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Akercocke/Sikth - Dublin - 09/01/04
Akercocke – 09/01/04 – Live at the Temple Bar Music Centre, Dublin
Support from: Sikth
By Paddy Walsh
Akercocke released what was easily one of the best metal albums of 2003, the awesome "Choronzon". Now the band had to prove to the masses that the evil, emanating from their music like a disease, wasn’t just an exercise in studio trickery, but a product of the band itself. Riding the crest of a recent wave of simply amazing (and decidedly vicious) metal bands to come from England (alongside the likes of Anaal Nathrakh, Mithras, Axis of Perdition etc), Akercocke, while preaching to the converted, still had something to prove. Could they stand up to their position in Earache alongside label-mates such as Morbid Angel and the newly signed Deicide in the live arena?
Having a band like Sikth as support to a group such as Akercocke sounded somewhat dubious to me. The former are as far removed from the headliner’s brand of satanic black/death onslaught as you could imagine. Instead, they play ultra technical metal that echoes the likes of The Dillinger Escape Plan, with more imaginative vocal lines and a more liberal use of melody. That’s not to take away from them, however, their music is awe-inspiring at times, the twin guitar and vocal interplay being mesmerizing and confusing all at once. Being familiar as I am with their magnificent "The Trees Are Dead And Dried Out, Wait For Something Wild" opus, I can report the songs were played with utmost precision and gusto, and even the fact that the guitars were sometimes buried within their own complexity didn’t seem to mar things. The band played a very convincing set, with the incredible ‘How May I Help You?’ being a particular highlight.
Soon after Sikth’s all too brief set arrive the headliners, opening with a crushing rendition of ‘Enraptured By Evil’ from "Chroronzon". The first thing to strike me about Akercocke is the vocals of Jason Mendonca, for they are truly amazing! This guy has a unique growl/rasp type thing, that I have honestly never heard before. I’d even go so far as to say he sounds even better live than he does on record. The band’s presence cannot be faulted either, decked out in their trademark suits, all metal poses and Mendonca pulling some serious grimaces whilst growling in that aforementioned inimitable style. With a near perfect set list that includes choice cuts from "Choronzon" and "The Goat Of Mendes", including the epic ‘Leviathan’ and the evil as hell ‘Of Menstrual Blood and Semen’, Akercocke are almost flawless tonight. The only gripe I have is that the guitars seem slightly low in the mix, marring what should have been a monstrously heavy set. Nevertheless, the band are brilliant tonight, and even the omission of ‘Praise The Name Of Satan’ doesn’t spoil things for me. All hail the new kings of the British underground as Cradle of Filth continue to languish further and further into mediocrity.
Last edited by Russell : March 20th, 2004 at 05:18 AM.
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