» Blog Archive Belphegor Successfully Play NYC Despite Controversy -
Evan Conway Hard Music, News, Reviews, Tours

DSC05685 (2)I’ve been going to shows for a few years now, and while I have gone to them amidst some controversy among bands (Mayhem Fest 2015 comes to mind) I have never even been met with any kind of complications that unfolded via the internet. It’s a strange time we live in, but this Belphegor show was met with problems that resulted in an attempt to state that the show itself was not happening. Clearly it did, and with most of the room packed, one could say it failed horribly.

Let’s back up for a moment: Belphegor announces this tour with Origin, Shining, and Abigail Williams. Everyone knows Shining is the subject to much controversy overseas, which is in part due to the vacuous, dark nature of their music and frontman Niklas Kvarforth’s violent stage antics that involve bloodletting and interacting with the crowd in interesting ways. Some DSC05767 (2)woman goes to see this tour and is appalled by Shining, claiming Niklas thrust his pelvic area in the face of a woman and even had a Nazi tattoo on his back. The internet does what the internet does best and backlashes against her and claims the woman is friends with Niklas and threw herself into his pelvic area, as well as disputing that the eagle tattoo Niklas has is not a Nazi symbol. A few days later, accounts (Obviously fake ones) start posting the Facebook event page, saying that the show is canceled, often copy and pasting them onto posts by people wondering if it’s still happening. Even more wild was when one of these pages attempted to make a new page for Shining, claiming the original has been hijacked. Crazy stuff, honestly.

If anything, this dispute and problems online was only helping make this show more excited, let alone Shining’s set. While Abigail Williams, Origin, and Belphegor were all in attendance, entering Gramercy Theater saw the legions of Shining fans come out, nearly matching that of the plentiful Belphegor fans scattered about. Even with the blackened/death band headlining, Shining’s presence was felt right from the get-go and kept most of the fans ready and primed for them early on.

DSC05664 (2)The show kicked off relatively quickly, with Abigail Williams taking the stage under dark lights and an ominous gloom over the theater. The trio of musicians took the stage with a sense of mystique, uncommon for that of an opening band, by picking songs throughout their discography to set the mood immediately. Ranging from “Infernal Divide” from 2010’s In the Absence of Light to selections from last year’s well received The Accuser, Abigail Williams managed to provide a higher quality of black metal as the trio took control of the stage throughout, climaxing with the epic “Beyond the Veil.” Abigail Williams never for a moment let up with their onslaught, and from start to finish, their set never dragged out longer than it should have.

DSC05697 (2)As Abigail Williams left the stage, though, the room started to pack in. The air was thin and the temperature quickly rose, but those in Shining began to soundcheck and get their gear in order. Among the front row, a few whispers could be heard about the possibility of getting blood on them, dividing the crowd initially. However, as the project screen rose and Shining stood there in the dark, Niklas himself took to the stage and in an explosion of sound, leading right into “Vilja & dröm,” all of the controversy the week prior and premonitions went away. For a band so focused on being as cynical and outright depressing, Shining provided a set that was entertaining, fun, and managed to make one question why they had not been given the opportunity to play overseas prior. (To our knowledge, that is)

DSC05723 (2)Notably, Niklas had an arm bandaged up, of which was the extent of any personal damage seen. Seeing that Niklas is the driving force behind Shining, it was clear that he had full control over the stage with his bandmates. While they would often group together and do typical rock star poses not seen in black metal, Niklas would venture elsewhere on the stage, kneeling down, or messing with the photographers. (At one point, he gently grabbed by face and ran his fingers through my beard) Unlike said blog post, even with the show’s violent music and the eccentricity of it all, at no point did anyone feel unsafe. For a final show on this tour, Shining ended it on a high note by bringing many fans’ wishes to life after twenty years of being a unit.

While transitions between bands are generally quick, leading into Origin’s set was a massive task of waiting for them to get ready. It seemed like it was on the venue, however, as it seemed to be a result of having to soundcheck the drumkit multiple times before giving them the “OK” to start. Without a moment to think about it, Origin delivered on the death metal end of the spectrum, proving immediately they were the most technically developed band on the bill. Chaotic blast beats and equally intense guitar and bass parts throughout.

DSC05775 (2)While Origin was, without a doubt, brutal in their own right, one cannot ignore the fact that in between banter coming from frontman Jason Keyser brought a much-needed levity to an otherwise intense show.  At one point, Keyser remarked that while it was undoubtedly a more black metal show than death metal, but encouraged everyone to have a good time. Later on, going back to this topic, he encouraged the black metal fans to pit against the death metal fans, encouraging a “black metal versus death metal” type of style. Even without the showmanship that Shining brought to their set, Origin proved that one can have fun with tech death. Guitarist Paul Ryan and bassist Mike Flores also made it incredibly fun to watch the band perform, as well, as their respective instrument parts were so utterly ridiculous that the musician in me cannot even fathom where to begin in playing like that. Even though their brand of overly-technical tech death may not be my cup of tea, Origin brings it and brings it hard.

DSC05853 (2)All humor left the stage with Origin, which transitioned into Blephegor’s heightened, skeleton-themed stage gear. Removing garbage bags from two stage props constructed with bones, Belphegor’s set was pushing for theatricality before they even began. That wait, however, quickly became agonizing, as the entire soundcheck for Belphegor took a staggering 35 minutes. This could, in part, be dedicated to possible sound issues with the drum kit, which Origin also faced during their set-up. Belphegor, however, suffered from it with starting. Even then, when the projector screen rose and the stage remained in the dark, the band took another five minutes to actually emerge onto the stage.

Much like Origin, while I am not a fan of their particular style, Belphegor did get right to business with little time wasted. “Feast Upon the Dead” started their set off, coupled with a sporadic light show, mixing strobe lights and a constantly changing array of colors. Much like Shining had earlier on, Belphegor were intent on putting on a show, and by doing so it allowed them to try things many other bands in the genre are unable to in a live setting. Early on in their set, the band allowed a hooded figure to appear on stage, further elevating the dark nature of the song to be more intimidating with the figure, his face obscured, constantly looking out into the crowd. One thing was certain and it was that Belphegor had brought their A-game.

DSC05869 (2)However, if Belphegor was flawed in one aspect, is that their show would not dissuade anyone who was not into their music to begin with. This is a blessing and a curse, in a way, as it does not let them convert people like myself who just aren’t that into them, but propels it to new heights for the already existing fans and those who come to enjoy them upon seeing them at a show. For their fans and those enjoying their set in its entirety, you cannot ignore just how fans in the room reacted to their music, pummeling riff after pummeling riff.

While the show itself had a few hiccups in the latter half in terms of timing, Belphegor and company were quick to erase any of the efforts made to sabotage the show in advance. While Shining themselves were a large draw for a momentous occasion as they finally completed a US tour, the rest of the bands were able to hold their own in terms of diversity and make a sizable impact. Judging by the crowd’s reactions throughout, the tour itself had no reason to worry about any attempts at preventing people from entering the show: people would have just come regardless.

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