This one’s for you, Emile.

What I really needed to do was get out and bang my head, and last night 這牆 The Wall provided the opportunity with six satanic metal bands and earth-shaking noise at Metal Immortal VII 金屬永生. All metal; death, black, speed, satanic, hair and all heavy. I can’t remember all of them because of one truly awesome metal outfit from Singapore.

I walked in on the last song from Infernal Chaos, who do a solid line in American heavy metal, lots of guitar duels and long hair. There was the Iron Maiden impersonators, Eternal who rode the line between horrible and solid metal riffing, sometimes going between the two in a single solo. Tight jeans, pouting and more hair. Both I’d pay to see again.

Soon after, there was the utterly crap Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Machine Head posers (I think 犬儒). Boys, aggro political metal came and went 10 years ago. Also overdriving all your effects until the (very good) sound system has a permanent mid-frequency hum does not make you sound good, or impress any political message. It just makes you sound like mediocre amateurs. I saved my ears for Satan.

But who cares? I came for the face paint and Mongolian throat singing, and I don’t mind a bit of Death Metal er-hu either. 閃靈CthoniC as evil as they are cute. The lead singer looks like the creature from Alien, and does a fearsome black metal scream. Plenty of make-up, big demonic costumes, and blasting drums and guitars. But it was a sad night because their drummer is leaving (to play jazz, spawn of the devil), and he left the room surfing the arms of the crowd while their new drummer took over.

As if it couldn’t get any better. This is hard: Impiety. How can Singapore produce such an evil, demonic group? These guys were fucking aswesome. Two shaved-headed clones who hacked away at their speed-metal riffs in perfect time, swinging their heads like Regan from The Exorcist, and in the middle, the cleaver of goats himself. If Lemmy had an evil twin brother, this is him. Even the head of his bass, permanently pointing to the ceiling was doing a satanic salute. These guys were huge and scary and didn’t fuck around. This is the hardest, blackest hell-metal I’ve ever seen. Half the room bailed out in terror, the other half went nuts, and by the time they’d finished the whole room was shaking and everyone was screaming like maniacs.

We didn’t stay around for the final act, because Impiety slayed us. Whatever followed would either have to be so good we’d drop dead in awe, or wouldn’t cut it. Anyway, Emile, Impiety and 閃靈 CthoniC, check it out and let Morloch reign.

閃靈 CthoniC

impiety