Alright, I’m a bit crap when it comes to gig reviews, which is why I tend to avoid writing them. You see, what normally happens is that I have one or two (ahem!) drinks and before I know it, I’m trying every hangover cure known to man the following day. I know that I’ve enjoyed myself (I especially liked that I returned home from seeing Marduk a few weeks ago with matching bumps and bruises on each shin and no idea of how they got there), but I cannot remember the names of most of the songs played – or what order they were in. However, I’d been excited about this Dark Fortress gig for quite a while so I thought – sod it, I’m going to write something.

Five bands in total played that night, but I pretty much missed the first one and then somehow missed most of the second (despite being in the building – blame the cider fairy). This gig was originally meant to be an all day affair, but – frankly – I’m a little bit glad that it was shortened. Actually, my liver is a little bit glad it was shortened. As is my bank account. So is the local A & E, I’d imagine. Anyway, the first band I saw was Liverpool’s Ethereal. I bought their EP – “Revelation Beast” – quite recently and was immediately impressed at the quality of the music contained on it. Good solid Black Metal, with a decent focus on melody. Great stuff and incredibly addictive. Since I had been so impressed with the EP, I was a little bit concerned about how well the material was going to come across live. It turns out, I needn’t have worried. The band were on great form and the only let down was the quality of the venue’s sound in places. Other than that, I’m a happy bunny.

Next up were Saturnian. Despite having ‘liked’ them on Facebook a fair while ago (I’m a compulsive ‘liker’), my first glimpse into their world was when they were announced for Bloodstock. They were one of the first bands I saw at this year’s festival and they were fantastic. They definitely managed to liven me up after the long car journey and several cans of cider (yes, cider again). Since seeing them perform at Bloodstock, I bought their album – “Dimensions” – and it has crept into fairly regular rotation on my iPod. Now that I knew a good few songs, I found that I was able to enjoy their performance a lot more. Their frontman, Wilson, is captivating to watch… even if I didn’t understand some of his Dark Fortress-related comments. At first I got the impression that he didn’t like them, then I spotted him watching their set and looking perfectly happy afterwards. As a general rule, I’m easily confused. This was one of those occasions. All in all, this was a very impressive set from the band who were clearly firing on all cylinders. Again, the sound was a little iffy in places, but – for me, at least – this didn’t take too much away from the overall atmosphere.

Then it was time for Dark Fortress. I’d been wanting to see these guys for years and I’m glad to say that I have now popped my Dark Fortress cherry. The sound seemed to improve for Dark Fortress, so you were able to here every nuance in every song. Morean did spectacularly well and had me hypnotised from the start. Definitely a terrific frontman. The music was powerful and came across as well as it does on the albums… perhaps even better in places. I love to hear stuff live – it gives it an entirely new energy… and there certainly was an abundance of energy in the Bull & Gate while they were playing. I don’t think there was a single person in that venue who was disappointed with Dark Fortress’ set (although, I now have the feeling that people will comment here just to prove me wrong). The only issue I have is that they didn’t play “Evenfall” (my favourite track) – or, if they did it was near the end and I missed it due to having to catch trains and buses home. If this is the case, I may have to send a poo in a box to whoever cancelled my nightbus.

So, there you go. While it may not be the most detailed review in the world, I hope it goes some way in explaining how much I loved this gig.

darkfortress.org
saturnian-band.com
facebook.com/EtherealDarknessUK