Destroyers Of The Faith
Cannibal Corpse / Triptykon / Enslaved / Job For A Cowboy
10 March 2012
The Forum, London
Following the success of Metal Hammer’s Defenders Of The Faith tour packages, it was logical that a similar package for the heavier end of the metal spectrum may be well received and hence Destroyers Of The Faith was born. I have to say I was quite surprised therefore to find a much shorter queue than usual outside The Forum and that the balcony was closed for the evening. It’s a shame more people didn’t venture out as they missed a fabulous package.
Job For A Cowboy seemed to have been written off by many before even playing a note. Seemingly the deathcore tag is such a sticky tar to be brushed with that many won’t even give them the time of day. Whilst not a fan per se, I’ve certainly been increasingly impressed as the band have moved away from the “core” towards straight death metal. It’s mainly that later material that the band wisely plump for tonight and blitz their way through a short but packed set with barely a pause.
With a new album Demonocracy due out next month, the Americans preview two new songs, with Imperium Wolves resulting in the first pit of the evening. By comparison, Regurgitated Disinformation from 2009’s Ruination, hit the more mid-paced territory with heads banging down at the front. Whilst there wasn’t anything which would stand out as memorable about Job For A Cowboys material, as a whole this was a thoroughly brutal set and whilst there remained those refusing to change opinions the band did appear to make some new friends.
  
Job For A Cowboy setlist:
Constitutional Masturbation / Plastic Idols / Unfurling A Darkened Gospel / Imperium Wolves / Regurgitated Disinformation / Black Discharge / Entombment Of A Machine (opening riffs only) / Embedded
Enslaved have no such issues and are greeted like heroes as they took to the stage and opened with Ethica Odini. While far from perfect the sound in The Forum was surprisingly good and very quickly Enslaved swathes of guitars washed through the venue and under your skin. As the song concluded Grutle Kjellson, obviously impressed with the response, patted his fist on his heart before flashing the devil horns at the crowd.
Fusion of Sense and Earth sped along until it reached “that” riff with the crowd spontaneously chanting “hey, hey, hey!”. As ever without his shirt, pleasing for the ladies, Ice Dale climbed on top of the monitors for the song’s solo section with guitar raised in the air.
The band were bathed in green lights for the uplifting Ground with Kjellson, and Ivar Bjørnson headbanging facing drummer Cato Bekkevold. With so much of their own material and a short set it came as a surprise when Kjellson announced the next song was “Older than the existence of this band” with a cover of Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song aired. Certainly it was given the Enslaved treatment and Hebrand Larsen handled the melodic vocals impressively, however I’d have probably preferred an Enslaved original.Isa closed the set which had me hoping for the band to return and play a full length set soon.
  
Enslaved setlist:
Ethica Odini / Fusion Of Sense and Earth / Ground / Giants / Immigrant Song / Isa
Another band I’d like to see a full length set from is Triptykon who with the same time as Enslaved fit just four songs into their set. Its quality not quantity for sure here and opening with Celtic Frost’s Circle Of The Tyrants certainly meant they started on a high. By second song Goetia the soundman had got to grips with Thomas Gabriel Fischer’s trademark thick guitar sound and you could start to feel it penetrating your core.
Whilst the crowd were going ape, Triptykon themselves were fairly static, but amongst swirling dry ice and dim lights it’s a menacing presence, befitting of the material played.
Triptykon have been mixing their sets up on this tour each night and London had a special treat in store. Not only did Fischer visit his Celtic Frost past with Dethroned Emperor, but Cannibal Corpse frontman George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher took the stage to sing it. This was like a red rag to a bull for the crowd who upped the intensity in front of the stage.
Like at Bloodstock last summer, Triptykon signed off with the epic twenty minute The Prolonging and once again it ensures they leave on a definite high.
  
 
Corpsegrinder joins Triptykon on stage for Dethroned Emperor
Triptykon setlist:
Circle Of The Tyrants / Goetia / Dethroned Emperor / The Prolonging
It all got rather packed in front of the stage as the crowd squeezed forward in anticipation of Cannibal Corpse. So much so that making notes became a challenge hence I chose to put away the pen and simply take in the brutality.
Much like their performance here two years ago with Children Of Bodom, the members of Cannibal Corpse line up across the stage and remain rooted to those spots for the duration of the set. It’s difficult to get sight of anyone’s face as they headbanging relentlessly and lock together like a killing machine. The actual technical ability of the band is quite astonishing when you take the time to watch them in detail and tight doesn’t feel an adequate enough word to describe how together they are.
The more mid-paced material cuts through best with the PA at times seeming to struggle to come to terms with the brutality channelled through it. New song Scourge Of Iron in particular got head’s banging in “Old school style”, as demanded by Corpsegrinder and looks set to be a live favourite going forward.
The band ploughed through a wealth of material relentlessly, and all too soon Corpsegrinder was announcing Hammer Smashed Face as the band’s final song. Of course the crowd erupted as Cannibal Corpse’s most famed song battered us. Anyone that’s seen the band before was ready for Corpsegrinder’s now catchphrase, “When I said that was the last song, I lied”, with Stripped, Raped and Strangled closing the set.
  
Cannibal Corpse setlist:
Evisceration Plague / The Time to Kill is Now / Disfigured / Demented Aggression / Scourge of Iron / I Cum Blood / Fucked With a Knife / Covered With Sores / Born in a Casket / The Wretched Spawn / I Will Kill You / Priests of Sodom / Unleashing the Bloodthirsty / Make Them Suffer / Hammer Smashed Face / Stripped, Raped and Strangled
LINKS:
www.cannibalcorpse.net
http://triptykon.net/
www.enslaved.no
www.jfacmetal.com
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