Due to a delayed and complicated journey, I unfortunately only got to the venue after Abgott had performed, and so I missed all of their set. I would have liked to see what they were like, because I’d never heard of them before. Apparently though despite originating in Italy they are now based here in the UK, so perhaps they will be performing again before too long.

After doing a backstage interview with Enslaved’s front man Grutle Kjellson (which can be seen elsewhere on the site) it was time for Thus Defiled to perform. I had seen them once before and wasn’t overly impressed with their run-of-the-mill sound, and tonight was little better. They’ve clearly got some reasonable ideas in their sound but a combination of poor guitar sounds and frankly sloppy playing meant that anything that did hold any promise wasn’t really noticeable. The best word to sum up Thus Defiled based on their performance, if a little harsh, is “forgettable”, because although they’re not an overly bad band, their set just failed to jump out and state anything other than the fact that they sound very much like a host of other bands. The odd lead guitar break added a bit of interest to their songs, but overall I was left wishing it had been Thus Defiled I had missed and not Abgott.

Vreid were the next band on, whose name I again have to admit I hadn’t heard. From further research though I found out that they are effectively the shell of the acclaimed black metallers Windir, with three of the band’s ex-members in the line up. Hailing from Norway, Vreid confidently delivered a tight blend of thrash and black metal, and I was impressed with the variety of their set. They managed to move from all out, blasting black-thrash to fairly mellow melodic sections without seeming disjointed, and there were some good performances on the drums and guitar. They confirmed their thrash influences towards the end of their set with a nice cover of the Sepultura song Troops of Doom, which seemed to put them in everyone’s good books. Overall I was impressed and enjoyed their set a lot, as did most of the crowd. They are a group whose name deserves to be more widely known, and I’m sure they’re on track to ensure that it will be.

Returning to London for their own headline appearance after opening the Inferno London event in January, Enslaved were warmly welcomed to the stage and ploughed into their set with the distinctive sound that makes them so recognisable. Front man Grutle had told me earlier in the night that their set would feature several new tracks from the excellent ‘Isa’ release, and sure enough new songs like Violent Dawning, Isa and Return to Yggdrasil all held prominent places in the set, the latter being the closing song. It was by no means just a peddling of the most recent material though, as crowd favourites like Fenris and Eld were also played from earlier albums. A highlight for me was the track “As Fire Swept Clean the Earth”, which was a stunning showcase of the band’s musical strength, and Kjellson’s vocals were particularly top-notch here.

Whether you prefer Enslaved’s more modern, technical style or their older more traditional black metal material it is hard not to be over-awed by the majesty and depth that the band create live. For some bands it seems difficult to recreate their songs in a live setting but Enslaved seem to have really nailed their polished delivery, and it is a truly great experience. This is a band at the top of their game and their stage presence shows it, with Kjellson really holding the crowd’s attention and adding further entertainment like announcing a Bee Gees cover as a joke! One of his comments was “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, London is the best metal audience in Europe” and I’d personally be one to return the favour by saying that Enslaved must be one of the best live metal bands in Europe!