KERRANG! X-MAS FESTIVALE
 

 
 

 
 
BAND: CRADLE OF FILTH, EXTREME NOISE TERROR, OPETH
VENUE: LONDON ASTORIA 2, LONDON, ENGLAND
DATE: DEC. 19, 1997
CROWDS: 800+ (all ticket sold out !)

Click here for the actual photos taken from the gig !!!

 
It was Saturday. Exactly around 6 pm, a bunch of 800+ gothic/metal crowd have already gathered at Charington Cross Road. Nearly 50% of the crowds gathered were unexpectedly female… thus the war between sexes had no longer existed that night….and..goddesses rule the night !!! From everything, say it from the old-school metal dress code, common black metal, gothic and even The Impalers and Co. costumes from the Victorian age. A lots of Filth's filthy shirt was worn that night...(with exception for those wearing gothic costumes).... From the controversial 'Jesus Is A Cunt', 'Vestal Masturbation'... (the one where a nun showed masturbating)...and even to their latest 'Desire Me Like Satan' and 'Martyred For Mortal Sin'... almost all metal-clothed fans worn the band's shirt.. and other bands' shirt are merely visible that night...(quite opposed to the Malaysian scene where a very few of the fans come to gigs wearing the performing band's shirt !) ...and there was no sign of policemen around though..... (all bags carried were checked before entering !). And yet, it was not until 8 p.m. when the door was opened (written in the ticket is 6 pm !). Like usual... no pictures were allowed to be taken..however still some locals manage to catch some ! So, to anyone who manage to capture the fucking bizarre moment... do send some to me...photos is needed to complete this review !!!

  Swedish 4-piece band, OPETH opens the festivale..exactly at 8.10 pm.. with their american accent….
(it seems strange as you're surrounded by British accents throughout !). Wearing jeans, no leathers or spikes...  they played 4 songs (which I don’t know what’s the titles were !) which I assume theirs . With their Dark Tranqullity-ish and In Flames-ish music…or should I say melodic death metal, they did get a lots of cheer and support from the still 'warming-up' audience.

  Then it was EXTREME NOISE TERROR, a 6-piece band (with double vocalists, bermudas, self-painted-shirt),  they suddenly shocked the 'cold' Astoria with their more straight-forward, brutal death grinding metal. Playing up to 7 songs (perhaps the last one is dedicated to certain audience who might have jeered at them!). Their music is fucking fast and furious...but still...the audience was too eager to see the Filth...not them. About 70 % of the audience seems to be (from the clothes worn !)  from the gothic scene, so maybe this is not their major interest  I suppose !

  After about half an hour of waiting, the crowds were chanting, cradle..cradle..cradle… yet it takes more than that to brings up the 6-piece band to start the show. It was then when Jared started to came out and test each guitars, wearing the inverted version of ‘Jesus Is A Cunt’ shirt, or should they say ‘Cradle Of Filth Are Cunt'. With Metallica's Black album tracks playing on the air (at least it's not Load !), the crowd seems patience enough, and letting the Filth's roadies taking over the stage... sound-checking.... every single equipments was taken to consideration... and even the microphones used was tested professionally....and still.. no sign of the filthy gang of vampires yet ! Meanwhile..Cradle Of Filth's logo was seen emblazed shiningly as the background of the stage...

  About 9.20 pm, the show began…. Smokes filled the stage ….only red, black and white lights were visible…and the Omen-theme-sound-alike was on the air... Dani and the gang (with full leather clothing..) was seen carrying a coffin towards the center of the stage. The coffin opens.. and there was Lady Jezebel Deva (Is she?) who was in the coffin…. Moving slowly towards the audience…surrounded by smoke..covered by red and white beam.... throwing black roses...spreading it to the audience....
(I wasn't lucky enough to get the roses thrown !)….and 'Nocturnal Supremacy'  was unleashed…

*This pic is not taken from the gig.

