Aura Noir
3rd July 2018
Whammy! Bar, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review & Photography by Sarah Kidd.
Auckland has certainly been treated to some of the best when it comes to the over-arching metal genre this year; with bands such as Mayhem, Venom Inc., Cattle Decapitation, Belphegor and Blasphemy – to name but a few – all paying a visit to our humble shores. And tonight is no different, sure it may be a Tuesday in the middle of winter (which you have to admit is the ideal season for this sort of music) but the fans are out in force to greet Norwegian black/thrash metallers Aura Noir.
As the skeletal fingers of night curl around the city, downstairs in the darkness of Auckland’s beloved Whammy Bar, local black metal band Winter Deluge are just beginning. Formed in 2005 the band has undergone both a name change and numerous line-up changes over the last thirteen years. Releasing their debut album As the Earth Fades into Obscurity in 2012 they staked their place in the scene and have been ever evolving since. Tonight’s performance promised to be something a little bit extra special as Winter Deluge had announced that they would be playing a set of all new material which will feature on their third album; a follow on from their brilliant sophomore efforts of Devolution-Decay. Tonight also included a dollop of extra special sauce due to the fact that this would be Winter Deluge’s only live performance of 2018.
Stepping up to the front of the stage, vocalist Seelenfresser cuts a foreboding figure; he raises the mic to his bearded mouth and unleashes guttural vocals that fill the room and rumble underfoot – this man easily makes it look effortless. Kicking off their set with ‘Mass Graves’ the audience stands back and takes it all in; being new material the usual emotions one would expect from the crowd are missing, there are no ‘fan favourites’ to throw themselves into. That is not to say of course that they aren’t enjoying what they are hearing; heads throughout the room are nodding, grimaces appear when the blast beats kick in and applause and vocalisations of approval abound when a track comes to an end. Live this material sounds deliciously wintery; at times an almost hypnotic monotone sound emitting from the guitars of both Aaron and Mort as if trying to emulate the consistency and persistence of the darkest night. One things for sure if tracks such as ‘What we Leave Behind’ and ‘Within the Remnants of Humanity’ is what is going to be on offer on their third release, then Winter Deluge are creating a must have album for any discerning NZ black metal fan.
Next up in our trio of deathly delights for the evening are another Auckland band that are a favourite of many. Embracing both death and thrash metal Exordium Mors consistently delivers with their live performances and tonight is no different. Exordium Mors’ core members have been together for well over thirteen years and it shows in their stage presence; while by their own admittance they have been through many a drummer, in CjS [Uranus’ Furious Bombardments] they certainly seem to have found the right fit as he provides the powerhouse from behind. As the string section of Santi [6 String Anti-Elysian Power], Black Mortum [6 String Eurytion Chaos and Vengeful Furies Screams] and Assailant [4 String Hekatonkheires’ Might] line up across the stage the crowd begins to move in a little closer, those who are fans of the band waiting for the arrival of the one and only Scourge Witchfucker [Voice of Phlegethon and Aegaeon’s Anguished Cries]; grins breaking out across the room as he emerges from the shadows in his traditional blood red robes.
Beginning with ‘Unleash Prometheus’ from Verus Hostis – A Hymn To Fire and Scourge comes to life, blackened eyes staring out into the room as his hand claws at the air above him. As front men go, Scourge is certainly one of the best, his animated delivery of Exordium Mors tracks commanding your attention and seeing all eyes trained to the front. Moving through ‘A Pyrrhic Sacrament’ and onto ‘I Saw Oblivion’ and Scourge decided that this crowd was just not lively enough; propelling himself forward the vocalist was like a one-man mosh pit cross bred with a vortex of hateful vengeance as he swirled around the room connecting with bodies while simultaneously growling vocals; truly a thing of twisted beauty to behold. Meanwhile behind him Santi was delivering an onslaught of remorseless and barbarous riffs that tore at the flesh, the blood serving only to feed the ferocity of both Black Mortum and Assailant.
Finishing with ‘Flesh of the Heathen’ you could feel the pangs of disappointment emanate from many of the fans that their set was already coming to a close. This was Exordium Mors first “live assault” of the year in Auckland (Having previously played at Gisborne’s Hell Smashfest in January) – fingers crossed that fans will get to see them again soon as they truly are a band that needs to be seen live to truly appreciate their power.
Aura Noir formed in 1993 under the burgeoning clouds and electrical storms of lyrical themes such as death, blasphemy and hostile belligerence. Originally consisting of just the duo Agressor [Carl-Michael Eide] and Apollyon [Ole Jørgen Moe] they were joined three years later by the familiar face of Mayhem guitarist Rune Erikson [Blasphemer]. Since then they have released six studio albums (along with an EP and several split albums, demos and compilations) including this year’s Aura Noire which fans tonight were treated to several tracks of. Their set began drenched in blood red lighting ‘Sons of Hades’ tearing through the room and throwing bodies of flesh against the walls. Punters quickly engaged and pushed themselves forward hungry for all that Aura Noir had to offer.
By their own admittance they were jet-lagged and tired and this showed a little in their stage mannerisms through the first half of the set. But fuelled by the energy of the crowd and a drop or two of alcohol and they came to life, Blasphemer stalking the stage as he churned out blistering riffs. While Apollyon is known to play bass, tonight he remained firmly entrenched behind a low drum kit; this however did not stop him from belting out a few tracks while ferociously pounding the skins before him – earlier joking that he was going to ‘give it a go’. While a small amount of banter and introduction of tracks by Aggressor did occur, it was all about the music tonight, a fifteen strong track listing providing the fans everything they could want and a little more besides.
Periodically raising his fist in solidarity with those surrounding him Aggressor genuinely looked to be enjoying himself immensely, announcing to all that they would return. While an encore was demanded none was forthcoming – maybe proving that iconic metal magnificence such as this doesn’t require one.
Aura Noir:
Exordium Mors:
Winter Deluge:
Were you there at Whammy! Bar for this brilliant Blackened Metal gig? Or have you seen Aura Noir perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Aura Noir Setlist:
- Sons Of Hades
- Dark Lung Of The Storm
- Destructor
- Shades Ablaze
- The One Who Smite
- Gaping Grave Awaits
- The Stalker
- Deep Tracts Of Hell
- Unleash The Demon
- Sulphur Void
- Demoniac Flow
- Hell’s Fire
- Cold Bone Grasp
- Snake
- Black Thrash Attack
Exordium Mors Setlist:
- Unleash Prometheus
- A Pyrrhic Sacrament
- I Saw Oblivion
- Fire And Triumph
- Flesh Of The Heathen
Winter Deluge Setlist:
- Mass Graves
- Architects Of Extinction
- What We Leave Behind
- Cold War
- Within The Remnants Of Humanity
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