Tonight’s lineup is a curious one, with three bands playing wildly differing styles across an evening of extremes. NECRO DEATHMORT [8] were personally chosen by Yob’s Mike Scheidt and the audience is transfixed by their electronic waves and towering structures of sound.
Despite it not being particularly busy yet, the duo put on a passionate performance. BLACK COBRA [8] switch the theme from oppression to fun with a rambunctious set that showcases the tight-knit relationship between their two members. The Californians tread a sludgy path and, utilising a guitar and a drumkit, they create walls of fiery sound that, despite starting off a little slow with Challenger Deep, soon pick up with Omniscient and then don’t let up until 40 minutes later when they leave the stage and usher in the wait for the headliners. YOB [9] last visited London in 2014 and tonight the quartet arrive to a rapturous welcome and Ball Of Molten Lead lays down the Yob manifesto deftly, all climbing guitars and Mike Scheidt’s truly stunning voice – one that can growl effortlessly, as well as hit sweet notes of melody, all within the same song at times – and a driving force of spirituality. Atma burns and Breathing From The Shallows engulfs but it’s Marrow that raises the bar and the emotion in the room. The song is a highlight of Clearing The Path To Ascend from 2014 and tonight it proves the same; it’s beautiful and sorrowful in equal measure and everyone in the room looks utterly mesmerised, with many submerging themselves completely into the song and lowering the gaze to the ground in melancholy repose. It’s a 20-minute journey into bittersweet territory and one that will be impressed on this audience for days to come. However, the voyage is far from over and when Mike announces they only have two songs left, the disappointment in the room is palpable. It’s a wondrous final 30 minutes, though, and as the closing chords of Adrift In The Ocean echo and people begin to spill out into the cold October night, the discussion turns to the next time we’ll be lucky to see such a perfect performance.
