I arrive to the surprising sight of the upper part of the venue being closed off, meaning that just the lower bar is open and the merch is shifted to the back of the main room floor, opposite the stage. It turns out that the venue has sold less than two hundred tickets which has prompted the decision to reduce the size of the venue available (which actually turns out to be a decent decision because it makes it a more intimate show). It seems a long time since 'Children Of The Night' when Tribulation were one of the hottest acts in extreme metal.
The support act Livgone are a completely unknown quantity. Speaking to a couple of friends beforehand, no-one has heard of them before. They are a tricky band to categorise too as each person I speak to afterwards has a different take on what they just heard. They start off with female vocals and keys. It's vaguely gothic and atmospheric, and to be honest it's pretty unremarkable but then when the band kick in with some doomy riffs, it is transformed. The weight and heft, and the contrast between what came before, is staggering. They seem to be a mix of doom, prog, shoegaze and even black metal. A few parts remind me of My Dying Bride. Their mix of styles brings Lowen to mind. When given space on the slower, sparser material, the vocals don't really do anything for me. but when the singer Elise opens up vocally along with the rest of the band, she is quite impressive. I find I'm just waiting for the whole band to play heavy because when they do they are compelling. The spoken word part at the beginning of one of the songs is really interesting, like Diamanda Galas or maybe even Karyn Crisis. Livgone are definitely more good than bad, and when they are good I adore them.
Tribulation open up with the dark and brooding 'The Unrelenting Choir' which goes straight into 'Tainted Skies', driving gothic metal with an epic chorus. The blackened goth rock of 'Nightbound' is pretty thrilling. 'The Lament's black metal has a big classic rock influence. It's all really accessible, making it all the more puzzling that there are so few people here. The epic 'Suspiria De Profundis' is excellent. It's choppy guitars make it sound like a blackened Jag Panzer. The Deep Purple-esque mid-section and solo during 'Rånda' is fucking cool. 'Melancholia' with it's driving rhythm and Thin Lizzy guitars is catchy as hell. 'In Remembrance' is incredibly anthemic too. In fact, every song is extremely memorable. The goth rock of 'Hungry Waters' is fun. The deep vocals make the track sound like Pete Steele fronting Evergrey. The stomping, blackened rock of 'Saturn coming Down' is great, and the chorus has a big Sisters Of Mercy feel. Encore 'Strange Gateways Beckon' is the perfect marriage of black metal and classic rock, and is an amazing way to close the show.
Tribulation ****
Livgone ****
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