Metalowa Wigilia 2015
19th of December 2015
Progresja Music Zone, Warsaw, Poland
All photos by Fabiola Santini
Is there a better way to finish the 2015 concert season than a solid portion of black metal? This was one of the shows that when I’ve seen it being announced, I thought someone was having a laugh. It took me 15 minutes to book the flights and make up my mind about visiting Warsaw in December. Unbelievable line up with a perfect combination of bands nicely falling into my taste. Everything seemed to be nicely organised and I struggled to notice any major flaws of the venue and the whole event. Well done Massive Music!
Selvans
It was actually a great surprise of the evening. The Italians were the new band to me and I must say that I was properly impressed. The ritualistic aura and quite mysterious and beautiful folk overtones made Selvans a very good opening band. The vocalist’s charisma was definitely standing out and it did remind me of Hoest (Taake and Gorgoroth). Well, it was all very genuine and it definitely encouraged me to have a listen to their debut album, Lupercalia, which was released in October this year.
Gehenna
It certainly was not the first time I have seen Gehenna live. But it was one of the better ones. Gehenna is always good to watch and the guys seem to have a one simple rule: strike hard and fast! And their performance at Metalowa Wigilia 2015 proved they live by that rule. The quick sections were vicious and cruel and that’s what Gehenna is about for me. They have kept the level of other bands that night and represented the finest Norwegian tunes.
Kampfar
Norge celebration at its best! Kampfar always adds some true Norwegian spirit to the night. I still can’t get over the new album and how the new tracks sound live. The perfect Daimos or, played at the beginning, the immaculate Gloria Ablaze just prove the fantastic character of Profan. The setlist might have been missing my beloved Hymne, however the band compensated that with a very characteristic Ravenheart which works out perfect as a live song. Djevelmakt album has not been forgotten and Kampfar performed Mylder that always makes me go mad. Helvete! Dolk’s energy on stage is catching and you can never be indifferent to the band.
Primordial
I said that a hundred times and I will always emphasize it when speaking about Primordial – Mr. Averill holds my favourite clean vocals in extreme metal. And it’s not different live. The purity of Primordial on stage is simply staggering. ‘No regrets, no remorse’ said by Alan gains some true meaning in a combination with the perfect setlist. My all-time favourite Gods to the Godless played faultlessly as always introduced some proper energy and it was one of the highlights of the night. Also The Coffin Ships is one of those songs that take you somewhere far, letting you fly away. Every time I have seen Primordial live it was at least very good. That night’s performance can be definitely counted as outstanding.
Gorgoroth
The smell of sulphur overwhelmed the stage as soon as the band appeared. That was obviously the show of the night. I have seen the same performance in London a week before but it didn’t make me any less excited about seeing Gorgoroth again. It’s one of the bands that have to be seen live to properly appreciate their music. The combination of Revelation of Doom, Forces of Satan Storms, Profetens Åpenbaring and Ødeleggelse og Undergang might have been a nightmare for my neck but it certainly was one of the best moments that night. Also, Hoest is doing a crazy job with vocals perfectly suiting the band’s trademark. I couldn’t tell it was Gorgoroth last show on this tour, everything was really fresh, brisk and nicely played. Although it was a full show, it felt like 10 minutes and I think this perfectly summarizes Gorgoroth performance in Warsaw.
Triptykon
Heavy and grim! Yes, Triptykon people know what they are doing. And they’re doing that best. This atmosphere can’t be recreated by any other band. The magnificent and unbelievably heavy Altar of Deceit is always one of my favourite moments of Triptykon shows. Well, maybe apart from Celtic Frost songs which always leave me breathless. There might have been some minor flaws and the general performance did not surpass their phenomenal show at Brutal Assault this year, however it was still a fantastic piece of doom black metal. Traditionally ending with The Prolonging, Tom G. Warrior and his crew closed the Metalowa Wigilia 2015 which seriously was the best ending of the concert season you can imagine!
THE GOAT TAVERN 