Vreid / Posthum

The Underworld, London on Thu 23rd Oct 2014

Black metallers Vreid are not a rarity in the capital's metal live environment but audience attendance figures have been lower than the band deserve. Having begun life after the death of Valfar, the frontman of folk/black metallers Windir, the Norwegian act have built an impeccable name of themselves over the course of six albums in a decade. This tour is a very special celebratory event that the band state will not be repeated – Vreid will play a set composed of not just their own material but that of Windir and the members' other shared project Ulcus. Needless to say, tonight's show attracts more punters than the standard Vreid concert.

Sole support comes from Vreid's labelmates Posthum, a Norwegian black metal act formed in 2004 and with three full-lengths to their name. Their metal incorporates atmospheric and melodic methods and there are more than a handful nods towards black metal icons Enslaved, all contributing towards a melancholic but scathing soundscape. Creativity is not in abundance here and given the size of the black metal genres and all its various tangents, Posthum's music gets lost in inoffensiveness, lacking memorable riffs and failing to leave an impression. The audience is fairly sparsely distributed around the venue and, while these Norwegians are on stage, appear to have their collective mind wandering as the set trudges on.

Conversely, as Vreid's intro tape of Windir's 'Byrjing' plays, the crowd size begins to swell noticeably as the main event takes the stage. The set explodes into life with Windir's fan favourite'Arntor, EinWindir' and the crowd roars with appreciation as Viking metal riffs are welded to melodic and folky guitar melodies with the backing of a symphonic metal keyboard. The Underworld is compassionate to the band's sound – not a simple task for the soundman given the richness of the keyboards and the variety of guitar expressions. The harsh vocals for the Windir songs are handled by Valfar's brother Vegard Bakken who does an excellent job of channelling his brother's growls, as the line up squeezes on to the Underworld's under-sized stage.

The Windir covers are undoubtedly the highlight of the night. 'On the Mountains of Goats', 'Dance of Mortal Lust' and 'Krigaren Si Gravferd' are served up throughout the set with their unique folk metal edge. Meandering guitar melodies collide with a dark traditional black metal sound, interspersed with clean vocals among victorious and grandiose passages.The versatility within black metal for these members across their three different bands must be admired. The Ulcus material - namely 'As We Passed Away' and 'The Profound Power'- is pure symphonic black metal and while these songs do not solicit the response that the WindirViking metal takes from the audience, they still make for good headbanging material. Vreid's songs nicely pepper the set and storming tracks include'Helvete, 'Under Isen' and 'The Reap', blistering black metal devoid of any symphonic or folky touches, a formidable example of modern black metal and proof that Vreid need not rely on the success of their Windir days.

All good things must come to an end and that end arrives in what feels like record-breaking speed. The well-positioned closer is Windir's epic 'Journey to the End', transporting the audience to another plane for one last time. The crowd's overpowering ovation is entirely justified and this celebration can be considered nothing short of a success. Being granted the opportunity to hear a variety of Windir songs performed live is a rarity that ever attendee here tonight will undoubtedly never forget and a fantastic way for Vreid to celebrate all of their enviable past accomplishments.

article by: Elena Francis

published: 27/10/2014 16:22



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