnatural Order, it was Wretched Soul's turn to take to the stage. Also from Kent, the band delivered what could perhaps be described as a more old-school approach to metal, combining traditional and thrash styles with some real gruffness. Once again, the audience were really up for them, but this time, I agreed and found their music to be highly enjoyable. Of particular note was the closing number, "Necromancer," which was fairly lengthy, but captured their sound and dynamic perfectly. They've been around for quite a while now, and it's been ten years since their last full length release, but Wretched Soul made a great case for themselves to be given attention once again.

With that, it was round the corner to the Electric Ballroom, one of the most famous venues in Camden, with plenty of old posters on the wall to back up their credibility. Though it's hosted the likes of the Ramones, Joy Division, Madness and Prince, I'd wager the historic building hasn't witnessed a set quite like the first band it welcomed today; Genitorturers. It's hard to believe, but the industrial metal veterans are celebrating forty years as a band, and there were plenty of people in London today who were happy to take part in the festivities. Opening with "Revolution" from their last album, "Blackheart Revolution," vocalist and constant member Gen struck fans with her outlandish fetish inspired costume, delighting some fans so much that they couldn't help but scream with excitement. They stuck with the record for the following song, "Cum Junkie," which was every bit as good live as I'd always hoped.

From there, the show progressed quite considerably, with such songs as "Razor Cuts" and "Flesh Is The Law" seeing the band joined on stage by people dressed as a nurse (with a short rubber skirt that certainly wouldn't have been approved by the NHS,) a judge in suspenders and a faceless ghoul happy to be on their knees for the duration of a song. I couldn't help but think, "There was a time when people would be arrested for seeing things like this," but now it all comes together to create an unforgettable show. For all the gimps, sex toys and metallic genitals though, the music still stands strong on its own, and favourites like "Devil In A Bottle" and "Lecher Bitch" sounded absolutely fantastic. The set came to a close with "Sin City," which included their own take on a Vegas showgirl and it was clear that fans were thrilled, as were some newcomers and their fan base is as strong as ever, with one couple flying in from Sweden hoping to catch them, while two very nice people I spoke to afterwards had paid the entry fee just to see Genitorturers and would be heading back to the train station soon afterwards. It was an unbelievable show, and one which dared the next band to follow them.

If anyone could fearlessly follow Genitorturers though, it was definitely High Parasite. Led by veteran singer Aaron Stainthorpe and still promoting their stellar debut album, "Forever We Burn," the band all possess a wonderful stage presence, filled with confidence in their music. They kicked things off with "Parasite," one of seven songs selected from their aforementioned album, though that's not to say that the setlist was solely made up of cuts from the record. Stainthorpe was still in tremendous voice, perhaps thanks to bassist Tombs handling several clean vocals on songs which required their ivory frontman to utilise his death growls and screams. "Concentric Nightmares" and "Grave Intentions" followed soon after "Parasite," continuing to advertise their debut brilliantly.

As mentioned, there were a few other songs included in the show, including "Drag Me Under," and the live debut of "The Screams That Come" which had only been released online the day before. Stainthorpe's acerbic wit was as present as ever, jokingly saying how excited they were to play in the big city, since "we don't have cities up North," and acknowledging his lyric prompt sheet, revealing "every singer does it." Some of the more familiar songs were brought out after this, including the singles "Wasn't Human" and "Let It Fail," both of which went down a storm, before they brought the curtain down with "Forever We Burn." Much has been made about the last few years of My Dying Bride, but regardless, I would urge fans to see what the longtime singer is up to now with High Parasite, while his other project, Towards The Sinister also sounds very intriguing.

Speaking of witty bands from Yorkshire, up next was one of Britain's true thrash metal treasures, Acid Reign. Originally, Swiss traditional metal outfit Burning Witches were to perform in this slot, but they had a scheduling conflict due to their North American run with Danzig. Luckily, one of Britain's most exciting veteran names were happy to step in, and the audience were practically thrown to the lions when they charged on stage, with old songs and new ready to grab everyone's ears. "Humanoia" was one such classic which got pits starting and heads banging, and it's a testament to the current lineup's song writing that fresh songs like "Alonely," fit in perfectly alongside the standards.

Vocalist "H" Smith was highly entertaining, using his comedy background to get genuine laughs out of the crowd, as well as bring some old school chaos by scaling amplifiers and the balcony, surprising the audience by popping up like Bruce Lee's Kato. "Daze Of The Weak" and "Fantastic Passion" were two other new cuts that pulverised the Ballroom, and as always, their blistering rendition of "Hanging On The Telephone" was very well received. It's only been a few months since I saw Acid Reign for the first time, so I was a little worried that I'd be desensitised to their live show seeing them again so soon afterwards, but they were once again thrilling from beginning to end. And all this from a band who weren't even supposed to be there!

We returned to a more international affair next, as Dutch progressive doom band Dool were next in line. After such an electric set from Acid Reign, the change of pace could have been very jarring for some in attendance. Instead, Dool are best enjoyed as an experience; one to calm down and simply listen to. Their intricate musicianship really stands out as they showcased several songs from their latest album, "The Shape Of Fluidity," opening the show with the title track before also bringing out "Self-Dissect," "Venus In Flames" and "Hermagorgon." The songs washed over the venue, with some down the front witnessing the music in its glory, while others were happy to take it all in as they sat on the long sofa by the merchandise room or leant against the balcony railings.

Of course, it wasn't just "The Shape Of Fluidity" that got airtime today, as the band brought out a brand new song, "To Whom May Lead The Blind," which is set to appear on their next album. In addition to this, Dool also performed a cover of Killing Joke's "Love Like Blood," which they'd previously released in the late 2010s, as well as dipping into their debut album, "Here Now, There Then" to play "The Alpha." Indeed, they would return to their first outing to close the performance, bidding adieu with "Oweynagat," and making their impact felt. They're still a relatively new band, but undoubtedly they're becoming ever more popular and their approach to music is as heavy as it is intelligent.

As much as I wanted to return to The Underworld to see Crobot, my body wasn't letting me go anywhere, and so it was straight to the front to wait for one of doom metal's most revered names; Candlemass. Most people know by now that their vocalist Johan Längqvist was unable to make it to London after being rushed to hospital earlier in the week. There was an air of concern as fans, and the band themselves, are unsure of the singer's condition, but the crowd were eager to be as loud as possible to both welcome the Swedish legends and have their support for the vocalist heard. Taking the place of Längqvist for the majority of the show was Chilean born metal veteran, Felipe Plaza Kutzbach, also of Destroyer 666, Nifelheim and Capilla Ardiente among others.

Considering he was brought in on such short notice, Kutzbach did a very good job. He was aided by the lyrics on a stand, but I don't think anyone would hold that against him. The set focused on the first two Candlemass albums, "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" and "Nightfall," both bona fide doom metal classics, and featuring songs like "Demon's Gate," "At The Gallows End" and "Crystal Ball," all of which sounded excellent. Of course, no Candlemass set is complete without the genre staple, "Bewitched," which the audience ate up, some of which doing their own interpretation of the infamous dance/stomp from the song's video. For the encore, the band were joined on stage by none other than Venom Inc. frontman Tony Dolan to play "Under The Oak," before the set, and the festival, came to an end by Felipe Plaza Kutzbach returning to the stage, along with High Parasite's Aaron Stainthorpe, as the three vocalist sang "Solitude," to send everyone home happy.