Demons of Noon & Infinity Ritual – Whammy Bar: August 22, 2024

Demons of Noon and Infinity Ritual tear it up at Whammy on a Thursday night. The 13th Floor’s Simon Coffey was there.

Is Rāpare/Thursday the new Rāapa/Wednesday? There are so many shows in Tamaki Makaurau on a difficult day for local artists to choose from. From the “I’m reliving my much more exciting indie-punk youth” gig Loves Ugly Children at Mothership, to the return of acclaimed electronic R&B artist Serebii at Neck of the Woods, and onto the very (heavy) metal double bill of Tamaki Makaurau’s Demons of Noon and Ngāmotu’s (New Plymouth) Infinity Ritual. I chose wisely…

Demons of Noon and Infinity Ritual had previously wowed me in the valued international support act slots. Demons of Noon opening for Stoner in 2022, and more recently Infinity Ritual for Orange Goblin. As had both their 2023 releases: Demons of Noon – Death Machine LP and Infinity Ritual – 2 12” EP.

Sadly due to personal economic demands of Chris Luxflakes enforced recession, and a communication breakdown, I missed the opening act Thousand Limbs, but I did/could console myself by listening to their debut album The Aurochs on the stereo, and note in the diary, must see them next time they play.

Back to the old kura, Whammy not Double Whammy tonight, the room is modestly filled, so at least all can see and enjoy without kerfuffles and mutterings.

Infinity Ritual

Having two 12” EPs under the belt is an asset for these toru from Ngāmotu, the increasing avant-gardism, experimentalism that they are bringing to their waiata, which while very much steadfast in ‘metal’, has a dynamic across narratives that energize the band live.

Bassist Jason Karam is a monster, beer guzzling behemoth on stage, whose manic manipulation of his bass is a core contributor to the band’s sound and energetic live performance. From personal favourites like Deceivers, which could easily have been penned by (heyday) Shihad to Earthdriver that has genre-busting-cusp mentality evident on certain Soundgarden and Melvins songs. It is, again, like whence I saw them with Orange Goblin, it is their opus dei, Stones that was a rollercoaster of emotions, at 18 mineti, that created the memories, the buzz,  it was a trip well taken. One hopes new music live and on vinyl is coming in future days.

Demons of Noon

In the years since I last saw these guys (ae sorry, very remiss of me), they have shrunk a little, when they opened for Stoner in ‘22, they had the population of a small rural town onstage, tonight it is more modest. A mere rima inhabits the stage, with only a takitahi wahine vocalist tonight, Tamsyn Matchett.

By hook and crook, doom, not noon, inhabits almost every crook and nanny of the band’s sound, from the incantations in interludes to the crashing waves of guitars and drums that fill voids in between tangata. In a mesmerizing, hypnotic manner, those gathered (not on the sabbath) are swaying, nodding and being transported to a nirvana-like place (it’s a lot more fun than doing yoga for sure)

Watching from aside, it’s hard not to be impressed by the precision on stage, as the members work their instruments together in perfect unison, and as the wha vocals meld and delineate through the night. It’s almost mathematical, is there a genre called math-metal? Actually it is more operatic, it’s as if the band are actors in a pouri and forbidding pantomime, rated 18, far too minacious for the jejune.

The foible of a Rāpare night drags me off early, as the incarnated sounds of Demons (of Noon) follow me up the staircase, but I feel blessed by the dark ones, having been immersed in both cabals tonight.

Simon Coffey

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