black metal

Decibel Magazine Tour // Commodore Ballroom

April 2, 2016 - Quick reblog for Aesthetic Magazine.

"Norway-based black metal band Abbath, who released their self-titled debut album on January 22nd, 2016 via Season of Mist, performed at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver last night as part of the ongoing Decibel Magazine Tour with Oakland, CA-based doom metal band High On Fire, who released their seventh album, Luminiferous, on June 23rd, 2015 via E1 Music, extreme metal band Skeletonwitch, who released their fifth album, Serpents Unleashed, on October 29th, 2013, and Swedish death metal band Tribulation."

Tribulation


Setlists

Tribulation

  1. Strange Gateways Beckon
  2. Melancholia
  3. Randa
  4. Ultra Silvam
  5. Holy Libations

Skeletonwitch

  1. I Am of Death (Hell Has Arrived)
  2. From a Cloudless Sky
  3. Burned from Bone
  4. Upon Wings of Black
  5. Choke Upon Betrayal
  6. Well of Despair
  7. This Horrifying Force (The Desire to Kill)
  8. Beyond the Permafrost
  9. Unending, Everliving
  10. Black Waters
  11. Serpents Unleashed
  12. Beneath Dead Leaves

High On Fire

  1. The Black Plot
  2. Carcosa
  3. Rumors of War
  4. Speedwolf
  5. Fertile Green
  6. The Falconist
  7. Cometh Down Hessian
  8. Baghdad
  9. Blood from Zion
  10. Snakes for the Divine

Abbath

  1. To War!
  2. Winterbane
  3. Nebular Ravens Winter (Immortal cover)
  4. Warriors (Immortal cover)
  5. Ashes of the Damned
  6. Fenrir Hunts
  7. Tyrants (Immortal cover)
  8. One By One (Immortal cover)
  9. Count the Dead
  10. Root of the Mountain
  11. In My Kingdom Cold (Immortal cover)
  12. All Shall Fall (Immortal cover)

 

 

deafheaven & Tribulation // Rickshaw Theatre

 

 

October 20, 2015 - Alas, another shoot for Beatroute BC - I haven't shot for these guys since early August for Northlane!  I had to dig up some research for these bands as I haven't really heard of them too much, just seen their names here and there on editorials and online.

To begin, Tribulation, a metal band from the small city of Arvika, Sweden was up first.  Their style of music combines death, black and gothic elements, and they've released three albums to date.  Originally a death-revivalist act, they've evolved to incorporate more progressive elements such as psychedelia and atmospheric tones.

The show itself was very theatrical, expressive and to put it quite frankly, dark.  Face makeup?  Check.  Incense?  Check.  Bone props?  Check.  Black on black?  Check.  The musicians moved around quite a bit which made for some dramatic images, which was nice!  All-in-all, a very fun show which had a very different kind of energy compared to what I'm used to.  It was almost like watching a dance instead of a show, a serenade, if you will. 

Their latest album, Children of the Night, was released this year.

A quick and easy two bands tonight!  Deafheaven (often stylized as deafheaven) are a black metal band from San Francisco, USA, known for infusing post-metal and shoegaze as well.  
Their first demo was released by founding members, George Clarke and Kerry McKoy and was met with warm reception.  Upon recruiting more band members, they set off on tour, and released Sunbather in 2013, which was met with critical acclaim and was one of the most praised albums of the year in the US (outside of the top 40 genre, that is.)

The show itself was extremely hard to shoot as they had decided not to use any front-lighting (it was ALL back-lighting) and of course, I had forgot to pack my prime lenses...With EXIF looking something like f/2.8, 1/60 @ ISO 6400, it was inevitable to get a billion blurry pictures before getting a single one that was relatively in focus, even at 24mm.  And at that, it was hard to find one with decent lighting.

Regardless, because of this, the lighting added to the atmosphere, much like earlier act Tribulation's.  The band themselves, as per shoegaze fashion, were pretty low-key, often looking at their pedals for modulating and distorting their sounds.  George Clarke, the front-man, however was extremely high energy, almost spastic but in a very controlled fashion that matched the rhythm of their music.  As my editor, Joshua Erickson said, he was also extremely photographic haha.  Although I couldn't stay for the whole act, it was a lot of fun and Clarke found himself in the audience at several points of the night!

Their latest album, New Bermuda, was released earlier this year.


Setlists

Tribulation

  1. Strange Gateways Beckon
  2. Melancholia
  3. In The Dreams of the Dead
  4. Randa
  5. Ultra Silvam
  6. Cauda Pavonis
  7. The Motherhood of God
  8. When the Sky Is Black With Devils

deafheaven

  1. Brought to the Water
  2. Luna
  3. Baby Blue
  4. From the Kettle Onto the Coil
  5. Come Back
  6. Gifts for the Earth
  7. Sunbather (Encore)
  8. Dream House (Encore)