Watain, Auckland NZ, 2019

Watain

27th February 2019
Whammy! Bar, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by James Edwards. Photography by Matt Henry Mendonca.

I love metal shows being held in Whammy. Death, black, thrash, standard it doesn’t matter; it’s just something about listening to metal in the blackened underground bowels of St Kevin’s that just make it so much sweeter. So, imagine my excitement upon hearing that Sweden’s very own black metal band Watain would be visiting our shores for a couple of shows, with one of them at our beloved Whammy!

A solid turnout ensured that the room was already hot and sweaty by the time Watain led their procession on stage, those at the front latching on to the chest high barrier – what’s that you say? A barrier?? Yes! Last night’s show included a barrier, which was a welcome addition, allowing for more of a solid mosh without fear of accidently spilling onto the stage and pissing off the very band you had come to see.

We have all watched the videos, Watain have one of the best live stage set-ups in the world, and while I will be eternally grateful that they even decided to grace us with their presence down here in New Zealand, our size does put some limitations on their show. So, there were no pyrotechnics or flaming tridents, however a few black and red candles still made the cut, along with a couple of upside down crosses, hand painted sigils on banners and of course the mandatory animal skulls.

Dark ambient music filled the room as the five members arranged themselves, lead vocalist Erik Danielsson staring us all down like a man truly possessed by unseen forces. Watain have been around, twenty years to be exact. The core members of Danielsson, Håkan Jonsson, and Pelle Forsberg still going strong although sadly we don’t get to see Jonsson unleash on the drums due to his decision a few years ago to quit the touring life. However silver lining and all that shit, we do get to see E. Forcas (aka Emil Svensson) of Degial instead, and let me tell you, the man is a beast behind the skins and does not leave the crowd disappointed.

With six albums – including their latest Trident Wolf Eclipse that came out last year – Watain had no shortage of material with which to fill a set list; Sworn to the Dark’s ‘Storm of the Antichrist’ chosen as the first of eleven tracks to be smashed down upon our skulls before eviscerating us all where we stood. ‘Nuclear Alchemy’ destroyed the room, squalling guitars cutting through the blast beats being produced by Forcas, Danielsson’s vocals calling for the holocaust to commence as the added live guitar work of H. Death (aka Hampus Eriksson also of Degial) and bassist Alvaro Lillo just made the whole thing sound bigger, better and tighter than a noose around your neck.

With a couple of exceptions in the form of ‘Puzzles of the Flesh’ from Casus Luciferi and the more melodic ‘Malfeitor’ from Lawless Darkness, the set leaned heavily on both their latest album and their 2007 offering Sworn to the Dark, the combination of the two making for a monster of a set that was animalistic and heavy.

Those lucky enough to be stationed in the front rows were soon baptised in blood, the band members themselves already looking like they had been bathing in it before they arrived on stage, the mixture of face paint, blood and tattered clothes giving the impression that they had literally just clawed their way up through the rotting jaws of the underworld. Every so often Danielsson would stand up on the barrier and spur the crowd on, his wish our command, I mean would you say no to the man?

Choosing to bring the night to a close with a double from Sworn to the Dark, Watain first played the defiant title track – ‘To the death and far beyond!!’ we chanted – before ‘The Serpents Chalice’ with its declarations of commitment to Satan himself saw Watain take leave of the stage, Danielsson left alone kneeling before his altar. Muttering incantations known only to him as he touched each item with reverence, Danielsson remained on his knees as once again dark ambient music swirled around him, he too soon stepping back into the shadows.

Watain bestowed upon us all a performance that was not only brutal but tight, the atmosphere of impending doom that they cloak themselves with crawling under the skin and devouring it like a horde of demonic maggots.

And I for one couldn’t be happier.

Were you there at Whammy Bar for this brutal satanic black metal show? Or have you seen Watain perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Setlist:

1. Storm Of The Antichrist
2. Nuclear Alchemy
3. The Child Must Die
4. Puzzles Of The Flesh
5. Furor Diabolicus
6. Sacred Damnation
7. Underneath The Cenotaph
8. Malfeitor
9. Towards The Sanctuary
10. Sworn To The Dark
11. The Serpents Chalice

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