After a quarter century, Watain still reign supreme
ESTER SEGARRA
THE SLEEK, MODERNIST
Konsert &Kongress complex, with its long escalators leading up to the main auditorium, isn’t the first place you’d imagine to be hosting the bowels of Hell. Watain are no strangers to this venue, though; 15 years ago they marked their 10th anniversary here, having to stop the show mid-set because they set all the fire alarms off. Back then, they were already regarded as black metal’s heirs apparent, and, for two nights, they’re commemorating their quarter-century as the scene’s (literal) torchbearers – the one band able to translate its unruly, underground ethos into an ever more ambitious Grand Guignol vision, now one of the most spectacular and immersive experiences you’ll find anywhere across the metal world.