Much discussion has occurred elsewhere regarding the unusual occurrence of a free, underground black metal concert being sponsored by a car manufacturer. However, there was no way that I was going to pass up the opportunity to see probably the two most dynamic bands working in the USBM underground today (arguments begin) on the same bill; that is, Wolves In The Throne Room and Nachtmystium. "Two Hunters" was my album of the year in 2007 and "Assassins, Black Meddle Part I" is making a strong case for this year's best album, so I headed out to the Knitting Factory for a highly anticipated show.
Given that the show was free and corporate sponsored, I sort of half expected company representatives to be working the crowd, giving Power Point Presentations, handing out business cards, promotional items, etc. Thankfully, that did not occur and, other than a brief mention of Scion from the concert's promoter, Church of the 8th Day, in between bands, you'd have never have known that the show had any affiliation to Scion whatsoever.
At any rate, Wolves In The Throne Room took the stage as a quartet and proceeded through a 40+ minute set consisting of four songs. Beginning with a deep hum of harmonics, the stage is darkened as Wolves... play with primal ferocity as a wall of sound washed over the audience. No slamming occurred during the set and, other than some muted headbanging, the crowd was mostly silent. Huge applause erupted at the conclusion of each song, however, as everyone just soaked up the experience. The closer was "I Will Lay Down My Bones Among The Rocks And Roots" in its entirety. The band walked off stage to a wall of harmonics, only briefly acknowledging the appreciative crowd.
Nachtmystium appeared after a short changeover and proceeded through a great set with a rawer sound than that present on "Assassins...". Mostly hitting material from that album as well as "Instinct: Decay" and "Eulogy IV", Nachtmystium played with a high amount of energy. The crowd responded in kind with a huge pit opening up, especially during the closer, a rousing rendition of "I Kill Everything That I Fuck" by G.G. Allin.
The usual pictures (shockingly, I did not buy a t-shirt)...
Wolves In The Throne Room
Nachtmystium
The video...
Wolves In The Throne Room
Nachtmystium
Next...
6 comments:
Dammit, I should have phoned you before this one. I was there too. See ya at Watain! I'll be there bright and early...strong bill top to bottom.
Looking forward to seeing this show later this month. Great bill! Thanks for posting the clips and pics!
Am I kvlt now because I drive a '06 Scion Xa? It's black.....
Ah, bummer, Etan. See you at Watain!
Wayne, this was a great show, enjoy it.
Skull, no one is as kvlt as you, even if you drove a pink Volkswagen.
Yeah, man. WITTR are great live. I'm surprised you didn't get a shirt, they have nice shirts.
I would love to see a black metal PowerPoint presentation. One slide must have a picture of Abbath and Horgh.
Yeah, I already have a WITTR shirt, and the designs that they had were the same.
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