Ulcerate & Vassafor
8th August 2020
Galatos, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Cameron Miller. Photography by Richard Myburgh.
Among the many benefits of being an extreme metal fan – great music, cool t-shirts, cheap drinks in dive bars – it’s excellent value for money. Last night’s Ulcerate and Vassafor double header was 25 bucks on the door. That’s to see some of the best musicians in the country, performing music that turns heads around the world. Outside the scene, that could be taken as hyperbole. It’s not. Vassafor’s brand new LP To the Death and Ulcerate’s latest Stare Into Death And Be Still garnered profiles, interviews and reviews across international music media. This repute has an odd dichotomy of being blindingly obvious to those in the know, and blankly obscure to those who are not. That’s the nature of niche music, fame only travels within the genre. I doubt many people from outside the metal scene are even going to read this, meaning I’m beating a dead horse here. Still, I just like to put in writing how fortunate I feel to get to see the cream of the crop in my favourite genres for less than I spent at the bar. The crowd at Galatos was warmly appreciative too, with a solid turnout even for the opening acts, and packed tightly by the time Vassafor took the stage.
Opening the show was the startlingly punctual Draulicht, kicking off their set at exactly the stated set time of 8:30pm, leaving me hurrying in the door a couple of minutes late. These guys inhabited the bleakest and ugliest corners of sludge and doom metal. Crucially, their tone was superb, with all the thick and murky bottom end you want in this style. Drummer Roger’s snare hits fell heavy and deliberate, and vocalist Dan impressed me with the menace and anguish in his growls and shrieks (Only first names are available online without serious prying). My only criticism, and it’s one I often have for this style, is the song writing occasionally felt under baked, with some sections meditated on long enough they began to feel stagnant, or some songs feeling like they didn’t build or develop fully. That’s demanding the band walks a fine line when the goal is slow and hypnotic oppression, though, and overall Draulicht’s set was highly enjoyable misery.
Up next were Distant Fear. I’m not quite sure what niche I can fit them into, but I know I liked it immensely. There was a lot of death metal, a hint of black, and some strong flavours of crust punk, especially when drummer James Bakker broke out into those instantly familiar jackhammer snare hits. That could easily sound like a bit of a mess, but Distant Fear knew exactly what sound they wanted and how to get it, and the switches and transitions were tight to the point of invisibility. All performed with a vicious energy that made them a nice palate cleanser between murky Draulicht and the demanding high concept odes that were to follow.
There was a longer pause between sets as ominous animal skulls and bones were arranged on the front of the stage, adorning the microphone stand and whatever other platforms were there to hang from. This set the deathly and Satanic tone for black/death metal legends Vassafor to emerge. While Distant Fear had been quite fun, the tone here was sinister triumph and grandiose ritual. Black metal of this aesthetic always has a choice to embrace the camp with a self-aware tone, or commit to selling the atmosphere. Vassafor commit, and they more than have the chops to back it up. Swirling riffs and blasts envelop the audience in murk and dread. Vocalist VK (Vassafor prefer even more anonymity than first names), rasps and shrieks in an almost spoken word style, sounding less like a singer than a poet or storyteller drawing the listeners into a dark tale. The song writing is lengthy and ambitious, but never once loses its visceral energy or lets the listener up for air. While their live set employs four musicians, creatively Vassafor is a collaboration between VK and drummer BP, and it shows. When you listen in detail, the songs are a lengthy dialogue between riff and beat. Hypnotic as they are, no passage ever repeats itself for more than a few measures before something changes. Either another layer of guitar, or a slightly altered riff, or a cymbal pattern, or an underlying double kick; something is always propelling the song forward, building the tension and progression. There’s always a new hook to arrest the audience even further. Masterful.
Closing set of the night was of course Ulcerate. I’ve seen Ulcerate quite a few times over the years, and they are unfailingly impressive, but last night’s show may be my favourite set of theirs. New album Stare Into Death and Be Still has been talked about as a departure point for the band, leaving behind the uncompromising dissonance of previous releases for something still extreme but with more space, groove and even melody. Given that this is the release tour, cuts from that album dominated the setlist, starting with opening track “The Lifeless Advance.” A steady start with a shifting, mournful riff develops into squalls of Ulcerate’s signature dissonance, and Jamie St Merat’s fluid blasts. Bassist / vocalist Paul Kelland’s deep roar never fails to set my hair on end, and it never once loses its menace throughout the set. Even early on this song sets the new material apart, as the melancholy of that first riff never leaves, weaving throughout even in the most aggressive moments. I even felt the older material was enhanced by placing it alongside material from Stare Into Death… Previously the only thing approaching a criticism I would have had for a live Ulcerate show was that the relentless dissonance could become numbing. Last night when something as dense and demanding as “Confronting Entropy” came out, it only felt more extreme next to more accessible pieces.
Old songs or new, an Ulcerate show is never less than technically stunning, as the three piece make these complex labyrinths of songs looks easy to pull off. St Merat is always a driving force, cascading over his kit with ease over even in the most punishing sections. The newfound groove gave him space to flex on us in new ways as well, with some lovely jazzy cymbal runs and breaks in the quieter moments. Closing with the newest title track, the build to the climax of soaring layered guitar and rolling drum fills felt fittingly epic. The crowd wanted more though, cheering and chanting for a specific song: early fan favourite “Everything Is Fire.” The band teased us, appearing to conflab and deliberate, before relenting and delivering the searing and massive cut. Walls of blasts and distortion, and a pace and brutality none of the recent material has, got the pit roiling and faces melting, sending everyone home happy.
Were you there at Galatos for this triumphant metal gig? Or have you seen Ulcerate or Vassafor perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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By now all of Phil Kusabs associated bands have had to put out official statements disavowing him, since his arrest and conviction for his part in distributing videos and pictures of himself sexually abusing children. Phil Kusabs took sound engineering jobs on pre-school childrens shows to become closer and groom his victims with promises to parents that their kids would have tv careers. The whole thing is really disgusting.