Teutoburg Forest - The Black Horse – Friday 4th September 2009

Billed as a “double headliner of pure black metal” the opening act, somewhat curiously, were...

Hellfire. Jay did his best to whip up some enthusiasm from those who hadn't seen them before, but their hardcore approach was a million miles away from what was to follow. Shame the crowd weren't a bit more open-minded, because, as usual, they played a stormer. Great set fellas, hope Greg's (bass) operation goes well and his recovery is swift and complete. In the meantime keep me posted of your gig plans as a four piece (again).. Setlist; “Darkest Hour”, “Eye Of The Storm”, “Deceiver Of The Damned”, “Evil Prevails”, “Bleed For The Cause”, “Hell On Earth”, “Forced To Kill”, “Betrayal Of Trust”.

Artisian were the first of the black metal bands on tonight's bill. Apparently the drummer had only been with the band for a couple of weeks and had replaced the original sticksman who is apparently currently detained at Her Majesty's pleasure. If you're one for omens, or portents, things didn't start well, as their banner fell down, in slow motion, halfway through their first song. For the most part they came across as a nastier Slayer, and reminded me most in black metal terms of Immortal. I'd like to see them with a second guitarist as I thought they sounded thin, although they did generate power during the slower sections. Sadly the highlight of their set came during the closing chord sequence of their final track. Given the fact that the drummer had been with the band for such a short period of time, it's probably wise to reserve judgement until I've had a chance to see them again. Setlist; “Mother Of Satan”, “Exhaltation Of Your Greatness”, “Orgy Of The Souls Of Darkness”, “Bling”, “Sodomy Of The Deity”, “Satan's Pope”, “Beards And Dresses”.

Teutoburg Forest clearly have a sense of theatricality about their performances. Picture the scene; two ornate candelabras adorned either side of the stage, one bedecked with black candles, the other red. The drummer and guitarist/vocalist took to the stage during a surprisingly melodic intro and then.. all hell broke loose. Firstly, for a two piece band they didn't sound thin. This may have been down to the efforts of the drummer who was quite simply sensational. Blisteringly fast and a tremendous technician it was spellbinding watching him. The guitar sound was heavily distorted and aided by a sizeable pedal board. Vocals were delivered in a hate filled manner and matched the music perfectly. In hindsight it's scary thinking about what they would sound like with a full band. In fact I believe they used to be a three piece, but decided they sounded just as good without a bass player. If old school, pure black metal is your thing then I can't recommend Teutoburg Forest highly enough. It's fair to say I was sceptical when they took to the stage, but at the end of the set I was left in a state of respectful awe. Setlist; “Tearing Of The Universe”, “Seeing God's Creation And Despising It”, “Forming Chaos”, “Ain Sof”, “Savar Speak”, “Manipulator Of Men”.