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Decapitated - Camden Underworld 20/02/07
Decapitated - Camden Underworld 20/02/07
by Tom Strutton
The audience at Camden's Underworld on this night were treated to a textbook professional performance. The cramped venue contributed to a particular sense of occasion as Decapitated entered the stage and played like a band well on top of their game. Rapturous reception met the one-two opener of Poem about an Old Prison Man and Day 69, leaving no room for doubt that Organic Hallucinosis contains the bands most electrifying live material to date. I was half expecting rushed-tempo performances (as was the case when I saw them last year), but, thankfully, every tempo approached that of it's recorded counterpart. And the playing was painfully tight - enough to bring a tear to the eye of a rhythm junkie like me.
I will say this time and time again - vocalist Covan is extremely well suited to the band, his paranoic-anxious delivery complementing the urgency of the band more so than Sauron's traditional guttural growls. Covan is a great performer, commanding the stage with confidence and definitely looking the part. He even maintains character when the band isn't playing, employing his peforming voice to ask for patience whilst the band sort out some minor 'techincal difficulties'. This may be a minor observation, but it highlights the fact that Decapitated are aware of the role of the actor/performer, who benefits from creating a mythological persona on stage. It works, because tonight Decapitated transcend mortal status and exude the confidence of Gods, playing like they're the only band in the world that matters. On top of everything, Decapitated looked like they were truly having fun. I can't tell if they were smiling or not, but judging from Vogg, Covan and Martin's ferocious headbanging antics, fun was had by all.
Alas, the night was not without its shortcomings. Both my friend and I opined that the volume was considerably low, judging from the fact that we could comfortably hold a conversation mid-song. Now, I usually complain that volumes are too loud at gigs, but tonight a little more volume would have been appreciated. At least there were no problems with the mix, which allowed for comfortable aural detection of all instrumental parties. Typically, Vitek's drum work was a spectacle to behold, and the particular clarity of the triggered bass drum was rewarding.
Sadly, I had to leave before the last few songs in order to get home. If anyone was at this show and can remember the setlist, please let me know so I can edit it. It was an amazing selection of songs up until I had to go, and I'm guessing that Winds of Creation and Spheres of Madness made a welcome appearance.
A Poem About an Old Prison Man
Day 69
The Negation
The Fury
Three Dimensional Defect
Lying and Weak
Nihility
Mother War
Post-Organic
Revelation of Existence (The Trip)
Winds of Creation
Spheres of Madness
Last edited by Russell : February 23rd, 2007 at 04:49 AM.
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