There is a certain magic to the older Death Metal bands, they’re starting to get the notoriety of classic Metal – it feels like a classic. Vader are perhaps one of the bands that really helped to define the genre as far back as the 80s. They have been doing this for 37 years. Perhaps this awe of the band is well deserved. Diving into the Underworld, a small venue for personal acts, there’s a sense of the underground. Death Metal and generally any form of Extreme Metal, seems to call out for such venues and there is an authentic atmosphere that is fitting for such a live act. Before getting to Vader, we have Chronosphere from Greece. There was the band Fallcie on the line-up but unfortunately, they had to drop out. For a first band on, immediately, Chronosphere smash out the stage. They are much, much larger. They have the mastery of their instruments for playing to be so seamless. Making complex guitaring seem easy. But the biggest and most impressive part of their act is the amount that they enjoy it. There was no barrier, they were one of us. They loved what they were doing and it gave their performance a larger than life amount of fun. A lot of Thrash can really miss the mark but they were an example of how fun Thrash can be. Metal dialled up to 11 and spinning round the pits. 9 They’d certainly be a tough act to follow. Defiled in fact take a completely different route. We’re now in deep, brutal, heavy and oppressive sounding Death Metal. The Japanese band, whether it be for language or something else, they didn’t have as much interaction. But this only seemed to help them, they had a tight manner of playing. Whilst the sound of their music is just completely oppressive. It weighs down on you and assaults you. It is the mere fascination of Extreme Metal thrown in your face. It achieves something a lot more atmospheric than the earlier Chronosphere. Thumping through songs with utmost brutality, they make themselves a force to be reckoned with. Managing to be completely consistent in their instrumental mastery, it all blends into one wall of sound. What we’re left with is atmosphere, a little distanced, a little blurred but every bit brutal. 7 We’ve had fun, we’ve had atmospheric and it’s hard to know exactly where we could go next. Vader have been doing this for a long time and their appearance on stage felt as natural as headbanging. Kicking up an atmosphere with bright lights, smoke and instrumental tracks. They even set the stage by setting off the fire alarm! Taking the stage felt at home for them but it also felt unpretentious. There were no wild aims or holier than thou charismas. Just authenticity and friendliness – a sign of the true underground. It made the night all the more enjoyable. Their actual playing seems to have suffered no hit from the time. Eager to bring track after track and offer new and old material alike. We have a new album to look forward to this year but they didn’t stray from playing from their first album – ‘Dark Age’. Vader approached their set with fun and utmost professionalism. The wide range of songs played with a solid precision, whilst their natural comfortable attitude on stage spoke volumes for them. Performing like true veterans of the genre, more at home on stage than anywhere else. Offering their music with powerful virtuosity. It is interesting that although some bands are precise, some are energetic and some give their all to be theatrical; some bands can just exist. Vader achieves this so naturally that it makes for a well grounded experience. They are a part of the underground’s make up. A part of the furniture that gave us an extreme music genre. 8 Chronosphere Facbeook: /ChronosphereGr/ Bandcamp: /chronosphere.bandcamp.com/
Setlist see here. Defiled Facebook: /defiled/
Twitter: @DefiledJapan
Bandcamp: /defiledjapan.bandcamp.com/
Setlist see here.
Vader
Facebook: /vader/
Twitter: @VaderBand
Bandcamp: /vader-band.bandcamp.com/
Setlist see here.