​"Brethren in the dark": How Satyricon’s concert in Warsaw was held [Photos]

Being one of the most famous and successful black metal acts, Satyricon has been honing its skills for more than 20 years, being a truly outstanding concert band. It's no wonder that their recent show within the European tour made an exceptionally positive impression on all Noizr Zine team.

The band’s concert, that we visited, was held on October 15 at the Progresja club in Warsaw, Poland. Progresja is a well-known venue among metalheads. During the last 10 years, it has been hosting the impressive number of truly cult metal artists — only till the end of this year, there will be Mayhem, Eluveitie, Epica, Mastodon, Testament, Behemoth, Morbid Angel and other groups. For the first time having visited this place, we can not but note how it’s well arranged for holding heavy music concerts with attendance of 1000+. A spacious, comfortable club, the bars of which offer an excellent assortment of beer, including a branded beverage from Behemoth. The only drawback is the lack of an elevator for people with disabilities.

And of course, the venue most pleased with the quality of the sound — all the bands, including two supporting acts, performed just perfect, thanks to the well-sounded hall. This is exactly the case when a solo concert of the band is times better in quality then all the festival performances, even at the most famous and well-equipped open airs.

The evening began with the set of Fight The Fight, a young (founded in 2016) but very promising Norwegian act, which was a pleasant discovery of this event. It’s a skillful, energetic band which gives really good live performance thanks to its groovy music and clear desire to do its best for rocking the crowd. Even in spite of the genre commonness with the main guests of the evening (Fight The Fight plays metalcore which, to be honest, is hard to call my favorite music), the band nevertheless perfectly started the event.

After a short soundcheck, the audience was warmed up by the well-known Greek metallers Suicidal Angels, who presented their sixth full-length record "Division of Blood" last year in Kyiv, Ukraine. The band plays technical thrash, perfected by musicians during tight tour schedules, in the best traditions of the old school scene. The admirers of such mastodons like Slayer, in my opinion, surely will like Suicidal Angels but, in general, their performance was perceived by me quite drily.

As for the headliners, their performance was expected to be above all praise. A good sound made it possible to fully enjoy all the power of the band — a branded performing style, recognizable from the very first notes, immersed over and above the hall in a unique atmosphere, typical for every Satyricon’s show. Long time I didn’t have to knead my neck so actively at the concert, but it was impossible to keep away from headbanding to the band’s classical tracks. Songs from the latest album "Deep Calleth Upon Deep" were very good live as well, in particular, the set was begun with the record’s opener "Midnight Serpent" which Satyr described as "totally uncompromising like a sledgehammer right in your face".

See also: Satyricon "To Your Brethren in the Dark" video

October sky, October leafs
And the silence, of nightfall
Pass the torch to your brethren in the dark...

In general, the band’s setlist was quite balanced, in addition to four tracks from the new album, Satyricon also played their most famous songs "Mother North", "KING", "The Pentagram Burns", "Now, Diabolical", "Fuel for Hatred" "Black Crow on a Tombstone", and "Repined Bastard Nation". From such surprises one can note the performance of "Transcendental Requiem Of Slaves", whose guitar part was played by Satyr himself. Naturally, the greatest response from the audience was caused by "Mother North", a kind of the band’s anthem, which is met with great impact at its every concert. It was great to see how Frost, coming out with all the musicians to bow, started stomping into rhythm, thereby supporting the audience, who kept on singing the melody of their favorite composition. Of course, after the second encore, the band was accompanied to the backstage with a loud ovation.

p.s. It was a pleasant surprise to see Adam Darski, the frontman of the cult Polish metal act Behemoth, at the event. It's damn cool to know that the musicians of your favorite bands support each other, attending the shows of their colleagues.

Setlist:

1. Midnight Serpent
2. Our World, It Rumbles Tonight
3. Black Crow on a Tombstone
4. Deep Calleth Upon Deep
5. Walker Upon the Wind
6. Repined Bastard Nation
7. Commando
8. Now, Diabolical
9. To Your Brethren in the Dark
10. Burial Rite
11. Transcendental Requiem Of Slaves
12. Mother North

Encore:

1. The Pentagram Burns
2. Fuel For Hatred
3. Encore 2:
4. K.I.N.G.

Photos by Yuri Somov and Dmythro
Text by Anastezia
Noizr Zine thanks Napalm Records for the accreditation