For tonight’s outing to Auckland’s Double Whammy bar, I decided to try the new CRL link train, which lands me just down the road from the venue – smoothest trip in/out of the city in a long time (except the machines failing to use card payments again) – no mess with parking, and an enjoyable experience!

Things didn’t take too long, and soon enough Vox Umbra took the stage with filthy and harsh black metal; it seems tonight it’s going to be far from dungeon synth. From blast beats to more sombre, almost drone-sounding, the visage of Vox’s frontman is a sight to unnerve and disturb one for the night.

Windswept once again take performance art to the next level, with vocalist Rachel Collins channelling something downright unholy, and even when she’s staring right at you, she’s staring THROUGH you, a possessed banshee followed by the rest of the band like a pack of wolves.

Mortiis soon took the stage, performing tracks from The Smell of Rain and others, with a backing band featuring members of the industrial act Cylone 6 (so I was informed).

A minor plague of stage/setup malfunctions stalled the start of Mortiis set; however, the lack of a mic stand and mic, and a projector threatening to turn itself off mid-set, didn’t seem to phase tonight’s three-piece incarnation of Mortiis, with a driving synth-heavy repertoire.

Starting the show wearing what looked like a scarecrow’s head sheet, I was wondering just what I was about to witness, but soon enough we were given the goblin beneath.

Review and photos by Mark Derricutt // Chalice of Blood Photography

Mortiis

Windswept

Vox Umbrae