Without letting behind the-quite-fat female vocalist, I was terribly amazed. Dani's vocals was fuckingly exact as in the CD...all growls and screams are perfect. It's 99.99 % original ..... And also not to forget the female vocalists (apparently not the one who's in the coffin !) that she had a superb melancholy voice, standing gracefully on the right side of the stage..calm...and sang perfectly on the needed part of the song...

Then, ‘Dusk and Her Embrace’ followed…. After some poetry reading by Mr. Dani Filth himself, plus announcing that their fourth release is due in May eve..and their new filthy member..Lector who replaces the departing Damien..... (The release is planned to coincide with Walpurgisnacht), the new track ‘Cruelty and …’ follows on. The track sounds more aggressive than any other tracks in the ‘Dusk..’ album but have a lots of slow parts... perhaps they are going back to their root of ‘The Principle..’ album. Needless to say, the fourth release should be the masterpiece. And then.. the old-time fave 'To Eve the Art of Witchcraft' was played....this was when, using the kid-stuff super-soaker water gun... Lady Jezebel circles around the stage... and should I say..with sexually-excited face... shot the audience with blood !!!.... that I strongly assume that it was maybe just an artificial blood though........ The chaos goes on...followed by the all-time favourite 'Funeral In Carpathia' ...(another perfect tune !)...and the slower and melancholy 'Malice Through the Looking Glass'....

After the 6 songs, Lady Jezebel appears again.. this time.. surrounded by gothic-atmosphered instrumental music and background, she danced....from corner to corner.... The crowd seems to feel it.. thus a flock of waving hands followed melodically....a very..very supportive audience.....The chaotic moment is then re-established with tracks from their root album... 'Ebony Dressed for Sunset' and 'Black Goddess Rises'..... until it's time.... lastly.. (not to forget their major influence of metal !)...is 'Hell Awaits' yet another song which was performed perfectly as in the Slayer Tribute's 'Slaytanic Slaughter' CD...(not to say that other songs were not perfect....this one is for REAL !!).....and the song concludes the festivale...of...I say.. BLOOD AND VAMPIRISM ??


 Mr. Dani Filth, wearing the so-called 'offensive' shirt.

If this gig is given a rating of 10 buckets of blood... then from my view.. they hell suppose to get a 13 overloading buckets of a pure fucking blood !!!.... This is again...the most intense, fastest, loudest, dark, yet sad and melancholy gig I've ever seen in my whole fucking life ! With eye-blinding spotlights and smell of blood... The children of the night rules !!! What a fucking evil and sweet music they made !!!

.... With a lot of cheers to the crowd, both British and American....for making no racial differences .......
(I can see there were less than 8 Asians that night)....and of course to Mr. Dani and the Filthy vampire gang........ KEEP UP THE FUCKING EVIL WORK !!!...... THY MUSIC (live or not !) IS SUPREME THUS UNBEATABLE SO FAR !!!. And lastly...messages to the Asian metal scene...especially Malaysian metal scene...... there's a lot to be improved... audience's attitudes, vocals' perfectioning, etc..etc....hope we can still catch up !!! 
 
Playlist of the night
1. Nocturnal Supremacy
2.Dusk and Her Embrace
3. Cruelty Brought The Orchid
4. Red Roses for the Devil's Whore
5. To Eve the Art of Witchcraft
6. Funeral in Carpathia
7. Malice through the looking glass
8. Ebony dressed for sunset
9. Black goddess rises
10. Hell awaits (Slayer cover)
 


HORDES OF THE NIGHT

THE 'FILTH'Y YET ROMANTIC VAMPIRES

 
 

 
Lust for the blood...Take note that the costumes worn that night was quite similar to the above photos....well.. at least...

THE VERY 'LOUD AND ANGRY' EXTREME NOISE TERROR

THE SIMPLE AND RELAXED OPETH


 

 

 
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This review has been blessed fortimes since Dec 25, 1997...salute !!!