Whiplash Promotions presents Gorgoroth, Vader, Valkyrja, The Sickening

The Masque, Seel Street, Liverpool - Thursday 10th November 2011

In Whiplash’s biggest show since Deicide, legendary Norwegian black metal outfit Gorgoroth arrived in Liverpool fully intent on shocking your grandma. Notably, Vader returned just five months after their first Whiplash appearance. Crazy! Valkyrja and The Sickening are lesser known names, but each made an impact of their own on The Masque’s audience…

With the venue already filling up nicely, Gorgoroth’s fellow countrymen, death metal act The Sickening, began the evening’s entertainment. New to many, including Gorgoroth, the band have actually been active for some eighth years now, and released their full length debut Death Devastation Decay in 2009. They’ve certainly had enough time to hone a stage act, and that they have done. Unfortunately, their music is not as impressive, grinding away relentlessly without offering anything that hasn’t been heard from countless other bands. It just kind of passed by me. Well executed but generic, unfortunately. Punter reviews were mixed, and it seems The Sickening are what might be called a ‘Marmite band’.

Valkyrja - hailing from Stockholm - were received much more favourably, and with good reason. With a raging black metal fury, their music feels vital and alive. This band are not going through the motions by any stretch, and they seem to thrive off the thrills of their audience, as their songs have plenty of twists and turns to keep us on our toes. I liked this band’s passion. They may not be breaking boundaries, but in today’s musical climate, playing with enthusiasm and feeling is an innovation in and of itself. With two full length albums under their bullet belts, Valkyrja’s work is accomplished and finely tuned.

Polish death metal veterans Vader had undergone a lineup change since their last appearance in June, and now feature English drummer James Stewart from Divine Chaos. Despite not finishing - as they did last time - with their fantastic ‘Black Sabbath’/’Raining Blood’ medley, their set was just as enjoyable on this occasion. Perhaps their newest arrival has reinvigorated them somewhat. Who knows? I’ll be honest, I’m not a big fan of Vader, but they certainly delivered the goods with aplomb, and a highly assured performance which the fans absolutely loved, and that’s what counts!

Touring in support of the re-recording of their 1997 release Under The Sign Of Hell, Gorgoroth are currently led by re-recruited vocalist Pest, who appeared on the original album. As with any corpsepaint-clad, Tolkien-worshipping black metal band, there is more than a slight whiff of the ridiculous about Gorgoroth. They don’t let that bother them though. Perhaps they’re in on the joke, or perhaps they take themselves so seriously that they’re grimly unaware of just how amusing they are. Nonetheless, they put in a fine performance, and the packed Masque Theatre lapped it up. Raw and unrelenting, their stage presence - and particularly that of Pest - is awesome, in the truest sense of the word. Unsurprisingly, the band’s set is heavily laden with tracks from Under The Sign…, which is pleasing, given that it represents the band at their peak. Meanwhile, we wait for their new material…

All in all a highly successful show for Whiplash, with bands and fans alike leaving happy. Unfortunately, the ‘Black Christmas’ all dayer, which was scheduled for December, has had to be postponed. This means that this was the last Whiplash show until February, when Ulcerate play at Whiplash's new home, the recently reopened Lomax on Cumberland Street. See you there!

Photo courtesy of Rachelforthrashmetal.com