This was a great show all round.

The Infernal Sea were great value first up. Didn't really have a chance to check them out beforehand, but very much enjoyed their take on traditional black metal with a few twists.

Somehow this was also my first time (I think) seeing Fen on stage, and they were excellent too. Venue was just the right size for their dreamy atmospherics.

Other than the headliners, Hellripper were who I came to see (Affair Of The Poisons was one of my absolute favourites from 2020), and they didn't disappoint. Absolutely breakneck speed throughout the set - cue stage dives and circle pits galore. Great to see people back to enjoying a proper heavy metal show.

I found Saor a bit underwhelming if I'm honest, but part of that might have been their sedate folk infused black having to follow the chaos of Hellripper. Either way, some nice melodies, but I found most songs outstaying their welcome.

And then, fuck me, but were Primordial good. Really cool to see them in a small capacity venue to which their one-of-a-kind atmosphere was really suited. The band absolutely smashed it, from "Where Greater Men Have Fallen" all the way to "Empire Falls". I've seen Nemtheanga give some ropey vocal performance in the past, but he was on great form tonight. Even if his "propaganda" banter was a bit suspect...

A fucking ripper of a show from start to finish.