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Recently, there have been quite a few extreme metal shows touching down in Glasgow, following an unusually quiet lull. Tonight, it’s the turn of Polish death metal veterans VADER to level the city into ruins. Two years have elapsed since the band was last in this territory, and the turnout confirms the success of that prior show. Tonight, SLAY is busy with metalheads, ready to raise their temperatures and heart rate in search of carnal cacophonies.
Support comes from French black/death metallers SKAPHOS. The quintet formed in 2018 and has three albums bearing their name, of which the latest, Cult of Uzura comes out next month. Bedecked in raggedy post-apocalypse garb and corpsepaint, their interpretation of the subgenre is built on a dense inventory of riffs that lurch from the spiteful to the dissonant. Blastbeats and tremolo picking are served in abundance, alongside haunting atmospheres and smart deployment of introspective melodies. It’s refreshing to hear such inspired and ambitious black/death metal for such a popular extreme metal headliner. SLAY‘s sound is fantastic, really clarifying their intriguing Lovecraftian hymns. This is a solid forty minute set of anguished, challenging black/death metal that hopefully supplies SKAPHOS with deserved recognition.
Rating: 9/10
VADER hit the ground running with God Is Dead (Hellelujah). Despite the tongue-in-cheek nature of this concert staple, the opener is a lip-smacking blend of lightning tempos and pensive build-ups, storing and then unleashing feral energy. Instantly, a massive mosh pit ignites, accentuated with wily crowd-surfers, serenaded by rugged thrash-hinged death metal. Anyone who has seen these Polish death metal vanguards a few times understands the consistently premium show they always execute. Tonight, it’s business as usual. Guitarist and vocalist Piotr Wiwczarek leads this live assault with a freshly expanded five-piece line up, following the return of long-term guitarist Mauser last year. VADER with three guitars beefs up their tremolo riffs, SLAYER-inspired solos and brutality to devastating effect.
The familiarity of a VADER show is an exemplary illustration of the idiom “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The setlist, as always, is studded with classic after classic, including the likes of Silent Empire, Sothis, Wings, Carnal, Dark Age and Reborn In Flames. Alongside this, the Poles unearth a new song, Unbending, a creeping tune closer to thrash metal than death, giving the listeners a brief reprieve from the usual ferocity. The sound is fantastic for such a high-octane show, and the venue is in a constant state of moshing and headbanging. The show never dips in entertainment value, nor becomes lacklustre. Wiwczarek has always been an affable man – always thankful to perform and appreciative of the people who attend his show – so much that he’s forgiven for accidentally calling the city ‘London’ before shortly correcting himself with a smile.
With so many fan favourites stuffed into their gig, time whizzes by. Soon, Wiwczarek wishes Glasgow a good night and the band leaves the stage. The crowd doesn’t shrink and eventually the band returns for an encore of This Is The War followed by Lead Us!!! Once again, a pit the size of most of the venue sprawls across the floor, snatching people in like an expanding vortex. This final paroxysm of might electrifies the venue and VADER have left yet another venue entirely enthralled.
Rating: 10/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Glasgow from Duncan McCall here:
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