ANCIENT RIVALRY
THE BLACK HEART, LONDON
Warming up tonight’s eager crowd is ANCIENT RIVALRY, death metal newcomers with hardcore roots and just one self-titled EP to their name. They crash through a blistering cocktail of Morbid Angel-esque tremolo and ultra-guttural vocal attack, setting the scene for the headliners with sufficient brutality. “Holy shit, it’s steamy in here,” growls Baest frontman Simon Olsen to arammed crowd before pausing for a gasp of air. “There’s all sorts of fungus hanging from the ceiling.” The Danes get right into an insanely tight hour-long set of death metal groove that hardly lets up, where the crowd are as much part of the show as Baest’s expertly conducted blasts of noise. From the stop-start failingengine chug of new single Colossus to the Bloodbath-style assault of Meathook Massacre, a committed circle-pit is up to the challenge, limbs flailing even throughout the eight-minute single Ecclesia, with its quieter leitmotif and all. When the strobe lights stop flashing and closer Necro Sapiens rolls around, it’s time for an unexpected sing-song. With acommanding stage presence equal parts charged and composed, Baest have earned an appropriately feral reputation for their high-energy shows. Tonight makes it clear why.