BATUSHKA
HATE / GHOSTS OF ATLANTIS THE DOME, LONDON
Schism-rocked black metallers bring deliverance to the devout
Batushka redefine the term ‘Orthodox black metal’
HAILING FROM THE deepest wilds of… Ipswich, GHOSTS OF ATLANTIS are an ambitious amalgam of modern metals: a little bit symphonic, a little bit death metal and, thanks to guitarist Colin Parks’s mightily impressive backing vocals, a big chunk of power metal. There’s even a hint of black metal about their presentation, albeit hampered by the tiny amount of stage left to them. We’re intrigued to see where they go next.
For the best part of three decades, Polish heavyweights HATE have made their name with ferocious, almost mechanically tight, grinding death metal. The last few years, however, have seen them adopt a more blackened approach, and tonight’s set is mostly drawn from 2019’s Auric Gates Of Veles and 2021’s Rugia. While still boasting surgical precision, from the opening attack of The Wolf Queen, there is much more of a sense of depth and space to their sound now, coupled with some theatrical touches, all of which have given the death metal veterans a new lease of life.