Taya Llewellyn
April 11, 2025| Harry Shiels |LIVE REVIEW
Live Review: Zeal & Ardor and Dom Zły | The Marble Factory, Bristol | 19/03/25
Avant-garde Swiss metal favourites Zeal & Ardor end a pit stop to the UK in Bristol on their EU run in support of newest album GREIF; bringing along Polish post-black metal/crust outfit Dom Zły for their first ever shows in the UK.
Dom Zły
Headliners Zeal & Ardor picked three underground metal acts to open the various legs of this European run, with Polish post-black metal/crust five piece Dom Zły (translating to The Dark House) getting the nod for their first handful of UK dates. Using a lengthy, sad dirge as a walkout to a stage enveloped in smoke and bathed in rich purple lights before tearing into their poignant and brutal melodic sound. The set comprises mostly cuts from their 2024 release Ku Pogrzebaniu Serc (Towards the Burial of Hearts). Ania Tru’s vocals are vicious, cutting through the ambitious and punishing soundscapes weaving punishing black metal, spacious post-metal passages and disquieting ambient builds. There is a respectable crowd in attendance early to check out the unknown openers, who are graciously wolfing down the harrowing and heavy sounds of Dom Zły, The band regularly appearing through the fog like an apparition. They make a great first impression and are sure to attract a fair amount of attention on their next trip back.
Photo Credit: Taya Llewellyn
Dom Zły
Zeal & Ardor
Zeal & Ardor take to the almost sold out venue stage as the house lights dim with a massive roar from the crowd. They mirror the opening of their newest album GREIF with the build of ‘the Bird, the Lion and the Wildkin’ swiftly kicking into the powerful ‘Wake of A Nation’, already getting some fans antsy to move, throwing fists in the air and fan favourite from their self-titled release ‘Götterdämmerung’ for a blistering start to the twenty-one song set list. Standing front and centre as if the head of a burgeoning cult, vocalist Manuel Gagneux is very amiable and chatty tonight, showing his appreciation for their long supportive UK crowds.
As per usual, the band’s sound is tight, the instrumentals sound massive alongside the triple vocal harmonies, Zeal & Ardor regularly sound impressive and tonight is no exception. The lighting production however, is something else entirely, reaching a new peak for the visual side of their live performances. Their now well known logo is rigged with simple spots and the sequencing adds to the manic delivery of their heavier tracks, using plenty of back lighting for great set pieces. The deep dive through their catalogue is running smooth, the likes of ‘Fend You Off’ and ‘Kilonova’ being just as well received as older cuts like ‘Blood In The River’, ‘Gravedigger’s Chant’ and ‘Ship on Fire’. However once the band reaches Stranger Fruit favourite ‘Row Row’ all bets are off and the pits erupt with an unexpected fury that stays constant through the rest of the night.
‘Death To The Holy’ and the song that caught the scene’s attention ‘Devil Is Fine’ close out the main set in grand fashion, but the band still have one final barrage planned to round out the set. ‘Trust No One’ and ‘At The Seams’ start to ramp up the tension once again, the dam bursting wide open with ‘Don’t You Dare’ and running rampant through the electric slow build of ‘I Caught You’. In an unexpected surprise the band have now foregone using the long-established closer of ‘Baphomet’ and instead present the unhinged glory of GREIF cut ‘Clawing Out’ which works even better than expected to close tonight’s set with a bang.
It doesn’t seem possible for Zeal & Ardor to put on a bad show, delivering an electric performance every single time around. The new album material fits like a glove amongst the scores of fan favourites in the set and sound even more impressive live; continuing to round out what is sure to be another hot run for the band to further their growth. After scores of festival sets and headline shows, the future in brighter than ever for Zeal & Ardor and after performances like tonight’s it’s almost impossible not to see the support for the avant garden metallers to surge even more so after they headline Desertfest this May.
Photo Credit: Taya Llewellyn
