ABSU Gig Review
Support Acts: Impiety & Necronomicon (Canada)

London Underworld, 12th April 2012

Review by Yiannis (John) Stefanis

I believe that it was two years ago that US Occult Black Thrashers Absu first visited London for what turned out to be a truly memorable show – a show which was hosted at the infamous London Underworld. Since then, the quality of the material prepared and released by Proscriptor McGovern (drums/vocals) & Co has been such that attending an Absu show is no longer simply an enjoyable activity but more like a necessity. One extra motivation for me visiting the London Underworld on the late afternoon of the 12th of April was to check out the Canadian Black/Thrash trio Necronomicon – a band whose 2010 release “The Return Of The Witch” made a very positive impression on me, and also to check out Impiety, a Singapore-based trio whose 80s inspired Black Metal and numerous visits to London has helped them acquire a small but fairly loyal fan base here in the capital of England.

I arrived at the venue a good one and a half hour early as I was scheduled to do an interview with Necronomicon’s front man Rob “The Witch” and finding the friendly Quebecer suffering from a severe case of flu was both disheartening and alarming. It was indeed both strange and admirable that, when the band first hit the stage at around seven thirty, Rob came across as fully in control of his bodily functions. From the first few notes of the opening track “Pharaoh Of Gods”, Rob stamped his authority on stage, head banging his way across the bands thirty minute set, a set that was predominantly based on their latest studio offering “The Return Of The Witch”. The band’s sound was powerful and commanding, pretty strange for an opening act, and that undoubtedly made the process of targeting new fans much easier for them. There were roughly two hundred people in attendance when “Into The Fire”, “The Return Of The Witch” and “The Time Is Now” were performed but, by that stage, the crowds had already embraced the corpse paint-covered, Morbid Angel-influenced Canadians who left the stage following a powerful rendition of the mid-tempo head banger “Revelation”.

Impiety have performed quite a few times in London over the years but tonight’s show would be my introduction to their 80s sounding Black Thrash. Speed and rhythmical dexterity play equal parts in the overall proceedings, as suggested by the opening track “Christ Fucking Christ”, something that the by now significantly bigger audience seemed to approve of. Drenched in what seemed to be blood but far less animated than their choreographed predecessors, the Asian metallers stormed their way through a set list filled with songs from their 2012 release “Ravage And Conquer”. The same-titled composition enabled the band’s new drummer Dizazter to prove his musical pedigree, providing an interesting contrast with the fellow ‘newbie’ Nizam Aziz whose guitar sound was fairly muted and powerless, while his stage presence was almost non-existent. Even so, head banging action did occur during songs like “Terroreign” and “The Scourge Majesty”, regardless of various bass-related technical problems occurring in between songs, while the levels of brutality were further increased during the performances of “Advent Of The Nuclear Baphomet” and “Legacy Of Savagery”. The last song of the band’s set list was a cover of Bathory’s classic opus “Sacrifice” which singer/bassist Shyaithan dedicated to the fallen legend Quorthon – a decision that was met by the approval of a fairly appreciative and emotionally charged crowd.

It was around twenty to ten that the Texan trio Absu made its entrance onto the stage of the London Underworld and their impact was almost instant as a result of an outstanding rendition of the eleven minute classic “Apzu”. Drummer/vocalist Proscriptor McGovern was in blistering form, indulging in highly intricate drum themes while Ezezu (bass) was providing additional vocals and guitarist Vis Crom was producing storming riffs and melodies in quick succession. An inspiring rendition of the head banging opus “Feis Mor Tir Na N’Og” created the first circle pit of the show and more participation followed the equally energetic “Earth Ripper”. “Night Fire Canonization” found Absu indulging in a few Slayeric riffs while Proscriptors’ high pitch vocal introduction to “Swords And Leather” was simply priceless in terms of entertainment. Watching the leader of the band performing his magic behind the drum kit during “Abraxas Connexus” was one of the highlights of the show; and the bag pipe intro to the medley “Tara/Pillars Of Mercy” was met with loud screaming and fist air pumping by the audience! It was following that very highlight of the show that Proscriptors’ wireless head mic decided to die on us and it took a few minutes before order was partially restored, resulting in Ezezu handling the majority of vocal duties from this point on. With sheer professionalism and passion, the band continued their relentless Metal attack through “Four Crossed Wands” and “13 Globes” and, following the performance of “Highland Tyrant Attack” and “Never Blow Out The Eastern Candle”, Absu left the stage soaked in sweat but looking really content with the crowd’s reaction. Though having already broken the venue’s curfew, the Texans returned on stage for one quick encore which included the five minute “The Coming Of War”, after which they took their final bows and headed back-stage for some much deserved rest.

Though stylistically and sonically different, the three performing bands shared a passion and dedication to the Occult and it was this very same underlying theme, together with sheer passion, that made tonight’s show such a pleasant experience, regardless of the numerous technical problems that plagued it. Having finally made it into Europe, Necronomicon proved that they truly deserve people’s attention and support, while Impiety further consolidated their grip on the UK extreme metal scene. As for Absu: one can only hope that next time they visit these shores they get to play a bigger and better equipped venue, since bands as unique and as inspiring as them can offer plenty and deserve only the best!

Necronomicon Set List:

1. “Pharaoh Of Gods”
2. “Into The Fire”
3. “The Return Of The Witch”
4. “The Time Is Now”
5. “Revelation”

Impiety Set List:

1. “Christ Fucking Christ”
2. “Ravage And Conquer”
3. “Terroreign”
4. “The Scourge Majesty”
5. “Advent Of The Nuclear Baphomet”
6. “Legacy Of Savagery”
7. “Sacrifice” (Bathory cover)

Absu Set List:

Main Set:

1. “Intro/Apzu”
2. “Feis Mor Tir Na N’Og (Across The North Sea Of Visnech)”
3. “Earth Ripper”
4. “Night Fire Canonization”
5. “Swords And Leather”
6. “Abraxas Connexus”
7. “Tara/Pillars Of Mercy”
8. “Manannan”
9. “Four Crossed Wands”
10. “13 Globes”
11. “Highland Tyrant Attack”
12. “Never Blow Out The Eastern Candle”

Encore:

13. “The Coming Of War”

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