There is no doubt that the efforts of Gavin Davies and his Eradication Festival team is beginning to see fruit. On a filthy day in the Welsh Capital a fine day of music culminated in a very pleasingly busy venue as headliners Gra finished the event in style. At a mere 12 Welsh pounds for the whole day this was fantastic value.
It was a little less packed when we arrived at the venue to catch some of Cardiff’s Black Pyre (5) kick off proceedings. Their style of black metal is similar to most in the scene, but with some humour added in. Nothing particularly special about these guys but they make the right noise, and were entertaining enough. Mancunians Deus Mori (5) are no strangers to Fuel and despite a truncated set and one guitarist light they gave it a good go, bringing tales of horror and war from deep within the trenches to the masses. This probably wasn’t their finest hour and it will be good to see the band again at full strength. Ylem Darkul (6) did arrive at full strength and to devastating effect as they ripped through their set at pace, drummer Kristoph battering the crap out of the kit in his chain mail top (possibly an inappropriate choice given the notorious heat in the venue). The West Country outfit’s blackened death metal impressive with front man Sam an imposing figure. Their debut EP is out now and should be worth hunting down
Next up was Misanthropic Existence (6), a band who are making a name for themselves with their raw, unashamed decimating blackened metal. Despite being a three piece the band make hell of a noise and with debut album Death Shall Be Served providing the bulk of their set, the Midlands outfit were a worthy addition to the bill. Cheltenham’s Shadowflag (6) stepped up the pace a level, and with three albums behind them these guys are confident and professional. However, with bassist JJ Flames also handling the majority of the epic roaring and vocals, many in the room were left scratching their heads as vocalist Gray Preston spent most of time scratching his arse and starting at the floor. Their imposing sound at times majestic, it really was confusing as to why the band persevere with this set up.
(Rich) Riding off their release of their debut album this year Crimson Throne (8) played a fantastic set showcasing their atmospheric style of black metal. Mixing moments of dark ambience, ethereal mood and blinding aggression. Very impressive stuff
With apologies to Necrocracy, who we mainly missed due to a food break, it was time for things to move up a gear with the existential outrage of London’s Damim (8) who had made such an impression in their set at Eradication in May. Fired by the sheer intensity of Nathan on vocals and guitar, Damim raced through a savage set, drawing gasps from the now busy crowd at their sheer speed and energy. This isn’t negative in anyway as Damim are fine musicians, and Faust, Flow and Edd made sure this was another memorable show. With a new album due in June 2019, the band threw in a new track which sounded great and it should be a good year coming up for a band who are getting better every time.
Now down to a six piece having parted ways with guitarist Phoenix a few months ago, Agrona (8) are no strangers to Fuel and despite a muddy mix dominated by their backing synths, the band once again demonstrated their quality with 40 minutes of top notch black metal. With their set list mixed up a little, the band opened with Burn and proceeded to scorch the venue to bits. With drummer Ankou using a heavier set of sticks his onslaught was even more intense whilst the rest of the band maintained the attack with thunderous determination. All too quickly their show finished but it’s fair to say that with one of the albums of 2018 under their belt, 2019 could be massive.
A slow start with some sound difficulties melted away as headliners Gra (9) demonstrated why they were top billing. With a black metal sound that is both steeped in the Scandinavian old school black metal scene but also with a renewed freshness, Heljarmadr, Dimman, Maugrim and the impassive Vediger delivered a set of high passion and ferocity. Another band who made their way into my top 20 with their Vasan album, it was another opportunity to see top class black metal. No fuss, just a blitzkrieg of aural abuse which went down a storm with the Cardiff crowd. As the day caught up with me and I headed home in the rain, the outside cold failed to penetrate. Black metal may be founded in the frozen forests of the north but the beating heart of the scene is enough to warm the coldest heart.
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