Xmas Fest
7 December 2003
Camden Palace

This gig was always going to draw comparison to the Bonded By Metal tour as it was at the same venue with the same promoter. Now Sunday certainly isn`t my favourite day for a gig, but if there`s an early start, better on Sunday than a work day, which Bonded fell upon. This was reflected in the turnout which was far in excess of Bonded, causing the upper balcony to be opened and the large numbers there to see the opening acts.

Xmas Fest certainly had a "festival" feel to it, involving quite a few beers, bumping into various friends, checking out merchandise and cds, and consequently checking out the bands rather than watching them intently.

The queue was making slow progress and hence we only caught the last two songs of Misery Index. Knowing that three members of the band were formerly of Dying Fetus, I had expected something more Grindcore, however Misery Index came across as more technical. With this brief viewing, it`s a shame we hadn`t got in that little bit earlier to catch a bit more from this Maryland, USA outfit.

Next up were Italy`s Graveworm. The Graveworm sound falls in the same melodic-Black Metal category as Cradle Of Filth or Dimmu Borgir, though it has to be said they`re not up to the standards of those two acts. There`s very little in theatrics to the Graveworm live experience, no Black Metal look nor corpse paint and little movement, though the six-piece were cramped for space.

Within their limitations, what Graveworm do tonight however is very enjoyable. They benefit from good, but not over loud sound, which balances the guitars of Eric Treffel and Stefan Unterpertinger well with the swathing keyboards of Sabine Mair.

Legions Unleashed and Dreaming In Reality from latest album Engraved In Black are aired, though the more memorable material comes from the early albums such as Demonic Dreams from Scourge Of Malice.

Graveworm seem suitably pleased by the reaction to the short set and so they should, however, it`s unlikely they`ll reach the status of a headline act on this kind of bill, unless they step out from behind the large shadows cast by Cradle Of Filth and Dimmu Borgir.

Time for some German thrash from Dew Scented, though it has to be said their sound owes more to the Bay Area, or at least the kind of Euro take on that sound that the likes of Darkane are so proficient at. Darkane is the name that keeps popping to mind throughout the set, be it the crunching guitar rhythms of Floryan Mueller and Hendrik Bache or the aggressive shouty vocals of Leif Jensen.

Owning only one Dew Scented album, from which nothing is played tonight, the set falls fresh upon these ears tonight. However, tracks such as Acts Of Rage from latest album Impact and Bitter Conflict and Unconditional from previous album Inwards, had me convinced that the bands later albums should certainly be added to my Christmas list.

Dew Scented are due to tour Europe with Destruction in the new year and fingers crossed the positive reaction to both bands will ensure a UK date is included.

The ever reliable live act Amon Amarth from Tumba, Stockholm, Sweden (precise location for Johan`s benefit) deliver the goods once more. The band`s last three releases have all featured similar Manowar like covers and the material within has proved quite samey also. However, with the benefit of being able to choose the best of those tracks for a live set and with those tracks coming more to life in a live setting, I`ve yet to see a bad performance by these Nordic warriors.

Death In Fire strikes the first blow, vocalist Johan Hegg already stripped to the waist and looking like the rest of the band as if they`d just got off a Viking long boat. Fredrick Andersson`s heavily tom laced drumming adds a epic, bombastic like feel to the likes of Masters Of War, though the biggest crowd reaction is for latest album title track Versus The World.

What we need from Amon Amarth now is a truly great album to match their faultless live performances.

Amon Amarth Set List:
Death In Fire / The Last Wish With Pagan Blood / Masters Of War / Versus The World / For The Stabwounds In Our Backs / Where The Silent Gods Stand Guard

Be-suited devil worshipping gents Akercocke have quite a buzz following their latest album Choronzon and I was looking forward to my first meeting with them tonight. However, on this performance I can`t see what the fuss is about and perhaps it`s just a case of UK magazines pushing a UK band.

Perhaps someone with a deeper appreciation of death metal could pick out where Akercocke differ from the likes of Morbid Angel or Deicide, as, apart from the look, I couldn`t find anything to distinguish them tonight. By this point food was calling and with the venue kitchen having to close we ventured out to satisfy our hunger.

Akercocke Set List:
Scapegoat / Becoming The Adversary / Of Menstrual Blood & Semen / Enraptured By Evil / Il Giardino Di Monte Oliveto Maggiore / Praise The Name Of Satan

Nile are also a band being hyped by the press as the next big thing in the genre and by the number of shirts and crowd reaction tonight, they could have headlined this gig. By contrast to Akercocke, Nile`s class and individuality did stand out tonight.

This was one intense performance with the menacing Sarcophagus offering the only respite. What was particularly impressive was that rather than using backing tracks, Karl Sanders generates the Egyptian backing through an array of pedals, whilst not missing a note on the guitar. This worked to great effect on The Blessed Dead from latest album In Their Darkened Shrines.

Vocal duties are shared by Sanders, fellow guitarist Dallas Toler-Wade and Jon Vesano on bass who takes the lion`s share. This switching mid verse between vocalists almost death metal rap style certainly makes for a claustrophobic experience.

Tony Laureano`s drumming is pushed to the limit on closer Black Seeds Of Vengeance which wraps up a short but blistering performance.

Nile Set List (not in correct order)
Hall Of Saurian Entombment / Chapter For Transforming Into A Snake / Black Seeds Of Vengeance / Serpent Headed Mask / Kudurru Maqlu / Howling Of The Jinn / The Black Flame / Churning The Maelstrom / The Blessed Dead / Exercration Text / Sarcophagus

Destruction was my main reason for being here tonight. Vocalist/bassist Schmier asked for a show of hands for who was at Destruction`s last London performance with Celtic Frost in 1989. Well I wasn`t at that gig, but I was at the Bradford leg of the tour, in fact I was the sole person stood at the front during Destruction`s set, so poor was the turn-out due to fans boycotting Cold Lake era-Celtic Frost.

That short set in 1989 was worth the entry price alone that night and the same could be said today. The main change tonight is that Destruction are stripped back to a three piece, though you wouldn`t know it from the ferocious sound created by guitarist Mike Sifringer, still with his very metal moustache.

Destruction are unique in that having just released their third album since their come-back, they have managed to match if not surpass their classic material. Tonight we get material right across Schmier led Destruction. From Total Desaster from their 1984 debut EP Sentence Of Death to this year`s Metal Discharge title track.

I had been initially confused that three mic stands had been set up, unaware that Schmier would use them all! Often three piece`s seem lost on stage, however with Schmier able to roam around from one mic to another and Sifringer continually swapping sides there`s lots of movement and the performance is the most confident of the night.

Marc Reign is the latest Destruction drummer and his style is faithful to the older songs such as Eternal Ban, but aggressive on the newer material such as the fist pumping Thrash Till Death. Mad Butcher is the obvious finale and Schmier says it won`t be so long before Destruction next return. As earlier, let`s hope that means the up-coming tour with Dew Scented.

Destruction Set List:
Curse The Gods / Total Desaster / Ravenous Beast / Nailed To The Cross / The Butcher Strikes Back / Eternal Ban / Thrash Till Death / Life Without Sense / Desecrators Of The New Age / Invincible Force / Metal Discharge / Bestial Invasion / Mad Butcher

Deicide were due up next, though I have to confess I was shattered by this point and not being a fan of Glenn Benton and his troop of merry Satanists, I decided to end my evening on the high point of Destruction. As I said in the Bonded By Blood review, here`s to more gigs at this venue.