Angel Witch, Gates of Slumber, Crowning Glory, Witchsorrow
The Underworld
Witchsorrow opened up proceedings on a balmy spring evening in London, playing to the relatively small number of people who had turned up to the Underworld early enough for doors, who weren’t at the bar or still upstairs in the World’s End. As a result of this, their crushing doom reverberated around the venue, providing a decent enough soundtrack to those at the bar.
The venue had began to fill out, an hour after doors, just in time for London trad metallers Crowning Glory, back on home soil after a three-date jaunt to the Emerald Isle with The Gates of Slumber. Clearly gelling more and more as a five piece (with the addition of second guitarist Steve Parkyn now not seeming such a recent development), the band blasted through set stalwart Dead Man’s Paradise, going straight into newer number Path to Glory. The band continued their high octane set, the frenetic pace only slowing down in tuning breaks, where frontman Rob Alexander talks to the crowd like a seasoned pro. The Londoners conclude their set with a double salvo of Sea of Dead Dreams and Winter in our Blood and you get the feeling that a few more ‘Gloryhunters’ were born this evening.
The next band to take the stage hail from Indianapolis, which, some investigative journalism will reveal, is the home of NASCAR’s biggest event, the Allstate 400. The Allstate 400 is rumoured to be second only in size in Indiana’s capital, to The Gates of Slumber’s gargantuan riffs. During Crowning Glory’s set, Rob Alexander was gushing with enthusiasm for the American triumvirate, and on this showing it’s easy to see why. The band’s old school style of Doom Metal is easily accessible to those who have even a small appreciation for Doom, and it’s played incredibly tight, interspersed with vocalist and guitarist Karl Simon’s unique sense of humour. The band go down great with the assembled crowd and ensure that everyone is pumped up for the headline act.
This gig came in my calendar only a few days after the inaugural Hammerfest, and with a fairly stacked bill tonight, the bands on offer played succinct, straight to the point, festival-esque sets. Midway through Angel Witch’s set, I was thinking that it would make a welcome change to see a full-length set. I feel this is worth mentioning, as Angel Witch play a tight (if unremarkable due to sound issues) set, and around an hour in, mention the famous Metal for Muthas compilation, ringing in fan favourite Baphomet. I initially thought that this was down to odd placement, however the eponymous Angel Witch, accompanied with a tremendous sing-a-long, followed, and the band disappeared offstage for encores. One famous scribe behind me (who may or may not have been Dave Ling) was heard as saying “Sixty minutes, wow” at the conclusion of their set. Whilst you certainly would have preferred a longer set, you can’t argue with what was on display, and Angel Witch sent their fans home happy, if not hungry for more.
