Mortiis / Susperia / Pro-jekt
24 September 2004
Ocean, Hackney
Due to major problems at his work, I arrive at the venue tonight without Johan and his trusty camera. Fortunately, I was able to sort out with the tour manager to get myself a photo pass to ensure we got some photos with my compact camera. However, in trying to sort out to leave Johan`s ticket and pass on the door in case he made it, I managed to miss much of opening band Pro-jekt`s set.
What I did catch was a pretty enjoyable amalgamation of goth, industrial and metal. Pro-jekt operate without a drummer with the electro beats generated by synth player Alistair Middleton. On top of this sits the crunching metal guitar of Chris May and live bass of Kevin Rice.
I`m more used to seeing feet on monitors, but in a more gothic fashion, vocalist Mick Witham has a crow perched on his. Witham is new to the Pro-jekt line-up but seems both confident and comfortable in the role of frontman.
The Next World was the one song I had heard by Pro-jekt and it was a high point of the set, though I can`t say I was taken by the industrial treatment applied to Led Zeppelin`s Communication Breakdown.
There`s still no sign of Johan so I head into the photo pit in anticipation of Norwegian`s Susperia. I had caught this band once before at 2001 "Metal Odyssey" Festival in London where they acquitted themselves admirable opening a very strong bill which saw Nevermore, Lacuna Coil, In Flames and Dimmu Borgir following them.
Back then, and still now, the band are often wrongly thought to be in a similar genre to the headline band that day. This is likely due to Tjodalv being the former drummer of Dimmu Borgir and in addition he and two of his band mates have made contributions to Old Man`s Child. Whilst there were some blackened touches in their earlier work, latest album Unlimited is pure thrash in the vein of Testament.
The chugging riffs of The Coming Past kicks things off with a hooky chorus that Pantera would have been proud of. Meanwhile, Anguished Scream showed off the fretboard gymnastics of guitarists Cyrus and Elvorn, and gave Tjodalv chance to show he can blastbeat with the best.
I`ve yet to see it, but Chemistry apparently has a promo video and has also featured on a number of magazine compilations. Its gorgeous guitar intro gives way to some serious riffing which has the frontrow banging along.
Situational Awareness is my personal favourite from new album Unlimited with strong similarities to Testament, particularly Athera`s Chuck Billy like vocals. Athera makes full use of the stage causing me great difficulty to capture a photo of him.
Also comparable to Testament is that Susperia have a six string bassist in Memnock. Like the rest of the band, decked out in black symbolic t-shirt, Memnock`s fingers race around his bass like a pair of spiders.
As the band commence Devil May Care, I`m relieved to see Johan has arrived to take over photo duties for Mortiis. Trying to keep track of the set list, which differed to the one on stage, take photos and reflexively nodding along, proving quite difficult.
Susperia conclude with a bizarre but strangely enjoyable cover of A-Ha`s The Sun Always Shine On T.V. and leave to a warm response.
Susperia set list:
The Coming Past / Anguished Scream (For Vengeance) / Chemistry / Petrified / Situational Awareness / Home Sweet Hell / The Bitter Man / Vainglory / Beast By Design / Devil May Care / The Sun Always Shines On T.V.
It`s hard to take a man serious with fake pointy ears and nose, but with a performance as good as tonight`s gig from Mortiis, it`s impossible not to.
Phase one Mortiis saw him leave his black metal roots behind, heading into instrumental film score like soundscapes. Phase two, and the Smells Like Rain album, saw the Parasite God take a decent stab at Nine Inch Nails like industrial. However, with phase three, where Mortiis the man became Mortiis the band, new album The Grudge sees a significant step up in quality.
Following a long instrumental intro, the band take their places as the beats of Broken Skin kick in. Then Mortiis himself emerges from the dry-ice. I had no idea what the onstage persona of Mortiis would be, but to say he took the stage by storm would be an understatement. Mortiis careers around the stage colliding with his guitarists and whirling his mic stand around before hurtling it javelin like into the wings.
The buzzing guitars of Levi Gawron and Asmund Sveinunggard on the infectious Way Too Wicked give way to the dark wave of Marshland. The combination of dry ice and lighting is atmospheric throughout tonight`s gig, but none more so then for The Worst In Me for which the stage is bathed in red light.
Where the set really hit top gear was when Mortiis` own Jesus Built My Hot Rod, Gibber, collided with the pace of Decadent & Desperate. The onstage chaos claiming a victim in one of Mortiis` pointed ears, which he sacrificed before pleasing the goths with Parasite God.
Although the live sound undoubtedly relies on backing tapes of synths and beats, the presence of live drummer Leo Troy certainly adds an organic feel to the likes of the regimented The Grudge.
There are obvious reference points across the set where Mortiis wears his influences on his sleeve. The aforementioned Ministry similarities of Gibber, Broken Skin owes a lot to Trent Reznor and main set closer Mental Maelstorm has a Floodland-era Sisters Of Mercy chorus to die for. In the blend of his influences Mortiis does well to take the best bits without over plagiarism.
With his image, Mortiis presents an easy target for ridicule and often this originates from people who've never even heard his music. However, the music world would be a much poorer place without its eccentrics and performers. I came with an open mind tonight not knowing what to expect from Mortiis live and my conclusion was that Mortiis was thoroughly entertaining. Having also had the pleasure of meeting the man behind the mask afterwards I can also testify he`s a thoroughly affable down to earth bloke.
Mortiis set list:
Broken Skin / Way Too Wicked / Marshland / The Worst In Me / Monolith / Gibber / Decadent & Desperate / Parasite God / The Loneliest Thing / Asthma / The Grudge / Smell The Witch / Mental Maelstrom / Le Petit Cochon Sordide
LINKS:
Pro-jekt
Susperia
Mortiis
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