Belphegor and Wiegedood – Whammy Bar May 10, 2018

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Long-serving Austrian outfit Belphegor headed an eclectic lineup of extreme bands at the Whammy Bar in Auckland, NZ. Black metal was a common thread throughout the night but each act had engagingly varied takes on the grimness and noise.

Locals Sciolism pulled their second opening slot in as many weeks, fresh off last weekend’s Under the Southern Cross festival. Their set was very similar, but it was nice to consolidate what I remembered liking about this band: a balanced blend of aggression, melody and technicality. They definitely benfited from the superior sound quality of Whammy compared to the Galatos Basement, with ample room in the mix to appreciate the contributions of Allan MacLachlan on bass and Steven Bernstein on drums. MacLachlan’s lines ran fluidly throughout the bottom end, compunding both the pulse of the riffs and the thunder of the bass drum. Bernstein could blast like a cannon, but his drums were also packed with nicely detailed fills and rolls. Meanwhile, guitarist Daniel Bernstein shone on a melodic finger picked section bridging Released to Chaos. The punishing black/death elements are well crafted, while details like that help to set Sciolism apart in one’s memory.

Our guests from Wellington were Hollywoodfun Downstairs. Their style mirrored their name-you’re not sure what it all means, but it sounds like a hell of a party. Playing blackened…punk? I think? This two piece created an impressive cacophony that was very pleasing to the ear. Vocalist Kurt Williams had a commanding stage presence, his tall form leaning over the mic, his mouth opening disconcertingly wide to deliver high, intense screams. Far from formless chaos, once you developed an ear for it it became clear these guys knew exactly what they were doing, and were frequently damned catchy. The dialogue between the guitar and drums was whip smart. I’m still not sure what Hollywoodfun Downstairs is, but I like it.

Belgians Wiegedood were up next, and for the crowd were something of an unknown quantity. Not many had heard of them or been fans before this show’s announcement, and I heard at least two people repeat a joke that circulated online about the guy that cleans your windscreen at the traffic lights (geddit?). The best thing about Wiegedood’s performance was getting to witness a neutral crowd be completely won over. Applause for the first song was loud, and after the third someone yelled out “You cunts are fucking awesome,” and you don’t get many higher compliments than that from a metal audience. The music was fairly traditional black metal in style, superb in execution. Wiegedood placed the emphasis firmly on their songwriting, with no showmanship beyond some headbanging, and creepy ambient tracks playing between songs. It was a good choice because the songwriting is top notch. The songs built patiently and relentlessly, travelling through micro progessions and riffs in a way that felt intuitive and maintained the tension even through sparse melodic passages. That said, it was in no way calm or slow. The twin guitars, sans bass, created a sense of cold, alien anger second wave black metal is known for, while the wound tension frequently burst suddenly into startling violence. These guys were my pick for star show of the night.

After a lengthy setup and sound check, the excited audience cheered the entrance of Belphegor. With a legacy of over 20 years, the show was immediately as slick and professional as you would hope for. Corpse-painted, with Satanic props scattering the stage against a huge flag on the back wall, they first of all succeeded in setting the mood of grim celebration. For the most part, they managed to live up to the hype. The sound was pleasingly dark and murky, and Belphegor themselves played flawlessly. The straightforward assault of their black/death hymns was a bit of a double edged sword. After such a meticulously crafted set from Wiegedood, some of Belphegor’s material sounded a bit pedestrian. The mid-pace stomp of Conjuring the Dead in particular did little to move me. Belphegor’s well-worn style could also make some of the songs blend a bit. These are nitpicks, though, because the overwhelming majority of the set was infectious, headbanging, mosh-worthy fun.

Frontman Helmuth Lehner played the schtick straight the whole time, croaking out song introductions, glaring wide-eyed at the front row, and referring to the show as a “ceremony.” He could perhaps sometimes be accused of taking himself a little seriously, especially given reports he told the Wellington audience to “fuck off” after they weren’t animated enough for his liking. There was none of that bad feeling present in Auckland, with the crowd happily waving fists and chanting at his direction, opening up sporadic pits, and jumping around joyously. Lehner and the rest of the band reciprocated the affection stoically, thanking the fans with fistbumps and brandishing their instruments. They even cajoled the band out for an encore, closing out a night of dark art with an excess of raucous good feeling.

Cameron Miller

The 13th Floor
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