NACHTMYSTIUM

LATITUDES

Formed a couple years ago, Latitudes are an interesting breed of band, adored by fans of Isis and Neurosis and had their debut full-length ‘Agonist’ produced by the same individual who has worked with Napalm Death and Electric Wizard. Their guitar riffs are heavy, enshrined by thick sludge, rarely careering outside their defined sound. Although the band pumps out raw power, there is an unmistakeable emotion in the unorthodox aggression. Atop this is a mesmerising film of hypnotic beats and passage links. With such a cramped stage, there is little space for movement and by no fault of their own the band are not particularly visually interesting to watch. It would not be surprising if many of the attendees found them repetitive but they are not entirely out of place supporting a band like Nachtmystium.

DATE:

VENUE:

Friday 19th March 2010

The Fighting Cocks in Kingston, UK

THE PSYKE PROJECT

The Psyke Project are a Danish band in the vein of envelope-pushing hardcore stalwarts Converge and Dillinger Escape Plan with four albums to their name. The music is abrasive, heavy and ugly, frequently turning unexpected corners and painting eccentric lines on their musical canvas. The Danes approach their music with creative angles so it does not get intrinsically boring but the amount of unlevelled aggression does become somewhat tiresome. The relentlessness of it works to its disadvantage in the live spectacle. It makes it crudely inaccessible to the stranger. The humble vocalist spends some time off the stage and in the crowd to mix things up slightly and a couple of dancers can be spotted near the front. The crowd reaction is not wholly emphatic and an air of people purely waiting for Nachtmystium can be felt in the venue but The Psyke Project are fairly tolerated.

THE PSYKE PROJECT; LATITUDES

Reviews by Elena Francis

NACHTMYSTIUM

By the time Nachtmystium take the stage, the tiny room is packed with a sea of black-clad masses. ‘Ghosts of Grace’ from their polarizing latest full-length ‘Assassins: Black Meddle Part I’ sees the fans becoming enraptured by the US metallers. Vocalist Blake Judd’s vocals sound less jarring live, removing the amateur nature of the music. Their metal contains numerous psychedelic elements but retaining evading the archetypal listlessness associated with music lambasted with such a tag. Their aggression and furore is at the forefront of their music and mosh pits rear up occasionally alongside the shoving. Their experimental metal translates remarkably live, with a heavier sound than its recorded counterparts. Irrespective as to what Nachtmystium have on their set, the crowd swallows it up fervently and, unsurprisingly, the focus is on the newer material as opposed to their early straight-forward black metal past (much to the dismay of a portion of the audience, undoubtedly). ‘Your True Enemy’, ‘Assassins’ and ‘A Seed for Suffering’ are particularly strong anthems to keep hearts pounding. The set is surprisingly short, clocking in less than an hour when it feels as if the band has only started getting into the groove of things before they resign from their instruments for the night. The absence of an encore feels painfully obvious but the houselights inform the venue that nothing remains. Despite the duration, the show is a good precursor for the new Nachtmystium material due out later this year, and merely catching them at an intimate venue for such a solid band solidifies the show as memorable.