US band Hulder was performing in Europe for the first time, and we were lucky that Cult Of Parthenope arranged for them to come to London, specifically to the Downstairs at the Dome (previously known as Boston Music Room), on this cold autumn night!! Before they showed up, we had quite a nice line-up to see so me and Ines tried to leave the house at some decent hours!! And we made it just in time to see Stahlsarg going through their set!! We had the pleasure of seeing this Suffolk band a couple of years ago on an HRH Viking in Sheffield, so we knew we were up to a good start!! And they did not disappoint! With a new EP, ‘Suicide of God’, which came out in March of ’23 through Cult Never Dies, under their wings, the quintet started fast to unleash their fast Black Metal full of cut-throating frantic riffs and frenzied blasting!! But their music is not just that, as they also deliver some melancholic moments which slowdown things and give you time to breath. They have a very good stage presence with a lot of movement from one of their guitarists and a good pair of lungs in the vocalist. Black Metal with no bullshit!! Just what the doctor had recommended!! Because the next day I needed to be up really soon (around 7am) there were only a couple of pints being chugged and here it was a nice pale ale from Blue Moon to do the trick. Second band on stage was The Infernal Sea a band we had seen a couple of times, one of them opening for Primordial also in London. They have a new album, ‘Hellfenlic’ coming out in January, and I think they played some of the singles which have been coming out like ‘Lord Abhorrent’ or ‘Bastard of the East’. Their music has quite a dark atmosphere which results quite nicely in the live stage, especially with all the visual aids aka robes and masks. Tonight’s wasn’t different and they went through a good set which left people wanting for more. Another good example of the good health in the UK Black Metal scene. After them came the first of the debutants in UK lands, the Germans Groza!! I had read about them before this concert and heard a lot of Mgla comparisons, which for me is not a very bad thing, as I worship them, and after seeing them I can see/hear that comparison makes sense but vocal wise, I think Groza’s ones are somewhat different, as they use a grunter approach!! The German trio focused on their second album ‘The Redemptive End’ from 2021, opening with ‘Sunken in Styx’ (both parts) and continuing with ‘Elegance of Irony’, one of the best tracks from the album. A very emotive (and melancholic in some parts) moment was when they played ‘The Redemptive End’, which was dedicated to their fallen comrade M.S., which sadly passed away a couple of months ago. In the end it was 45 minutes, that didn’t feel too long, and a very good performance by these guys!!! To end the night, we had Hulder, a one-woman project which took the Underground by surprise, first with a couple of demos and then with its debut album, ‘Godslastering: Hymns of a Forlorn Peasantry’, which came out in 2021. The band live multiplies into a quartet with Hulder taking care of guitar and vocals. Things started with an atmospheric intro, then the band started ripping out, and man, how surprise was I when she started to growl!! Not expecting that!! Music wise, they unleashed a whirlwind of buzzsaw riffs, chilling atmospheres, and some powerful drumming!! Through the 40-minutes that lasted their show, Hulder delivered a good set of Black Metal, with plenty of variation, and lots of headbanging moments. She isn’t very communicative towards the audience, but that’s pretty much a normal thing with Black Metal bands, so no disappointment there!! Overall, excellent set and I would recommend anyone into Black Metal to watch them, if they are able to!!! After a couple of more minutes, mingling with some familiar faces, we went home as the next day was an early rise one for me!!! See ya the next day!!
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