Ihsahn - Gig Review & Photo Gallery 8th May @ Amplifier, Perth WA
IhsahnAmplifier Bar, Perth WAMay 8th, 2018Supports: Bolt Gun and Snorri
Perth put on a pretty cold night, perfect for a night of Norwegian metal. I put on my Advent Sorrow t-shirt which I swindled from a drunk member after a Saturday night and headed out. Turning up at the Amplifier Bar, I was expecting a line but I rolled straight through with only a handful of patrons inside. It’s Perth after all, and everyone turns up later in the night.
I purchased a beer to enhance my photo shooting abilities and squeezed past the photo pit barrier which was so tight, I don’t think it was meant to actually have people inside it.
Bolt Gun were up first, and I found myself struggling to get a good shot in virtual darkness rather than actually listening to the band… but I guess I should be thankful there were at least a couple of dimly lit red lights. Lights aside, the band smashed out a post-rock-black-metal-ish set, of ambient doom, drone and noise. An interesting band to see live.
Snorri. Here’s a band that sound like black metal from it’s early days, a sound riddled with hatred and the desecration of a priest. Delivering a vile set of chaos and noise that would sit pretty well with anyone travelling to oblivion.
By now the crowd had swelled to a pretty decent size, all here for one of the most legendary acts in heavy metal history, Ihsahn. First time on Australian soil, the once Emperor frontman came out with the first three songs from his latest masterpiece, Amr.
From black metal’s darkest past to one of progressive metal’s kings, these days Ihsahn’s songs are less chaotic and more melodic, without having lost any of the fire that his band of old possessed. He put on a masterful performance with a selection of songs from Arktis, Ermita and After, and his backing band consisting of the Norwegian prog band, Leprous, were equal to the task of playing the songs the way they deserved to be. Of course the night would not have been complete without hearing any Emperor, and Ihsahn gave us a brutal rendition of the mighty ‘I Am the Black Wizards’. The surprise of the night was hearing ‘Pulse’ from the Das Seelenbrechen album; one of my favourite songs and where the lyrics bite pretty deep.
Ihsahn is one of the best, and seeing him and his band perform live was an absolute pleasure.
Gig Review & Photo Gallery by Emanuel Rudnicki. Facebook: Carving A Giant.
Please credit Wall of Sound and Emanuel Rudnicki if you use published photos
Bolt Gun
Snorri
Ihsahn
