Three bands at the start of their collective tours joined forces for a night of unforgettable mayhem. The start of the bank holiday made everywhere feel deserted, that was until the doors of the Saltbox in Nottingham opened, at which point it felt as if the entire city had poured into the venue. This was my first time visiting the venue in its newly structured form as a concert space, and I was immediately impressed with the layout, featuring a middle hexagon design front and centre.
Starting proceedings were Devastator, who have forged their own blackened thrash path. Every time I see them, they are polished and blistering from start to finish. Tracks such as “Black Witchery” and “Spiritual Warfare” were fired off with ear-ringing precision, while fan favourites “Worship The Goat” and “Baptised In Blasphemy” proved to be certain pit openers. I was also pleased to hear the familiar bass tones of “Deaf Forever,” which the band performed exceptionally well in a live setting.
Up next, in support of their Last Recollection tour, was a band new to me: Belgium’s Schizophrenia. They lean effortlessly into the early ’90s death/thrash metal aesthetic of early Sepultura and Morbid Angel. Their set was relentless in its entirety; they didn’t let the magnitude of their UK debut overshadow their energy and ferocity. The audience was enthralled, lapping up the performance by the time the band stepped up the pace with a cover of Slayer’s “Necrophiliac.”
Next up – and it is fair to say, by the skin of their teeth – were the creators of the Goatkraft & Granite tour and headliners, Hellripper. The band nearly didn’t make it due to a broken-down coach, but there was Mr. McBain in his white Nikes. Honestly, I don’t think I have ever been so relieved to see someone’s footwear. This wasn’t my first Hellripper show, so I knew to plant my feet and strap in for the imminent chaos.
With the band’s latest album, Coronach, only a week old at this point, it was a great time to hear new offerings like “Hunderprest” alongside staples such as “The Affair of the Poisons” and “Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags.” The last time I saw the band was at Damnation Festival, where the set felt like a Guinness World Record stage-diving attempt. While the energy tonight was palpable, the stage-diving didn’t truly begin until the start of “The Nuckelavee.” From that point on, diving was the order of business until the band concluded a few tracks later.
Everything tonight gelled perfectly. All three bands complemented each other exceptionally well, and judging by the amount of sweat and smiles, I think everybody in the building enjoyed it just as much as I did.
Photos by David Gange @WhyMetalMatters
