The fourth and fifth of September, Tilburg is the place to be. Not only the 013, but Little Devil, Paradox and of course, the Hall of Fame are places I like to visit. But these two days Hall of Fame is the battle arena of my choice The second edition of Nox Occultum is taking place here and I was there to feast upon the darkness presented these two days.
With an interesting line-up, Beherit, Samael, Trepanerungsritualen, Concrete Winds and many more, this should get some dark souls hearts aflame.Besides the bands Hall of Fame (or as people say “The Hall”) is a very pleasant location to be. Enough lockers to store your desired merch, enough places to sit and relax and a large variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Together with an interesting line-up, some friends and loads of acquaintances you have a recipe for a successful weekend.
Friday we are treated upon a ritual of the mighty Beherit. But before this cvlt act sets the stage we can discover known and lesser know acts. First we start with Bloed (NL) who released their debut EP “’t Regent” last year. The Black/Death/War metal they portray on stage isn’t original but doesn’t miss its mark. Their music reminds me a lot of Blasphemy. Simple, crude yet very effective riffs are being created here giving a short (30 minutes) but exhilarating show. The sound on stage was quite good! I am looking forward seeing them live on stage again and hopefully with a full length in their pockets.
Unfortunately I had to miss Shewolff because I desperately needed to eat something but I was right on time to witness Hadopelagyal from Germany which is on the roster of Amor Fati Productions….a high quality record Black Metal label. Although I do not know this band it sure made me curious. One lady on guitar/vocals and one gent on drums are giving all hell on stage. References with Inquisition could be made but this act is far more extreme and raw. I really like the dark ambient noise on the background and incense burning giving a dark vibe but must admit: it gets a bit monotonous after a while. But nevertheless, this band shows real promise and both Hekla (vocals and guitars) and Augur (drums) are giving their utmost to enthrall its audience. And in my opinion they succeeded.
Thus far, I have been enjoying myself very much. Had a chat with some people, listened to interesting music and the atmosphere is great. But we are not there yet! The mighty Cirith Gorgor unfortunately had to cancel but luckily, Lucifericon is going to set the stage ablaze with their Death Metal. It might have disappointed people that CG could not be there but Lucifericon played a powerful set with some great tunes coming from their extended discography (including their latest EP “Sabatraxas”). They even played a song from their upcoming album. You could see that seasoned veterans were at work here and it pays off. Good band, good show and a worthy addition of this years Nox Occultum. Period!
Last but certainly not least Beherit is entering the stage. The last few years they are playing live again. And that’s great because now it finally is my chance to witness this Finnish cvlt band for the first time, and it did not disappoint at all! The sound was powerful and the performance itself was really cool (and sometimes a bit cheesy, but I like that). After an intro “Salomon’s Gate” and “Nocturnal Evil” punishes you with its fierce aggression setting the right atmosphere. But the majority of the songs were crushing it more slowly such as “Sadomatic Rites”. Their straight forward, crude and harsh songs were highly enjoyable. Beherit came and conquered and hasn’t lost anything of its power during the years. And it certainly was the high-light of the first day. Immediately bought a t-shirt to support this band, and I wasn’t the only one supporting them. Good to see that the elder gods of Black Metal are still alive and popular. Good show!!!
This concluded the first day of Nox Occultum. And I must say I really enjoyed myself. As said, intriguing line-up, good location and great atmosphere made it a really cool Friday. Let’s see what Saturday has in store….
Saturday 5 September,
Today is going to be a long day. With eleven acts there is plenty to offer. It’s not only metal but also affiliated genres such as Industrial, Ambient/Drone and and other styles are being presented. A ballsy move which I can only appreciate. Trepaneringsritualen, Gnaw Their Tongues, Nortalke and a few moreacts make sure that you get a diverse palette of dark music. But also the old school Black Metal devotee can get their fill. Samael is playing “Worship him” from ’91 in its entirety. I unfortunately didn’t have the chance to witness Samael but I’ll mention this later. The Hall of Fame had two stages today. One in the canteen and the regular concert area. Although it is set up very nicely the sunlight during the day made sure that the darker acts had a bit too much light than it should. But this is no big problem because you could stand, sit and enjoy the music.
No problems with public transport so I was on time to see the first band of the day: Satanic Black Blood The name says it all. Black Metal in its purest form. With only one demo, called “Sulphuric Demonomancy”, out you get direct, raw, filthy Black. It has a big “been there, done that and watched the video” content but still holds its own. Simple (not being negative), crude music is warped out of the speakers and effectively work on your dark soul. A solid opener with a small surprise, a cover of Von, up its sleeve. And…we’re off to a good start!
