Extreme Metal / sound & visual
Satarial + Zornheym
Living in the South of the Netherlands allows you to visit gigs in Belgium and Germany without too much travelling. This time Belgium it was. The poster mentioned 30 years of extreme metal of Satarial from Russia. The venue Ragnarok Live Club (Bree) hosted it on a normal weekday at the end of the holiday season. An intriguing event and moment to check-out.
The band opening the show was Swedish Zornheym, a Symphonic Extreme Metal band based in Stockholm. It is founded and led by multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Zorn. The band members do have their roots is other bands. The small stage limited the charismatic singer Bendler a little in his movements. Nevertheless he was pushing his limits bringing the songs to life. Zornheym released one album, named “Where Hatred Dwells And Darkness Reigns”. The symphonic songs were strong. Also the presence on stage. The gig was part of the European tour 2019 part II what indicated that Zornheym was not just a support. The level of the show confirmed that status. When in the area check them out and you will not regret it.
The main / second and last act was Russian Satarial. When looking at their history, related to 30 years of extreme metal, it’s clear it was not one with no problems. The route founder Lord Seth has chosen to express his (musical) ideas clashed with the limited freedom of speech in Russia and got quite some resistance from religious opponents. Sorcery and Mysticism are strongly connected. Some might call this occultism or even satanic rituals. What explains the resistance from certain people. The performance and visual presentation are therefore an essential aspect of the shows. The music is a mix of death metal with folk/pagan metal influences. Live it was performed as a trio, with guitar (Lord Seth), drums (Angelika) and horn (Lolita). The music was authentic but could have had more variation. The visual part of the show was taken care of by Lolita with support of Angelika.
Overall it was an interesting evening. Zornheym was a great encounter from a musical perspective. The performance of Satarial was an intriguing visual happening with rituals, smoke and fire. Not too bad for an event on a weekday.
