Picture a cold, dark night in Camden, London – probably not the nicest setting for an enjoyable night on the town. Unless of course your idea of enjoyment is witnessing some of the hottest new death metal around, in an infamous venue – which I would say mine probably is! The line-up for the gig was rather diverse, not only in terms of genre, but also origin - the Greek band Rotting Christ and the Swedish group Anata playing alongside British act Thus Defiled and then of course Decapitated from Poland.

Unfortunately a combination of my wait to be let into the venue and a meet up for an interview slot I had with a member of Decapitated meant that I did not witness the complete performance of the opening band – Anata. What I did see however was definitely worthwhile, as the band ploughed through a very tight, technical blast of their brand of death metal. I was reasonably unfamiliar with the music of this band prior to the event (as indeed I was in all cases other than Decapitated) and so I can make little comment on what songs they played. What I can say however is this is a band that without a doubt demands further investigation! They play brutal yet technically impressive death metal, driven constantly by an exceptional drummer. It was clear from the crowd response alone that they put on a great show, as there was plenty of headbanging and general appreciation for this stunning band. In reflection, I wish I had seen their whole set, because from what I saw they were the second best band for me. With a new album just released, I strongly intend to check this band out further.

Once their furious set had come to a close then, with much respect from the crowd, it was time for my interview. I won’t dwell too much on how it went because the product can be seen elsewhere on the site, but it was a great pleasure and privilege. I was taken backstage by a member of the Earache Records staff, which consists of a handful of Spartan rooms divided from the stage with some cloth! It was slightly surreal to simply walk a few feet and suddenly be face to face with band members I have admired for a long time, but any slight nerves I had dissipated when I began the interview. It was with Martin, who is the bass player of Decapitated, and it was conducted with a tape recorder in a corner. Although he had been doing interviews all day, Martin seemed friendly and cooperative. I did not ask all the questions I had planned due to time limitations, but nonetheless it was very pleasing.

I returned to the main crowd area then to find the second band – Thus Defiled – just setting up their instruments. I managed to get a position where I had a good view of the whole stage, although photograph opportunities were not brilliant. The black metal this band play strongly contrasted with Anata’s music, and so this had a mixed effect. In a way it was great to see a diverse mix of genres, but equally it perhaps made the flow of the event a bit disjointed due to the switching styles. The audience was not as physically motivated by this band, but I enjoyed their set. They didn’t perform very many tracks – it felt like no more than three or four – but this was because each piece was long and focused more on the atmosphere. I enjoyed the fact that their music was harsh and quite raw (with no keyboards) and yet still strongly focused on melodies and atmosphere. Blast beats were prominent, although these switched on and off somewhat randomly at times I thought, but still an enjoyable set which I think went down well – maybe helped by the fact that they are a British band. Not as entertaining as Anata in my opinion, but still a solid band, whose interaction with the crowd seemed good. Nothing special or eye-opening by any means, but one or two good aspects.

Due to my advantageous position overlooking the whole stage I did not move while the band’s changed over, and so I had the same spot by the time Rotting Christ took to the stage. Their set began with a pre-recorded section of choir-like sound effects, and then they broke out into a style which you could describe as blackened death/doom metal. The black metal aspects that I had expected were definitely present, but at the same time their songs were focused on riffs, rhythm, and catchy vocal lines which make their music less easy to define. This band comes from Greece, and despite the significant distance the British crowd seemed very enthusiastic about their music, singing along and getting into it a lot – this is easy to do because there are sections to their songs where riffs or beats are slow and rhythmic, and also some vocal parts which are clean and melodic. The whole band put on a good performance, and what they lacked in speed and to some extent technical ability they made up for with the overall sound of the band, and their interaction with the crowd. The front man Sakis was particularly motivating to the crowd, and the response they received was probably the best of the night up until that point. Their music is catchy and easy to get into, and yet still very powerful and atmospheric - overall I was impressed.

The highlight for me up until now was probably still Anata, but all that was about to change…

I managed to gain a better spot when the crowd began to move after Rotting Christ’s set, which I held until the end. There was a considerable wait while the headliners Decapitated prepared to perform. There was a lot of crowd movement while this took place, but not wanting to lose my position I again stayed where I was – on the balcony overlooking the whole lower standing area and stage. From here I was able to take several photos, but they are not of a very strong standard. Decapitated eventually took to the stage then to much anticipation, and roared (quite literally!) into ferocious action. It is difficult to remember the exact setlist, but I’m pretty sure the following tracks were played (not in any order) …

-Three-Dimensional Defect
-Nihility
-Perfect Dehumanization
-Mother War
-The Negation
-Lying and Weak
-Spheres of Madness

Looking back on the setlist, I would have liked to hear some more Winds of Creation material, but to think like that is pointless, seeing as the band have recently released their new album. The performance was stunning, and every member was on top form, including Hiro – guitarist from fellow Polish band Sceptic, who joined Decapitated in the studio for their latest album, and for live performances. The riffs were execute with staggering speed and precision, as was the excellent drumming. Particularly impressive as well I thought was the vocal performance of Sauron, who by appearances you might not expect to emit such a brutal, powerful and consistent vocal performance! There were several impromptu stage invasions by excited crowd members as you would expect, and some of which got unexpectedly shoved back into the crowd by Sauron himself! The reception the headliners received was deservingly very good, and they left the venue – or at least me – in a stunned sense of satisfaction. It was an immense pleasure to witness this incredible young band, and I would do a great deal to do so again - I strongly recommend that everyone else does the same!