The wait is over….Satanic Supremacy is back with its fourth edition! It must have been that Satan himself stepped in and was involved raising this gathering from the ground because the wait was endless. Luckily, the wait is over. So I combed my hair, polished my hooves, brushed my fangs and went on my way to the venue. Very early, because I wanted to witness everything.
Once again this event was in the bowels of the Willemeen. Due to large interest in upper-area (not the cafe as I expected). There were more acolytes present than I would have imagined. The atmosphere was, once again, super with a host of friends, more then a few beers and a lot of laughter (really kvlt and true Black Metal, I know). But now I am forgetting the music.
With a line-up consisting of Black Altar (PL), Vorga (DE), Blood Countess (UK) and Razernij (NL) it has become an intriguing and international one. Now, let’s see how everything went on stage.
First off Razernij gets a spot on the stage. This band comes all the way from Nijmegen which is exactly ten minutes by train. I have seen them before on the Zomerfeesten in Nijmegen and they did not leave an impression. This is entirely not their fault because I was occupied with drinking beer (heavily). So, now it is time for a chance to woe me with their Dutch folklore. With a demo called “Heksenwaan (2024)” and the the two singles “Sodomy” and “Heilige Waanzin” it is about time for an EP or full length. Their set was solid although a little more action on stage would be nice. Only the vocalist moved around a lot. Musically, the music has slower, faster and acoustic parts and at times is a bit to monotonous for my taste. Yet, a song named “Karbonkel” surprised me (it is a character from a 80’ies children serie). I think with a bit more stage presence or may be experience, and some variety in their songs this young band has more potential. Besides these remarks Razernij pulled of a good opening show. Looking forward what the future beholds for this band.
Next up is Blood Countess to tell their tale about Erszebet Bathory. And no, this band is not from Suffolk and can’t be mistaken with fellow countrymen Cradle of Filth . The music of Blood Countess is much harsher and Black Metal orientated then CoF. In 2022 they spawned their only full length name “Occulta Tenebris” which contained some excellent tracks. Besides this album, and an a demo, they presented a live album before getting back in its coffin. Meanwhile, they managed to get these undead on stage. And while being undead they presented a superb show which was harsh, raw and deadly executed. The musicians played very tight and it seemed the audience really liked it because t-shirts sold out very fast (too bad for me). What really impressed me that Dani Filth‘s little sister (just joking) did the vocals. Seriously, all jokes aside: she had an amazing throat. The intro before beginning grabbed me by the jugular and the extreme music itself, including the eerie stage presence of vocalist The Cuntess (yes really!!) pulled of a great and mesmerising performance. Although the faster parts of the songs were hard to figure out (proper sound was lacking) I did not expect to enjoy this performance so much. I really want to see these lads and lady again on stage. A job well done were songs as “A Virgins Blood” and “Sadistic Marchioness” shine in the night. The countess herself should be pleased. Good stuff!
Germany strikes with Vorga! Painted with UV-corpsepaint the visual element manages to surprise. This band manages to make a solid concoction of Black and Death Metal. A compelling lightshow with dystopian harshness is being presented here. With a great intro and superb live presentation with loads of lights and visuals they had the wind in their sails. But in the end the music counts. And to be frank, after a while the music sounds a little…..dull. The visuals and presentation were top notch but I think the music itself needs more of an own face. They have some excellent songs such as “Tragic Humanity” and “Last Transmission” but after twenty minutes I lost interest. And that’s a pity because Vorga should have the right combination of elements to achieve a certain level of greatness. Lads, put some work in your songs, you are nearly there!
Last but not least Black Altar sets the stage. Already active since ’96 Mark Knobbe manages to organize their live debut on Dutch soil. Pure Black Metal is being presented here. No shizzles, no frizzles just plain good old harsh Black Metal, nothing more, nothing less. And I must say when listening this band on Spotify (ohhh…the blasphemy, I will never recover from this) it made a mediocre impression on me. There were some great songs but the majority didn’t attract me that much. They released two full lengths (“Black Altar from” 2004 and “Death Fanaticism” in 2008) together with a host of split-albums, EP’s and compilations.
But to my own surprise this band was really good on stage. With a moody setting and loads of skulls and incense on an altar they set the stage on fire. Their music has a hypnotic effect on me but also displays a raw and elemental approach which really is compelling. Songs as “Black Metal Terror” and “Path ov Death” really proved their worth on stage. I bought a shirt of Black Altar, so that says something. This band proved to be a worthy last act of a memorable evening. Great show!
This edition of Satanic Supremacy was fun. A diverse line up, great atmosphere and a cool audience made sure this was a really cool evening. Mark Knobbe: thanks for organising this once again making such an event possible (albeit with a little help of Satan ;)), I can’t wait for the next one! All hail to Satanic Supremacy!
