Blasphemy, Auckland NZ, 2018

Blasphemy performing live in Auckland New Zealand, 2018. Image by Sarah Kidd.

Blasphemy 
15th June 2018
Whammy! Bar, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review & Photography by Sarah Kidd.

In what promised to be an evening of nihilistic perversity played out on a stage of black paint and animal bones, Canadian black metallers Blasphemy brought a set list to end all others as part of their ‘Blood Upon Aotearoa’ tour. Being their first time in New Zealand the night was certainly an auspicious occasion and as such demanded some of New Zealand’s best support acts. Hailing from around the country the line-up was one that brought deep satisfaction and maybe even a little joy to many of the blackened hearts that were walking through the doors…

Hailing from Dunedin , three piece war metal – once described by drummer Daniel Bloxham as “an aggressive, primitive hellstorm mixture of death metal and black metal – band Methchrist were a must see for many fans tonight, the venue already well packed as they took the stage. Believing that true black metal should be “bestial, disgusting and intolerable” according to vocalist Ollie Trainor, Methchrist wasted no time in smashing the fans straight in the guts with their opening track ‘Solar Anus’; visceral and belligerent it made no apologies for itself. Having released their debut album Nomadic War Machine in September last year the three piece dropped several tracks from it including ‘Switchblade Sodomy’ that clocks in at just under a minute; completely unrelenting it threatened to snap necks in its wake. Finishing on ‘Sodomy of the Divine Right’ Methchrist were rightly hailed by the crowd for their blistering set.

Moving up the country next on the bill was Heresiarch from Wellington. Formed in 2008 they have spent the last ten years building up a formidable reputation that saw an almost bloodthirsty longing for their debut album to be released; Death Ordinance – which came out in July last year – delivering all that fans could have wanted and more, the album being described as “indomitable and cranium-crushing”. This was Auckland’s first chance to witness the new line-up [N.H, C.S, W.B, H.G] and judging from their reception of the set, it is a line-up that they vehemently approve of.  Delivering several pieces from their debut the fans were pounded and thrashed by ‘Storming Upon Knaves’ and the provocative ‘Ruination’; N.H’s vocals delivered with the aggression of a vengeful soldier of war. With a nod to their previous works, Heresiarch even threw out the epic ‘Endeprǽst’ from their 2014 EP Wælwulf, the pulsating riffs reaching deep down inside and pulling the crowd forwards. Soon to embark on their Death Triumphal US tour, Heresiarch will undoubtedly decimate each and every venue.

Continuing with bands that have recently released albums, stalwarts Vassafor soon appeared in all their demonic glory. The Auckland based two piece had doubled in size for tonight’s performance, one of the additional members a familiar face to those who are fans of grindcore act Malevolence. As each member stepped forward their necks adorned with a collection of bones and talismans an eerie feeling settled over the room. Vassafor are indeed a band that evoke something perversely carnal, here is an act that have “always maintained they’ve been inspired by genuine occult forces”; watching them in action while their aural attack invites you to come and explore the realms of death itself, it’s a statement that requires no questioning. From the sanguinary overtones of ‘Servitude’ to the nearly eleven minutes of punishing mind-twisting of ‘Illumination of the Sinister’ – which features on their latest album Malediction released last October – Vassafor staked their claim and revealed just why they have influenced so many bands within New Zealand. On par with – if not better than – their set supporting Mayhem earlier this year, Vassafor are a band that hand deliver darkness to you in a golden puzzle box… open it if you dare.

As the clock hands crept ever closer to the witching hour, the crowd drew in close, ensuring prime position for the impending sensory onslaught of behemoths Blasphemy.

Arriving on stage a familiar face was spotted in their ranks, VK of Vassafor taking to the stage for the second time tonight, boosting the band’s numbers to five. Formed in 1984 in Vancouver, Canada, Blasphemy has long been inspiring the hordes and has been held aloft on the same platform as Scandinavian bands Bathory and Mayhem. Their reputation precedes them and while they only have two full-length studio albums to their name (thanks to multiple “hiatuses”) the material that Fallen Angel of Doom and Gods of War generated bound their fans to them for life. Punters howled their approval as guitarist Caller of the Storms took centre stage, multiple eight inch nails protruding from his guitar strap as he stared into the crowd from behind the lenses of his black sunglasses. Beside him vocalist Nocturnal Grave Desecrator and Black Winds growled into the microphone, all forty-five seconds of opening track ‘War Command’ like a kick to the teeth. Following it up with ‘Blasphemous Attack’ and the pit exploded, a mass of bodies smashing up against each other as they simultaneously payed homage with their physical forms to their heroes before them.

The night included no talk or theatrics; the stage – as it had all evening – remained bathed in a blood red glow, Blasphemy preferring to let their work speak for itself as they crushed the fans with a nineteen strong set list. Self-confessed creators of the Satanic Skinhead concept, Blasphemy believe that Black Metal is “satanism put to music”, something that is clearly evident with tracks such as ‘Emperor of the Black Abyss’, ‘Goddess of Perversity’ and ‘Necrosadist’ from Gods of War. Vassafor’s VK, his face hidden deep inside his black hood excelled in both his bass and vocal duties, the local fans hearts swelling with a sense of pride as they watched one of their own share the stage with the Canadian legends.

Matching Blasphemy in sheer ferocity, the mosh pit never once let up; instead it swayed back and forth periodically growing in intensity that threatened to overflow onto the stage itself; both band and fans paying their respects to eachother the only way they knew how. Finishing on ‘Ritual’ from their debut 1990 album Fallen Angel of Doom, Blasphemy left the fans broken and bleeding on the floor – battle scars they will forever wear with pride.

Blasphemy:
Vassafor:
Heresiarch:
Methchrist:

Were you there at Whammy! Bar for this Satanic Metal masterpiece? Or have you seen Blasphemy perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Blasphemy Setlist:
  1. War Command
  2. Blasphemous Attack
  3. Gods Of War
  4. Blood Upon The Altar
  5. Darkness Prevails
  6. Desecration
  7. Nocturnal Slayer
  8. Emperor Of The Black Abyss
  9. Hording Of Evil Vengeance
  10. Goddess Of Perversity
  11. Weltering In Blood
  12. Blasphemy
  13. Fallen Angel Of Doom
  14. The Desolate One
  15. Necrosadist
  16. Demoniac
  17. Atomic Nuclear Desolation
  18. Empty Chalice
  19. Ritual
Vassafor Setlist:
  1. Servitude
  2. Emergence
  3. Phoenix Of The Maelstrom
  4. Crown Of Irradiated Ashes
  5. Craft Of Dissolution
  6. Illumination Of The Sinister
Heresiarch Setlist:
  1. Conflagration
  2. Storming Upon Knaves
  3. Harbringer
  4. Ruination
  5. Carnivore
  6. Endeprǽst
  7. Iron Harvest
Methchrist Setlist:
  1. Solar Anus
  2. Hammer Of Superiority
  3. Switchblade Sodomy
  4. Necrophallic Butchery
  5. Nomadic War Machine
  6. Hate Commands
  7. Scum recurrence
  8. Sodomy Of Divine Right

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