I have two negative remarks about the next band called Antzaker. First make sure that the incense package is removed from the altar. It looks like you are promoting the Xenos. Secondly, make sure that when you print your shirts are not from Zeeman. I like the do it yourself character but this is a bit too much ;). Besides these comments I only have positive things to write about Antzaker because they really had a good set consisting of tracks hailing from their debut EP “Voor Wolf en Worm”. The show was tight, intense and well…really good! I am really looking forward listening to their first full length (lets hope it will come out soon) and witness them live again in a venue of choice. And Zeeman or not: I will probably buy a shirt too.
When listening to Solfatare I thought at first Black Metal with Lemmy of Motorhead! I didn’t like the vocals of T.S.G.H (also guitars). And that’s a pity because the songs itself are top notch. With loads of energy, power and great songwriting they eventually won me over. This Belgium act was really good! Check their debut “Asservis par l’espoir” (2025) out and you will concur.
Off to the canteen to watch Bradung. No doner this time (I really mean it) but it mentioned “ossenhaas” (tenderloin) in their samples a lot. So it was quite a meaty experience. Musically, this really has to be your cup of dark tea. It’s funny, whimsical at times ans contains a mixture of ambient, drone and even muzak (with lack of better words). I think that it was a bit too much for a lot of people to “digest” but I enjoyed it. It takes an open mind and guts to put this act on Nox Occultum and gave me a well deserved breather after the more aggressive acts today.
Pale Spectre unfortunately had to cancel so Heamalharia filled in. If I am seeing it correctly it concerns both members Hadopelagyal. It sounds a bit chaotic and is lacking a bass player but it does what it does. And that’s making uncompromising black metal. I can revert to you to the review of this band to give an impression. Personally I liked Hadopelagyal more but that’s a matter of taste.
I went for a quick pizza just to see Nortfalke for the last fifteen minutes. I should have not done that because what I heard was really good. Really well crafted Dungeon Synth/Ambient was being performed which really was dark and relaxing letting my pizza slowly digest. Sometimes it felt like the heydays of the infamous Cold Meat Industry label are back and I can not give a better compliment (I think).
Surprise of the day was Imha Tarikat.. I saw them years back at the Unholy Congregation festival in Belgium. Back then, they missed the mark in my point of view. But today they took revenge. Power, passion, melody and aggression go hand in hand and this German Black Metal band. Although, the drums were a little to loud in the mix they put on quite an impression show. It included songs of their latest “Confessing Darkness” (2025) album and older stuff. I especially must compliment Ricardo Baum for its stunning bass play giving just an extra boast of energy to the already solid live performance. Great show, keep up the good work!
Mories (NL) always displayed pure darkness in its music. Whether it be Dodenbezweerder, Hagetisse, which is more Metal orientated, or Aderlating and of course, Gnaw Their Tongues. It’s always pitch dark, extreme and relentless. I always considered GTT as a more extreme In Slaughter Natives and it sure is music for connoisseurs. But the sheer power and desperation oozes of the stage while Mories is yearning, screaming and punishing its electronic equipment towards the boundaries of hell. Very good performance which only can sooth the darkest souls.
Plainly put: Concrete Winds came on the stage and conquered and crushed anything in its path. These Finnish lads came to wreath havoc and succeeded without effort. An intriguing blend of Death, Black and Grindcore made sure that the stage was totally obliterated. It was not the longest performance but the sheer power made it an intriguing show. One of the high-lights of today!
But the festival isn’t over yet. Trepaneringsritualen is the headliner in the canteen today. And deservedly so. With Peter-Johan Nijland (Norn, Distel, Hadewych and many more) playing percussion nowadays, it was a display of darkness and power. This is the fourth time I’ve seen Trep and it sure again was a dish served cold.(how it should be). Industrial, Martial, Noise and other genres are blended in a deadly concoction creating a maelstrom of darkness. And the audience, including myself, loved it. Intriguing and powerful show which left me hungry for more.
Helas, I had to take the train home missing Samael. A real pity but getting home is priority at some point. But I left satisfied. Nox Occultum was a great experience including great acts. The atmosphere was relaxed the staff was friendly and Hall of Fame is a great venue to be. So let’s hope that next year there will also be an addition of this festival. The chance is really big that I will be there. Thanks for making this possible!
