Arriving to a full house from the moment doors open is a great sign of what’s to come, and speaks to the quality of acts in tonight’s lineup.
Set for tonight at Camden’s legendary Black Heart is a trio of suitably blackhearted bands from London. Äxe are warming up tonight with their blend of black metal and punk, and next up is Under the Ashes, bringing a shovel load of death metal. And finally, headliners Craven Idol are celebrating the release of their “Demystification of the Fallen Idols” split with Mystifier—on Dark Descent Records—with their first London show since 2023.
The mood is one of excitement as the house lights go down for Äxe, who waste no time in getting into the meat of their set. With guitar shredding, blast beats, and screams galore, this has the crowd headbanging away near-instantly.
Vocalist Neheroth, with “Fuck Off And Die” scrawled across his chest in black paint, throws a demonic set of vocal screams into the void tonight. With a literal axe in hand, menacingly waved about the stage, his vocals rise high above the dual guitar frenzies from both M. Warmaster and Professor Speed. Speaking of guitars, as a duo they shine here with some seriously old-school shredding in the vein of early Venom or Tormentor.
Nihil Khaos on bass is a great resonator between the near hyper-speed of the entire ensemble, churning along at a breakneck pace and never falling behind. Bringing up the audible thunder is Jim Hawkmoon, blasting joyfully and giving ample space for Neheroth’s vocal trills to cut through fittingly.
A band that has style and relentless energy in spades, these guys feel like crossover thrash and black metal fighting in a piss-stained alley, and I’m all the merrier for it. Closing out with a wailing yell from Neheroth and Professor Speed of the aforementioned “Fuck Off And Die” as the guitars crash to a close behind them, it feels that no better band could have started off a night like this.
Next for tonight’s onslaught is Under the Ashes, a band that blends classic death metal with traditional metal riffs and some seriously prog-inspired solos. Through the instantaneous cacophony of surging drum rolls and minimal yet intense riffs, Simon cuts through with a warm growl that fits the music perfectly.
Chaotic frenzy beckons at times, but it is always steered by strong drumming by percussionist Thibault and dual guitars from Al and Luke. Like classic death metal but played at double speed, their sound is underpinned by the traditional, seasoned vocal stylings of Celtic Frost or Bolt Thrower.
Lead guitarist Luke is a master at psychedelic solos, always followed by a barrage of blasts, short riff hooks, and absolute audible carnage. A thundering band whose sound yearns for a larger space, they are so full-frontal in this format that you can’t help but smile widely.
Around halfway through their set, out comes a more melodious side to the band with songs that resonate with a classic heavy metal feel. But at no point do Under the Ashes feel like a band whose goal is nostalgic embellishment, but rather one that wears tradition as a badge of honour whilst forging a fresh path. Certainly a band to keep eyes on!
With a thunderous cheer as Under the Ashes’ set comes to a close, everyone scurries about in search of a beverage or air before our headliners approach the stage.
With bones adorning the stage as the lights dim a final time tonight, Craven Idol take the stage in fine form. With little time wasted, they get right into the thick of it with opening track “Red-Maned Black Dragon” from their split album with black metal titans Mystifier.
Speaking of vocals, lead singer Immolator of Sadistik Wrath has heaps of strength in his voice, wielded like a weapon alongside his ferocious guitar work. Susiral on bass, also on vocal duties, has a genuine fire in his musicianship and overall stage presence.
As the show progresses tonight, “Even the Demons…” is an absolute barrage of a song that fits right in alongside any number of black metal juggernauts. Newest member Asuric Desolation Manifest is a force of nature behind his guitar, blazing away and headbanging along to his insatiable rhythm.
Their sound is aglow with an intoxicating atmosphere, with mosh pits breaking out from the beginning and threatening to take over the whole venue by the set’s end. Craven Idol’s sound is a wonderful mix of blackened death metal, but with definite German thrash roots that come out in some great moments, such as the opening segments of “Dashed to Death” for example.
Leaving an encore to the last minute, they re-emerge in all blazing glory with “Forked Tongues”, which has a beautiful layered sound to it that comes across the stage so very well. To finish the set, Craven Idol set the crowd ablaze with newfound energy with their cover of “Thermonuclear Devastation” by Onslaught.
As the night comes to a close with the band looking dishevelled yet utterly triumphant, it’s sad for the end to come so soon.
