Gothminister / The Asylum / Birmingham
A trip over to Birmingham tonight and somewhere new for us, the Asylum on Hampton Street. A brilliant grass roots music venue with a fantastic atmosphere and most importantly great sound ! As usual, the M6 turned a technically 1hr 15min drive from Nottingham into 2hrs 30min of frustration and panic we wouldn’t arrive for doors at 18:30 and first band at 19:00. As it happens arrived at 18:45 and parked right outside ! Walking in the first band had just started, so o hanging round for a drink, straight to the pit !
Tonights show of gothic / industrial metal was a four band event, with a real international feel. First up our own Deadfilmstar, followed by PsycHolies from Italy, King Satan from Finland and headliners Gothminister from Norway.
We’ve seen Deadfilmstar before, at the O2 in Leicester supporting The Fields of the Nephilim and they were brilliant. We missed the first couple of songs and apparently with the early start there were a few issues with the sound, but these were soon fixed and they delivered a blistering set. Gary Mobley strokes an imposing figure at the front of the stage. Long jet black hair, and black lenses, with a foot on the monitor pointing out into the crowd, it creates a sinister and menacing image. The vocals are spot on as usual, as is the keys from Esther add a depth to their sound. Jono on guitars bangs out some fantasic riffs.
Steve on drums pulls everything together and pounds out some killer beats. Highlights for me were a brilliant cover of Suede’s Filmstar and their own track Welcome Back.
If you get to see Deadfilmstar advertised somewhere near you, grab a ticket, you won’t be disappointed !
Next up is Italian Gothic Electro/Industrial band PsycHolies. The four piece was founded by Vigos von Lies in Bari back in 2014. Their sound is full on German industrial metal with a strong Rammstein / Eisbrecher / Oomph! Vibe, but they give the genre their own unique Italian flair. It’s heavy, with powerful riffs and they deliver a blisteringly good set.
King Satan are from Tampere in Finland, and are an incredible sight. Finland is a country well known for its Black / Death metal scene, and ing Satan are firmly rooted in that style, but they mix the dark subjects of Satanism and the occult with a dose of black humour and a carnival like persona ! A band that clearly don’t like the idea of being cast into any genre, ING SATAN is an industrial metal band emerging from Tampere, Finland founded in 2015. The band’s carnivalesque brand of extreme metal is perhaps best perceived by their non-conforming tendency to combine the philosophical topics of Satanism and Occultism together with exploitation, blasphemous dark humor and nihilistic absurdism. There’s certainly an element of things like Pain in their sound. The group’s vocalist King Aleister Satan looking like some kind of ringmaster conducting the chaos around him. Jerry Rock'n'roll on bass is flamboyant (and quite the bass player !) with a wild hippy style, while Hekate Boss on keys and vocals is full on energy and blasts out some incredible synth tones to give the tracks even more depth and drama.
With a great look, brilliant connection with the crowd, King Satan were a joy to see.
Setlist
The Faces of the Devil
Fuck Yoga
Left Hand Path Symphony
The Pagan Satan
This Is Where The Magick Happens
Satanized (Praise Hail Satan!)
The Killing of God
Finally, (although it’s only 20:45 !) its time for band #4 and the appearance of Gothminister. Led by Bjørn Alexander Brem they take ot the smoky and dark stage, with two sword bearers standing guard on the stage. Bjørn is a striking figure in long black coat and crown, reminiscent of something out of Lord of the Rings, as they leap into the opening song Pandemonium.
Their sound is heavy, but has a great mix to it. Some is more industrial, like Rammstein, and then more electronic. At times its ethereal and almost filmscore like, but all underpinned by a haunting gothic influence. The heavy riffs come courtesy of Glenn Nilsen and Ketil Eggum who do a great job creating the intensity of the sound.
Favourite tracks for me were I am the Devil, opener Pandemonium and the final track, the incredible Battle of the Underworlds.
As mucha performance as a musical experience, the stage is set with a cross and crucified corpse hanging off it, which looks incredible with the bright white spots behind casting a ghostly silhouette. Theres a demonic pulpit from which Bjørn sings, and then appearances of characters from the side of the stage, as the Gothminister does battle with a zombie, and fights a werewolf over a baby wearwolf. There’s some cool effects too, with Bjørn donning gloves with brightly colored (laser?) lights along the fingers, which shoot out coloured beans over the audience through the mist.
Disappointingly, the crowd was not huge. Maybe it was the traffic, or a Wednesday night, but whatever the reason, those that didn’t come….. missed an absolute treat tonight. Four very different, but complimentary bands from all over Europe, each with a brilliant look, and all on top form, blasting out some of the best gothic / industrial metal you could hope to hear.
Well worth checking out !
