Master/Dehuman/Damim at The Lounge, London - live review

A busy month for shows, a Sunday night and an early start time combine to create a small audience for tonight’s event. Resurrected death metallers DAMIM [8] play for all their worth, though, and impress immediately thanks to an understated but charismatic performance that provides a searing assault on the senses. Dynamics and a blackened atmosphere complement the focused aggression on display, boding well for their forthcoming comeback album. Belgians DEHUMAN [8] bring a youthful and intense blast of aural violence that draws from both the old school and the (relatively) new school of death metal without pigeonholing themselves. MASTER [9] are forever Master, having retained much the same spirit and approach throughout their 30-plus-year career. Thus we are treated to a totally old-school, unfussy, organic performance of punky death/thrash, with focused and stripped-down songs that perfectly suit a small club environment and more than justify the price of entry.